A Must-Have Tool

A battery-operated jump starter is one of the tools I find essential for drivers. In fact, I wrote about one of my favorites, the NOCO Genius Boost, three months ago after having rescued a countless number of family members, coworkers, strangers, and friends during my travels.

It is not difficult to accidentally drain a car’s battery. All it took, for instance, was for my little son to turn on the 2nd-row ceiling light right before we took him out of his car seat during the daytime. It stayed on for days without our knowledge. In another example, I waited in the car for about 45 minutes while my wife went shopping at the supermarket. I was listening to the radio and had the fan on. The battery died by the time she returned. Oops!

Starting a dead car can be a hassle:

• Was a jump start cable available?
• Was anyone available to lend their car to power yours up with?
• Did you know how to jump start a car?
• Did you have a AAA membership, and did you have time to wait for a technician to arrive and help?

Genius Boost GB40 in Use /NOCO

My dad bought me a battery-operated jump start kit decades ago when I was in college. It was large and constantly lost its charge. Technology had changed since and small, powerful batteries now exist that can start a vehicle as large as a truck.

Fanttik T8 Apex

Fanttik, a new company whose focus is on “practical and modern products” for the road and home, will soon be releasing their first car jump starter on July 30, 2021, the T8 Apex. The company sent me a review sample to ask for my honest feedback. In this article, I will take a look at the T8 Apex and see how it compares to my favorites, the NOCO Genius Boost line of products.

Disclosure: We received this product free in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion, whether positive or negative. We test each product thoroughly, give high marks to only the very best, and the views expressed here are honest and our own. Learn more

Ports and Features

• Battery: Lithium-Ion (74Wh @ 3.7V)
  • Equivalent to 20,000 mAh (74Wh / 3.7V x 1,000)
  • Can hold charge for up to 2 years before completely drained, although you should charge it every 3-6 months to prolong its lifetime
  • Charge Time
    • 3.7-5 hours with 20W wall charger included in the “Advanced” package
    • 1.5-2 hours with an optional 65W wall charger
  • Time to Empty
    • To determine how long this battery can be used for to power a given device, use the following equation:
      • Hours available for device = Battery capacity (Wh) x 0.85 / Watts used by device
        • 10-15% of power is lost during power conversion
      • A laptop (with no battery) that uses 45W could operate entirely off the Fanttik for up to 1.4 hours (74Wh x 0.85 / 45W)

• Ports
  • Output: 12V DC (Max 2,000A)
    • Used to jump start cars/trucks with up to 8.5L (gas) or 6L (diesel) engines
  • Output: USB-A (5V @ 3A | 9V @ 3A | 12V @ 1.5A)
    • Can be used to charge mobile devices (ie. phone, tablet, GPS)
  • Input/Output: USB-C PD 65W (5V @ 3A | 9V @ 3A | 12V @ 3A | 15V @ 3A | 20V @ 3.25A)
    • Note: The manual included the wrong amperage that equated to a maximum of 45W. They fixed it after I pointed out the errors. The above Amps for 12V and 20V are the corrected values
• LED Light with 3 modes: Solid, Strobe, SOS (red light)
  • 400 lumen brightness
• Large, sunlight-readable display
• Dimensions: 9.2″ L x 3.7″ W x 1.9″ H (23.4cm L x 9.4cm W x 4.7cm H)

Package Content

• Base Model
  • 12V needle-nose battery clamps, USB-C cable, USB-A cable
  • Carry bag, Guides/Manuals (multiple languages)

Fanttik T8 Apex Case

T8 Apex Content

• “Advanced” Model
  • Base Model + 20W AC wall charger / Car charger

Included Accessories

Usage

Using the Fanttik T8 Apex is simple:

T8 Apex Jump Starter /Fanttik

• Ensure car is fully turned off, including all lights
• Put car into Park and activate the hand brake
• Pop open the car’s hood and wait 30 seconds
• Plug the Boost’s red clamp to the car battery’s red or plus (+) connector
  • Even if you plug it to the wrong one, the Apex’s reverse-polarity protection will prevent your battery from getting short-circuited. It will also display a “+/- Error” on its screen
  • Having the clamps touch each other also does nothing. It’s quite fool-proof
• Plug the black clamp to the car battery’s other connector
• Turn on the Boost until the screen displays “Start”
• Start the car and push down a bit on the gas to rev up the engine
• If car starts, let it run for a few minutes
  • Drive your car around for 30 minutes to charge up its battery a bit. It may simply need a few hours to fully recharge unless the battery is completely dead and requires a replacement
• If car did NOT start, wait 30 seconds before trying again

Warning: Do not leave the car running inside your garage with the doors closed. You could get carbon monoxide poisoning and die!

