Smaller Engine Car Jumper Powerbanks

When it comes to car jump starter powerbanks, everyone seems to make a beeline for the big guns, heading straight to read the reviews and descriptions on some of the most powerful portable car jump starters currently out there available for sale to the public. It seems like everyone wants the most powerful charger with the biggest powerbank battery capacity. I'm even guilty of this, even though my car at the moment only has a 1.3 litre engine. I opted with the huge 800Amp Guluman model. But really its far too much for what I need with such a small engine car. So really, any jump starter would most probably do the job in being able to get it started.

The super powerful DBPOWER 1200A

I guess I thought that with a more powerful model, the chances of it starting the car are considerably higher because its built to be able to start cars with much bigger engines. So mine should be no problem. This thinking is logical, but step away from trying to buy the biggest and "best" battery charger and there are so many smaller models that are much cheaper in price, smaller in size, and appear to be really capable. These mini models would be just fine with car engines sized between 1.0L to 1.4L. Two that stand out are the RAVPower 300A 8000mAh (comes with a year and a half warranty) and the DBPOWER 300A 8000mAh (older model). Both are the same price.

If you've read through a lot of reviews, and know some of the best brands in this marketplace, you will be aware of how much brand matters with these products. However, this can also be misleading. Read more about that below. There are so many cheap starters out there that might seem like a good deal in terms of price, but some have numerous reviewers stating that they had it stored in their car in case of emergency, and when that time came, the jump starter just wouldn't work. Typical! At the very time when the product really needs to shine, it lets the buyer down miserably.

This is one of the worst "features" about these products. The problem is, when a person buys one of these devices (regardless of brand reputation and size), they usually don't need to use it straight away and have bought it as a safety / backup item to store away in the boot just in case they may need it one day. So it gets bought, not fully tested, and then lets the person down. We've seen these types of reviews coming through in spurts across basically ALL models, but can you imagine the sheer amount of potential cases out there of portable starters not working that haven't been discovered yet because the buyer has not yet needed to (try to) use it. I bet there's a lot! Got one in your boot that you've never tested? Do it now to be on the safe side!

Powerful Portable Car Jump Starter UK

Why you need a powerful portable car jump starter in the UK. The recent spell of cold weather that's hit the UK over the last week has been the cause of huge disruption to many services, including buses, trains, food deliveries and postal delays. Driving conditions have also been really bad. With snow and ice covering most of the roads, it's been a treacherous time for those who have had no choice but to brave the snow and hit the road. Of course, with snow and ice everywhere, that's to be expected.

And being out and about, I personally seen a lot of wheels spinning / skidding on ice, and a fair share of people just stuck in one spot because there was no traction for the wheels to grip on to. But then there is the other people, the ones who didn't even manage to get the car off the drive due to it failing to start. In freezing cold conditions, the number one reason the car will not start is simply down the battery going flat because of the massive temperature drop draining all the power.

Thankfully, there is an easy fix for this, providing you have the right equipment for the job. Now, most people will have some form of car starter at their home tucked away in a shed or garage. But usually this is a car battery charging unit that's rather big in size and needs to be plugged in the mains to generate its power to charge the battery. These types are great if you can't start your car and the car is near your home, such as sitting on the driveway, etc. In this position all you have to do is get an extension lead, plug the battery charger in, and take it out to the car. The mains operated car starters do take a while to charge up the battery, but will do the job.

But what if you are nowhere near your home and your car battery is dead, or dies somewhere along the line.. This is where portable jump starters really fill the gap between chargers that need to be used at a certain location and one that is totally mobile and can be taken with you, and used to save the day, anywhere you may end up while out on the road. If you are unsure of how portable jump starters work, they are basically a mobile power pack that stores energy (similar to a normal rechargeable battery), which can be used to not only start your car numerous times from one charge, but also charge other devices like mobile phones, tablets and just about anything else that has a suitable connection port. Most of them also have a torch / flash light which has a few different flash options.

While I was writing this post yesterday, and then came back to it today, I got caught out myself today. How ironic. I've been moving items from one place to another with my car. Because of this, everything was taken out of the car by family member to make more space, including the safety essentials. One being my Guluman portable jump starter. The weather has been cold here in the UK, and after all the back and forth moving of items my car has been sitting unmoved and without being started for quite a few days. I get in my car, turn the key and it starts without fault. The petrol station I usually use to fill up is only about a 5 minute drive away. I get there and wait in line behind a huge van that looks like its used to transport scaffolding around.

This open back truck is so long that it is basically taking up the two pumps at the fill up point. I park my car behind, turn it off and wait for him to finish filling up. Only when he's done and I try to start my car, it won't start! I just couldn't believe it. After several attempts it was clear that it wasn't going to start. I then had to put the car in neutral and push it backwards out of the petrol lane and park it up. It was at this point that I realised all my equipment had been taken out the car to make space. Great, now I'm stuck at the petrol station. I started going round to people filling up and asking them if they had a car starter they could borrow me. All of them said they didn't own one.

