Hagerty Community Member DUB6 writes:

Sajeev,

I’ve long read (and seen on YouTube) about using jump starter packs to jump start vehicles with weak or dead batteries. My old fashioned mentality had me just using chargers and jumper cables, but my curiosity eventually won out (well, curiosity and the fact that I was stranded in a place where there was no one around to jump start me).

So I tried to do a little research on what I might want to buy. Wow – I couldn’t believe how many options there are! I finally settled on one that I felt would suit my needs (GOOLOO GP4000) – but as with most purchases with such a wide range to choose from, I always wonder if I made the right choice.

How about sharing your own opinion with us and leaving it to your readers to tell us what they chose and why?

Sajeev Answer:

That’s a fantastic question because it’s an introduction to finding a good product in a sea of ​​knock-off junk on sites like Amazon and Walmart. The problem is so bad that I almost want to tell people to buy automotive products from Summit Racing and JEGs. To be honest, both have a nice selection of jump boxes (here and here).

But let’s be honest: The stuff on Amazon and Walmart is much cheaper. These days, everyone is trying to save a few bucks on a tool they’ll rarely use, and I can’t blame anyone for choosing that route. Many moons ago, our nation collectively thought it worthwhile to outsource large portions of our manufacturing and supply chain to other countries. Since we can’t turn back that dystopian bell anytime soon, I suggest we play the cards this time. Brave new world in retail treated us.

So let’s look at these products with bizarre names on Amazon. Between DUB6s Our experience with GOOLOO (made by Hong Kong Haowei Technology, who may be in trouble with the US Trade Commission right now) and my look at CTWJO (made by Dongguan Simer Electronics) show that Chinese manufacturers are making a concerted effort to create a special brand for online retail. Ridiculous brand names for everything (not just jump start packages) are a big problem these days. Or is that it?

Not getting everything Marketing101 on you, but that could be a good thing: brands can grow into something with a good reputation. Once a brand is well established, you can expect the manufacturer to stand behind the product to get all the brand equity. But what we’re seeing here goes against building a quality brand. The brands we see on Amazon require the least amount of effort possible. There’s a reason for this action, and it has to do with Amazon’s presumably well-intentioned Brand Registry program.

This video provides a good explanation of the problem we are facing. Weird names blocking a search seems to be a problem that Amazon should have seen from afar. Or maybe they already knew about it and just don’t care.

In any case, we have to separate the wheat from the chaff, and that is not easy. My best advice for everyone is to do two levels of online research on a brand before buying.

• Open a second browser tab and paste the strange brand name into a Google search. See if there is a website for it, then go to the privacy policy page. Under the privacy information, look for the parent company and Google them. If they seem to have been in business for a long time and have a portfolio of products (on sites like Alibaba.com), they could be worth your money.
• Since Amazon reviews for these products can be questionable, you can find a more independent, honest set of reviews on the product on YouTube. The Project farm The channel on YouTube is one of those gold standards that deserves more attention.

The charts at the end of the reviews are generally pretty good, but I welcome feedback to the contrary in the comments. And that’s the state of affairs with all of these oddly named products you see on Amazon.

Here you go, Hagerty community: Tell us what you think about these bizarre brands and how you determine which ones are worth your money.

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