I still remember the days when a dead car or truck battery meant having someone pull up alongside you and running cables between the vehicles. While that certainly works, new products like the Loftek Nova Power Jump Starter (model G21) render that method obsolete—and work far more conveniently. With one of these Loftek jump starters, you can basically jumpstart a vehicle all by yourself.
Editor’s Note: Check out our best jump starters article to see our top picks.
How the Loftek Nova Power Jump Starter Works
The way the portable G21 Loftek Nova Power and other types of jump starters work is through the way the four internal 3.7V lithium-polymer batteries can discharge at high current levels. With this model, they claim the starting current reaches as high as 1100A (with a peak at 2200A). That only during a very short discharge time into the 12V vehicle battery. Still, after using it—it really does work, and you can quickly start a car, SUV, or even a truck with up to an 8.0L gas or 6.5L diesel engine.
The process for jump-starting a vehicle works as follows:
- Press the yellow Function button on the Loftek Nova Power Jump Starter and make sure you have at least 3 blue LED lights. That indicates you have over 50% charge remaining in the Loftek G21 jumper.
- Plug the included jumper clamps/cables into the jump starter. The indicator light should begin flashing red and green alternately when in standby.
- Connect the red clamp to the positive (+) terminal and the
black clamp to the negative (–) terminal of your vehicle battery. - Note the indicator light on the jumper clamps assembly. When it turns solid green, it means the clamps are connected and the jump starter is ready. If you don’t connect the clamps properly or another fault is detected, the indicator light shows red.
- Start your engine like you normally would. If it doesn’t start right away, you may want to wait a few minutes and try again.
- After the vehicle starts, remove the clamps.
More Loftek Nova Power Jump Starter Details
The Loftek Nova Power Jump Starter boasts the latest QDSP 3.0. That doesn’t really mean anything outside of the battery-powered jumpstarter community. Essentially they claim the jumper works down to -4℉. As I live in Florida, this feature went untested!
Loftek includes short-circuit protection, overcurrent and overvoltage protection, and overload protection on the G21 jumper. This should keep you from doing anything that would instantly fry your jump starter by accident when using it. Again, we don’t do destructive testing, so we used the device as intended as opposed to testing the protection functionality by leaving it connected too long or flipping the cables.
Other Handy Features
The blue USB output port on the Loftek Nova Power Jump Starter can charge mobile phones and even laptops. It operates at either 5V/3A, 9V/2A, or 12V/1.5A. Another 5V 2.1A USB port provides fast charging for phones. The single USB-C port serves as the input charging port for the Loftek G21 jump starter, but can also output 5V/3A.
It is also equipped with a nice, bright LED flashlight that comes on when you press and hold the yellow multi-purpose button. It includes both strobe and SOS functions that alternate when you press the button again after the flashlight turns on.
Conclusion
The Loftek G21 Nova Power Jump Starter worked as advertised. We used it to quickly and easily jump start a 2003 Jeep Liberty. Our familiarity with these products lets us know that it can also handle most full-size trucks, cars, and just about anything else you can think of. In fact, the biggest concern with portable battery-powered jump starters is the sheer number of companies that make them! Trying to discern which models are safer than others presents a problem. Of the four different models we’ve used over the years (all generic brands), none have caused us any grief. That leads me to think manufacturers may have figured out how to discharge these packs safely for their designed purpose.
In the end—is the Loftek G21 a product that can jump start your vehicles? Absolutely…just like every other lithium-polymer jump starter we’ve tested to-date.
Specifications
- Model: G21
- LED lighting modes: Flashlight/strobe light/SOS
- Safety rating: ETL/CE/FCC/RoHS certified
- Peak current: 2200A
- Start current: 1100A
- Capacity: 20.8Ah, 76.96 Wh
- Engine compatibility: Up to 8.0L gas/6.5L diesel
- Smart clamps intelligent jump clamps with 8 protection system
- Power output: Dual USB quick charging ports ( 5V/9V/12V ); 12V/10A DC output
- Lifetime: 1000+ cycles
- Weight: 2.2 pounds
- Dimensions: 7.7 x 3.5 x 1.4 in.
- Includes: Jump starter, jumper clamps, USB charging cable, user guide
- Price: $39.99