I then went into the petrol garage and asked the guys at the counter. They proceeded to try and sell me a brand new AA branded one from off the shelf. I said no, because I already own one and didn't want to fork out £30 there and then for another one. In the end one of the cashiers let me use his own one from his car, which was very kind of him. Needless to say, the car started instantly. But wow, this is just an example of what can happen and how I was caught off guard. And I actually own one, too!

I felt quite embarrassed having to push my car out of the petrol lane with a garage full of customers. The lucky thing for me was that I was actually going to skip getting petrol and go for a walk in the country side, which is very derelict. I'm fortunate that this happened to me in a more public place that's fairly close to home, as where I was thinking of going has almost no people within any reasonable distance. Just cows and sheep. Also, I was surprised at how many people said no, they don't have a portable jump starter. I think everyone that drives should buy one, because you never know when you might just need it. It's a great back up to have stored away in the boot just in case you get caught out, like I did today.

My Guluman car starter is excellent and I would recommend it. Being an 800A with 16800mAh battery pack capacity, it's one of the most powerful jumpers out there for the price, made for vehicles with big engines. So smaller engines, like what's in my car, are just no problem at all. The Guluman state this jumper can start petrol vehicles with an engine as big as an 8 Litres, and Diesel engines up to 6 Litres. Is this a slight exaggeration by the company. I don't know. I've never tested mine on anything bigger than a 2.5 Litre Diesel and 2.0 Litre petrol. But with those two engine sizes, it turned them over without a problem. However, as a safe estimate, I would say expect it to start up to a 3 - 4 Litre petrol and 2.0 - 3.0 Litre Diesel and you won't go far wrong.

Update: Since writing this post, and then looking through some of the recent reviews on Amazon about the Guluman, it appears there are quite a few customers who have said their Guluman power pack failed after a few uses. Or it won't charge up. The last thing a person needs when their car won't start is a faulty jumper! What use it that. I've had no problems with mine, but perhaps there is a faulty batch going through the system. And due to this I would say, if you are thinking of buying this product, it would be best to steer clear for a while. Or if you need a portable jump starter urgently, go for another brand.

One brand that looks to be excellent and extremely highly regarded by customers, is DBPOWER. In particular the DBPOWER 600A 18000mAh, which is now the number one best seller on Amazon. There's also the one pictured above (That's the DBPOWER 500A 12000mAh), which itself has great reviews. I know someone who owns an older DBPOWER and that has been excellent. Still holds a charge great after around 1 and a half years of ownership. RoyPow is also another brand to consider.

Memories Of Alum Rock Road, Birmingham

Due to me being born while my family were living on Alum Rock Road, I have, and will always have, a special place in my heart for the Rock. The nostalgia I feel when passing through is intense. I know most people don't like Alum Rock these days, mainly due to racial tension and some of the rumours that were going around a few years ago. Like, "No whites allowed" after a certain time.

I think it was after 8pm. Apparently, this was a demand made by a small group of knuckle draggers intent on trouble. However, these types of people are not exclusive to any race or religion, they are available in all colours and creeds. And it's sad that these misguided people give out such negative vibes. Truth is, while the area is now predominantly Asian / Indian, there are still many white people and black people living in Alum Rock. Also, add to that, there are now many people from Syria, Lithuania and Romainia now living there also.

I lived there when the the big Bingo Hall (previously a Cinema) was still there. Boxer, Muhammad Ali once visited there! I think he may have even opened it. You know, like a grand opening. Actually, I lived opposite this Bingo Hall. And when the market just a few yards along was called Saltley Market (Now a PAK Supermarket I believe). This was in the early 1980's. When entering the old Saltley Market there used to be a big red weighing scale right at the front entrance and people used to put their money in and weigh themselves. All the Pubs are now gone as well. The Tilt Hammer, The Village, London Tavern and the Rock Pub situated on one of the corners of the cross roads.



This was also at the time when the Saltley Gate round-about wasn't even thought of, and across the road from where it now sits there used to be a line of shops. One of them was a Cafe. It was called Chico's Cafe. That's long gone. I also remember all the old second hand shops. They were dotted all along the Rock Road. And of course, Variety Stores at the top end near the old Jaws & Claws pet shop. Variety Stores is still there but is now a different shop.

Not forgetting Michael's Supermarket (also long gone). And in close proximity is Saint Saviours School. There used to be a gas / cooker shop near there where my mom had to go to pay off the gas cooker the she bought on HP. It used to be full of cookers, and you had to wait in line to be served at the glass counter and pay an instalment. I was only young at the time and remember it as being very 80's (which it was) and a very strange set up inside the shop.

The house that my family lived in has been knocked down and is now a car park. Before the house was knocked down I went inside there while it was derelict. The door was open. This was years after we moved, and I was surprised to see that it was unoccupied but was being used as a drug den. There was drug paraphernalia everywhere. Foil, Crack Cans, needles etc. It was a sorry sight.