Fanttik vs NOCO

How does the Fanttik T8 Apex compare to the NOCO Genius Boost models?

• Boosting power
  • T8 Apex: 2,000A – For up to 8.5L gas, 6L diesel / 40 jump starts
  • NOCO
    • GB150: 3,000A – Up to 9L gas, 7L diesel / 80 starts. I have not owned/tested this model
    • GB70: 2,000A – Up to 8L gas, 6L diesel / 40 starts. I have not owned/tested this model
    • GB50 XL: 1,500A – Up to 7L gas, 4L diesel / 30 starts
    • GB40 Plus: 1,000A – Up to 6L gas, 3L diesel / 20 starts
  • The T8 Apex, GB50, and GB40 were able to start my V6 engine SUV (3.5L gas) just fine
    • A Ford F150 truck with V8 can be as high as 5L

Fanttik vs NOCO Boosters

• Pricing
  • $109 – Fanttik T8 Apex
  • NOCO: $375 GB150 / $250 GB70 / $190 GB50 XL / $125 GB40 Plus
• T8 Apex is the largest of the three
  • Includes a USB-C PD 65W input/output port suitable for charging tablets, phones, and laptops. The NOCOs only have USB-A

Fanttik T8 Apex vs NOCO Boost GB40 & GB50

• Common features
  • Reverse-polarity protection: Having the clamps touch each other does nothing. They are quite fool-proof
  • Car does not need to be moved so its battery could reach the other vehicle’s
    • Just take out the booster, connect to your own battery, and start
  • Lithium-ion battery holds its charge for months/1 year, although it should be charged every 3-6 months
  • Built-in flashlight with SOS function

Improvements

Although the T8 Apex’s exterior design is inspired by the racing stripe of the Shelby Cobra cars (according to Fanttik’s website), I much prefer NOCO’s for one simple reason: ruggedness. The NOCO’s plastic bumpers appear to protect better, and I have concerns about whether the T8 Apex screen could survive a hard fall onto concrete. Having a large, easy-to-read display is nice and fancy, but it would be useless if the battery’s operation is dependent on it.

Charge Port & Display Screen

Final Thoughts

Having a battery booster is one of the single, most important pieces of emergency gear I had purchased for myself and each family’s car — so you would not be stranded somewhere without a cell phone signal. The NOCO Genius models had been very powerful, did not take up much space inside the vehicle, and had been easy to use: my elderly mother-in-law remembered how to start her own vehicle after showing her just once! No more waiting for a tow truck/technician to arrive, and having been able to use the NOCO as a portable battery to charge my mobile devices with had been an added bonus.

Lighting Modes with SOS

The Fanttik T8 Apex mirrors what was said about the NOCO batteries, but its higher 2,000A output can jump start vehicles many more times than the GB50 XL and GB40 models I own. It is also rated to work with larger car engines up to 8.5L (gas) or 6L (diesel). The NOCO equivalent would be the GB70. I was not able to test the Fanttik with a large truck since my V6 SUV only houses a 3.5L gas motor.

Fanttik T8 Apex

What sets the T8 Apex apart is its 65W USB-C PD (Power Delivery) output that can charge phones, tablets, and laptops. None of the NOCO boosters mentioned in this article have this. That also means that the Fanttik’s 74Wh battery capacity (or 20,000 mAh equivalent at 3.7V) could power a laptop that uses 45W for up to 1.4 hours!

At $109, the Fanttik appears to be a FANTASTIC buy over the NOCO-equivalent GB70 ($199), but the jury is still out on how well the new company will fare over time.

Where To Buy

• Fanttik T8 Apex (2,000A)
• NOCO Genius Boost
  • GB150 (3,000A) / GB70 (2,000A) / GB50 XL (1,500A) / GB40 Plus (1,000A)

Related Reviews

• NOCO Genius Boost Plus GB40/ XL GB50 Lithium Car Jump Starter
• Gooloo GT3000 Turbo (3,000A) Lithium Car Jump Starter