Having previously been impressed with Topdon products, we thought it was time to check out their JS2000 jump starter and power bank to see how it compares with some of the others in the segment.
What is it?
The JS2000 Jumpsurge to give it its full name is a lithium-ion battery pack with a 59.2wH or 16000mAh and a maximum 2000A current. It’s powerful enough to start petrol engines up to 8 litres and diesel engines up to 6 litres – so it should cover bigger fleet type vehicles with ease.
There’s a large power button on the front with four segmented lights to show you how much charge is in the pack. It charges via USB C and has two USB A outputs, the blue one is QC 3.0 and can charge at 5, 9 and 12V. While the white one is a standard 5V 2 amp.
There’s a two second ‘Boost’ function, which will force the full amount of 2000 amps into a battery that is below 9V, which hopefully jolts it back into life.
In the package, you get the JS2000, the jump start crocodile clamps, a USB C charging cable and a handy EVA case which is IP64 rated.
There’s also a built-in 300-lumen LED light which has a steady on, SOS, and strobe function.
How?
To jump start a vehicle you need to lift the rubbery protective cap from the jump start socket, and plug in the adapter that has the positive and negative leads on it. The green ‘ready’ light will then show and you can try to jump start the vehicle.
There are a number of built-in protection features with the pack too. It limits to only four jump start tries in ten minutes, so it doesn’t become overloaded. There’s short circuit protection, over temperature, over current, reverse polarity, over discharge, low temperature, and reverse charge. All of these will trigger the red warning light on the jump start dongle.
Topdon JS2000 what’s it like?
It’s weighty, feels well built and all the rubbery gromets hold in nicely. The pack feels as though it could take some abuse and still be perfectly useable.
Charging is easy with USB C, but it’s odd that it doesn’t feature a USB C output like other modern packs, the CTEK CS Free for example. Most new phones come with USB C only cables, and it would be handy to run a laptop from it. I gather the Topdon JS2000 doesn’t have the necessary built-in tech to allow higher-power devices to run from it.
Jump starting is easy enough, just connect the pigtail jump leads. Negative to the negative battery terminal, then positive to positive, and the green ready light engages. You can then turn the car over to kick it into life, it worked flawlessly the first time.
The 2000 amp ‘boost’ mode could come in handy to jolt a dying battery into life, but it’s not always the best way. Yes, it will get you going, but repeated jolts like this will kill the battery a lot quicker. Slowly charging it up and then trying to start your car is far better for battery health.
Also, as Topdon warns, make sure you connect the clamps correctly if using the ‘boost’ mode, otherwise you can look forward to fried ECU’s and the like.
Strangely, there’s also a DC output, so you could use a 12v pigtail adapter to run 12v devices from the JS200. But, annoyingly it doesn’t come with the adapter included. It does show it in some of their marketing pictures though…
Comparable packs like the Audew Jump Starter come with the lead, and also USB C output.
Topdon JS2000 Conclusion
There’s no doubt the JS2000 is a solid bit of kit. It packs a large battery that’s as handy to keep in the car or take for a weekend away as well as jump starting your car or van if you get stuck with a dead battery.
It would be nice if there was a USB C output and if it had the pigtail 12v adapter. But for the money, these can be overlooked. The addition of a carry case nearly makes up for it.
Where can I buy the Topdon JS2000?
Amazon is probably your best bet, but prices on there can fluctuate. So it’s always worth checking out eBay too.