This house was seriously haunted. Many weird, unexplainable things happened / were seen in that house. I would love to know more about the history of Alum Rock, especially the history of the land which my house was built on. Or, better still, what had taken place on the grounds that my old house was built on. I bet the history would explain a lot. And I can imagine it being very dark going on all the ghosts and strange things that me and my family experienced there.

Mazda 323 Silver Fastback 94-98 Car

In it's heyday, the Mazda 323 Fastback, which is the old school model pictured below, was such an intriguing looking car when it first came out. Even today, it still stands out from the rest. Even more so due to the fact that they are not all that common as well. It's not all good though. I think that some colours of this car don't look all that nice.

And add to that, due to their age and low price tag, a lot of them these days are in pretty bad cosmetic condition. They look tatty. There are 3 main engine sizes. 1.5L, 1.8L and 2.0L V6 (around 140BHP). There is also a special (I think the fastest@170BHP stock) Lantis edition, but that is quite a rare car to find for sale, specially in the UK. Those who own them tend to hang on to them.

I've always loved the look of the old school 323's. At some point I will buy one. The silver examples look the nicest. The look sharp, and appear to hide the blemishes well. The 1.8 and 2.0 Litre models cost a lot to insure, so I would probably go for the 1.5 Litre. Yeah, it's the slowest of the bunch but I don't really care about that. It looks fast so that's good enough!

I think the smaller 1.5cc engine size falls into an affordable insurance group. It's either in the older insurance group 7 or 9 depending on the exact model. I like old reliable cars, preferably Japanese ones as they are no doubt the best when it comes to reliability. And the older models just have the look and shape that really appeals to me and sets them apart from everything else. Other cars I really like are Honda Civics, Honda CRX, box shaped Accords, old shape Mitsubishi Colt, 3 door Toyota Corolla's and Toyota Starlets.

Night Driving Castle Bromwich UK

The best time to drive is at night. Preferably in the early hours. That's if you don't have work the next day. In the daytime the roads are so busy. In Birmingham, the roads are constantly jam packed. A few years ago you could go out at say 10am, or even 1pm, and the roads would be fairly clear in many locations. But now, no matter what time you go out, the roads are terrible. It's not even worth trying to avoid traffic anymore. Rush hour is most hours of the day in certain areas.

Castle Bromwich, Castle Vale, Erdington, NEC, etc. And the City Centre..Haha. May as well catch the bus instead, save all the stress. Then again, nah, Birmingham buses can be even worse. I've done my time catching the buses and I hope to never have to go back to that if I can help it. One thing that annoys me with the buses, apart from the obvious, is the rise in bus fares.


When the fares were raised dramatically a few years back, their reasoning for the price hike was that the petrol / diesel prices had gone up, so they had to charge passengers more. However, fuel prices have evened out, and are actually not that bad compared to a few years ago when the bus travel price rises were first introduced. Yet there has been no lowering of the fares people have to pay.

When the fuel cost went down fares really should have been lowered to reflect the drop. They didn't lower anything. In fact, they actually increased the price further! Terrible. But passengers appear to have forgotten why the fares were increased in the first place. There should be a passenger bus strike! That would teach em. Personally, within reason, I'd rather walk.

Anyway, driving is better at night when there are less cars on the roads. This is why it's best to drive late so you can avoid all the hustle and bustle. It's so nice to drive when the roads are clear. Best time for this is between 12am and 3am. I wish I could do it more often, but other commitments and pass times, like sleeping, take first priority!

Quick Drives: Balsall Common, Solihull

Just passing through. A quick drive from Balsall Common to Marsh Lane, Hampton In Arden. Balsall Common is a nice area. So are the surrounding areas, like Berkswell, Barston, Meriden and Hampton In Arden. House prices are way above average. I seen a house for sale in nearby Meriden. Nothing special at all, just an average 3 bedroom house, with no driveway to park a car, and located on a main road. Price: £300,000.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why it's a nice area. Most people, specially those who earn minimum to medium sized wage packets, can't really afford to live there. I suppose that's the case with most areas that are considered "nice". The lower earners of society are kept away due to the high house prices. But don't think that just because the people who live there have more money that they are any better as people than you're average factory worker who lives on a council estate.



Maybe, overall they have better manners, and are more civilised. But they are still people, with their own set of individual problems and insecurities. And they have just as many imperfections and issues as the next person. Morals have no price tag, so don't be under any illusions. You get bad, arrogant or ignorant people everywhere, regardless of how much money they may have.

Actually, come to think about it, what I said above about better manners doesn't really hold true in my experience. Every time I've been to Balsall Common, Meriden, Berkswell, and Hampton In Arden, (which lately has been a fairly regular occurrence) I've never felt like the people were really all that friendly or welcoming. They seem to keep themselves to themselves. That said, I do really like Balsall Common and the surrounding areas.