Gimmic or Not

With a wide range of equipment from a variety of manufacturers at a wide range of prices, which are useful and which are gimics, which actually work and which are designed purely to lighten your wallet.

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Why is there a wide range of prices?

Are you comparing like with like?


For instance jump leads, basically a temporary means of connecting two batteries together.

Cables can be made from copper, aluminium, copper coated aluminium or brass. Big difference in metal costs and in conductivity. Brass is roughly 1/4 of copper and ali 2/3 of copper!

Copper is the best conductor apart from silver.

However not all copper ones are the same! Strands can be 0.9mm, 0.4mm, 0.3mm or 0.2mm. If the CSA is the same it does not matter from a conductive point of view about size of strands however the one made from 0.2mm is more flexible then 0.9mm

Have seen jump leads rated at 800 amps. Interesting thing is 35mm2 cable is rated at 240 amp continuous. How can they claim 16/25mm2 cable as 800 amps.


Ensure you compare the spec before the price!


Brendan

Best use gloves if using cheap, thin jump leads - boy do they get hot!

Form them into a coil in the middle than you can cook your toast on them.

Assassin wrote:

Form them into a coil in the middle than you can cook your toast on them.