Page 69: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 2015)

PUT TO THE TEST

WEEGO Portable Jump Starter put to the Test nyone who has read these pages knows that ‘product testing’ is

Agenerally not our area of edi- torial cover. However on occasion we will receive offers to test drive a product, as we recently were when the company with the unusual name and interesting product line came knocking.

Weego is an innovator in portable bat- tery solutions, and it recently launched its Weego Jump Starter Battery+ to the marine market. The product line is com- prised of a family of compact and por- table jump starters ranging in price from $99 to $199.

Seeing as though I recently purchased a 27ft. cabin cruiser, I thought ‘why not.’

To be honest I was skeptical that such a small package could pack the power to jump start anything more than an iPhone, and during much of the ‘test’ that’s exactly what it performed, keeping power to a variety of phones and tablets.

I was just about to return the unit when, lo and behold, I left one of my batteries on in an overnight stay at a local marina, forgetting to engage my battery charger while hooked to shore power.

I was literally able to put the Weego to the test on the water, and it performed ex- actly as advertised, providing the needed spark to jump start my 5.7L Volvo Penta marine gas engine. So impressed was I with the compact unit and ease of use, I threw out the return package and called

Weego the next day to purchase the test

Weego Jump Starters are offered in components and long-lasting batteries, heit (-20 to 60-degrees Celsius).

unit.

Weego is pocket sized and capable three sizes. The JS6 Standard is capable Weego features built-in circuitry pro- Pricing and Availability of starting gas engines up to 4.6L and die- tection, an auto-off feature, and jumper The Weego Jump Starter Battery+ of starting 12V batteries in boats, cars, sel engines up to 2.4L; the JS12 Heavy cables with both a fuse and diode to en- has a suggested retail price of $99.99, trucks, motorcycles, ATVs and more, as

Duty (as tested) can start gas engines up sure user safety, as well as protection for $129.99 and $189.99 for the JS6, JS12 well as charging phones, tablets, speak- to 6.4L, diesel engines up to 3.2L and the the unit. Weego jump starters offer up to and JS18, respectively. ers and other USB devices. Incredibly JS18 Professional can start gas engines 1,000 charging cycles (a full charge plus http://www.myweego.com/videos/ easy to use, each Weego model includes greater than 6.4L and up to 4.8L diesels. full discharge), have an operating tem- jumper cables that can be attached to the

Constructed with durable, high-quality perature from -4 to 140-degrees Fahren- G. Trauthwein terminals of a dead battery. Easy to fol- low instructions are printed on the back of each Weego for quick reference. To start, boaters simply connect the clamps to the battery terminals, attach the cable to the Jump Starter Battery+, turn the

Standard JS6 Heavy Duty JS12 Professional JS18 power on and start the engine. A built- in LED ? ashlight assists in low-light 12V Lithium-ion Battery 6000 mAh 12000 mAh 18000 mAh situations and a strobe with SOS func-

Engine Capacity Gas: up to 4.6L Gas: up to 6.4L Gas: 6.4L+ Diesel: up to 2.4L Diesel: up to 3.2L Diesel: up to 4.8L tion (on the two larger capacity models)

Starting/Peak Current 150A/300A 200A/400A 300A/600A draws on-the-water or roadside attention

Chargine Time 1.5 hours 3 hours 5 hours if needed. A 3-in-1 USB charging cord, (using 14V input) 8 popular-brand laptop connectors, wall

Flashlight, Strobe & SOS Flashlight only Yes Yes and car chargers, and a carrying case are

MSRP $109.99 $149.99 $199.99 included.

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