So far this unit has performed well. I used it to jump-start a raggedy old farm tractor, and the little box seems to have an impressive amount of cranking power (for short bursts, anyway).
I've used the inflator twice to inflate a car and a truck tire. Takes awhile to get a tire up to pressure, but's that's normal with these little compressors. For it's size, it's quite adequate as an emergency air source. Took me about 8 minutes to bring the car tire up from 25 PSI to 45 PSI (under the weight of the vehicle). Really not that bad.
The truck tire took a bit longer, as I had to stop the unit to let it cool down. B&D recommends running the inflator for no more than 10 minutes continuously. Total time to bring this nearly-flat tire up to pressure: Just under a half-hour. Again, not too shabby considering how small this thing is.
I like the layout of the controls and indicators. Clear, easy to read, easy to access. Storage for the jumper cables is OK. I'd prefer to see them stowed in a sealed compartment, but they seem pretty secure. Keep the clamps clean, and there shouldn't be any issues storing this in a car.
Storage for the inflator hose is cheesy. It's stuffed into a tiny compartment, and you have to really bend the hose in order to get it inside. The maximum length of the air hose is about 2 feet. You must set the unit very close to the tire for the hose to reach the valve. Not a problem for me so far, but keep this in mind if you need a unit with a long reach. B&D could have done better here.
A major gripe I have is that the inflator has no provision for a backup power source. Depending on how long the internal battery will remain charged in storage, you might find it lacks the juice to power the unit in an emergency. Why couldn't B&D include a 12V cigarette adaptor for this situation? For a unit that's supposed to be a piece of emergency gear, this seems like a glaring oversight. You'd better hope that the internal battery is extremely reliable - without it, the unit is useless. Could have been a five-star rating if not for that issue.
Overall, I'm pleased with this purchase. Reliability will be the ultimate test, and it's still too early to pass judgement. If it holds up season after season, and delivers the goods when really needed, I may change my rating to 5 stars. For under 100 bucks, I'd say give it a try.
UPDATE: 12 Jan 2010
The inflator died on me, with less than 4 hours total runtime. The motor was cranking away, but there was no air pressure at all. Brought it to a B&D service center, and paid $15 to have a new one shipped to my home. No hassle at all returning the unit, and the replacement is working as advertised - so far. Maybe I just got a lemon, so I'm not going to downgrade the rating at this time. Will check back at a later date.
UPDATE: 23 Aug 2011
Working fine after 15 hours of compressor use. I was advised not to store the unit very long in sub-freezing temperatures. This apparently can damage the compressor, which may be the reason my first unit failed. Black & Decker JUS500IB 500-Amp Jump Starter with Built-in Tire Inflator
This review is for the Black & Decker JUS500IB 500 Amp Jump Starter with Inflator
I received this last week, plugged it in to charge the battery, and planned to leave it in the garage. I wasn't planning on writing a review until I used it, until this morning when I needed jump-start my car because "someone" left the lights on overnight. Sure enough, I put this baby to work immediately and the engine started (no surprise there).
What I was surprised about was that I needed to connect both the positive and negative to their respective terminals. At first, I connected the negative clamp to the chasis (like how I would normally jump a car), but my car would not start. I tried several places along the non-painted metal frame part and even the engine block of the dead car to no avail. As a last resort, I connected it to the bolt of the negative post (while wearing eye protection), and the car started. I know this is a no-no, but nothing else worked, and I needed to go to work. I'll troubleshoot at a later time (or most likely never). UPDATE: I've since used this on various automobiles (including the problematic car described above), and connecting the negative clamp to the chasis works perfectly fine now. I'm not sure what happened since, but now it is working fine following the proper useage.
Now, I keep it in the trunk, just in case. It has a nice compact body, so it does not take up much space. I like the light on the unit, but it is also a bit awkward to use (it points UP, rather than down), so I had to hold the unit upside down to see what I was doing. I have yet to use the inflator, so I have nothing to contribute about it. I did try it, and it seems to work. The compartment for the hose is awkward (behind a small plastic door underneath), but at least the hose is stored and not dangling around.
It does not come with an extension cord, which is required for charging. Luckily, I had one available, but it would have been nice to have come with one (even a six-footer would be nice). (Minus half star)
Overall, a very nice portable jump starter. I have a project car that constantly needs a jump, and I found this jump starter readily handy. For those who do not anticipate to use it a lot, this unit may be a bit overkill, and there are other smaller and cheaper alternatives. Highly recommended. Will update in a few months.
Note to Amazon: This product comes with an "AC charger," and not an "air conditioning charger." Please make the appropriate change in the product description section.
Bought for my husband as a gift and he takes it everywhere. Used it 2X's to rescue boats on the lake. Keeps our car tires inflated. Handy for bikes and rafts. It's a GREAT piece of machinery!! Worth the investment!! - Battery Charger - Jump Start - Battery Charger-inflato - Jump Starters'
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