Versatile Emergency Tool

I previously mentioned how battery-operated jump starters are some of the tools I find essential for drivers, and wrote about one of my favorites, the NOCO Genius Boost. The article was prompted after having rescued a countless number of family members, coworkers, strangers, and friends during my travels. Draining a car’s battery is not difficult. 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!

Later on, I was sent the Fanttik T8 Apex that presented fantastic value and a more modern set of features. Gooloo approached me in December of last year to evaluate their new GT3000 Turbo jump starter that, on paper, looked very promising with even more capabilities and versatility than the Fanttik. I agreed to write about it with the condition they had NO input on whatever I wrote — whether good or bad. They agreed.

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

Why A Jump Starter?

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?

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. Even more encouraging is to see this product space heating up in competition, prompting manufacturers to ramp up their designs to set themselves apart!

It is encouraging to see the car jump starter competition heat up, prompting manufacturers to ramp up their designs to set themselves apart.

Gooloo GT3000 Turbo

GT3000 Turbo /Gooloo

Gooloo, according to its website, was established in 2012 to “enrich your driving life” with battery chargers, jump starters, power stations, vacuums, and more. The Chinese company touted its new GT3000 Turbo to be the “one [and] only 100W, two-way, fast charging jump starter” that can go from empty to 100% in 57 minutes. It added that just charging itself for 3 minutes (20% capacity) was enough to boost a car with. I never heard of this brand for power stations, and for now, I will continue to recommend Goal Zero, Jackery, and Ecoflow ones.

In this article, I will take a look at the Gooloo GT3000 Turbo and see how it compares to my favorites, the NOCO Genius Boost line of products, and the Fanttik T8 Apex.

Ports and Features

• Battery: Lithium-Ion (84Wh @ 3.7V)
  • Equivalent to 22,800 mAh (84Wh / 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
    • 50 mins via 100W USB-C PD port — that is FAST!
  • 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 Gooloo for up to 1.6 hours (84Wh x 0.85 / 45W)

Input/Output Ports

•  Ports
  • Jump Start Output: 12V DC (Max 3,000A)
    • Used to jump start cars/trucks with up to 9L (gas) or 7L (diesel) engines
      • Company claims that 10L gas, 8L diesel are supported. That may be true, but I’ll go with the more conservative approach of NOCO for their same 3,000A capacity
    • Works also when vehicle has very low or no battery (activate Boost mode for this)
      • NOCO has such mode too and had helped stranded drivers countless times over the years
  • Output only
    •  DC 15V @ 10A (12-16.8V, 150W max)
      • Included (female) cigarette port cable surprised me: Powered my car freezer (although it would theoretically only last up 1-3 hours)
    • USB
      • USB-A (5V @ 2.4A)
      • USB-A QC 3.0 @ 18W max (5V @ 3A | 9V @ 2A | 12V @ 1.5A)
      • Can be used to charge mobile devices (ie. phone, tablet, GPS)
  • Input/Output: USB-C PD 100W (5V @ 3A | 9V @ 3A | 12V @ 3A | 15V @ 3A | 20V @ 5A)
    • 100W is fast! (And not yet commonly offered with most jump starter brands)
    • Can be used to fast-charge laptops (ie. MacBook) at up to 65W

• LED Light with 3 modes: SOS, Solid, Strobe
  • 400 lumen brightness
• Large, sunlight-readable display
• Pass-through charging: While Gooloo is being recharged, other devices can charge off the jump starter
• IP65 water-resistant: Usable under rain, low pressure water jets from any direction, and condensation
• Dimensions: 9.1″ L x 3.9″ W x 2.1″ H (23cm L x 10cm W x 5.4cm H)

Package Content

• 12V needle-nose battery clamps
• 12V DC to 12V Car Adapter (female) cable
• USB-C to 12V Car Adapter (male) cable
  • USB-A QC 3.0 pass-through port built-in
• USB-C to USB-C cable, USB-A to USB-C cable

Packaging, 12V Car Port Adapter, Drawstring Bag

• Draw string carry bag, Guides/Manuals (multiple languages)
• No wall charger
• Support email address is listed as [email protected]. Poor Fiona.

Usage

Starting with a dead battery

Using the Gooloo GT3000 Turbo is simple.

As Car Jump Starter

• 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 Gooloo’s reverse-polarity protection will prevent your battery from getting short-circuited. It will also display a “X” symbol on its screen and continually beep
  • Having the clamps touch each other also does nothing — AS LONG AS you did not turn on “Boost” mode! It’s quite fool-proof
    • If you accidentally turned on “Boost” mode and touch the clamps with one another, be prepared for a loud, dangerously strong spark. I did that for test purposes — the screen immediately displayed “2” and continually beeped for 30 secs

WARNING: “Boost” mode should ONLY be activated AFTER the clamps have connected to the car battery. It sends extra power for situations where the car battery is very low or not installed. Do NOT touch the clamps with one another when “Boost” is active!

Left: Overloaded (Clamps touched with one another in Boost mode). Right: Ready to Start

• Plug the black clamp to the car battery’s other connector: negative (-)
• Wait for the screen to display “Ready”
• 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 at least 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
  • If after the second try it still does not start, turn on the Gooloo’s “Boost” mode for an extra kick of power
• You may not start more than 4 times within a 10-minute period, or the battery will enter safe mode for 10 mins and display a “3” on the screen

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

As Emergency Light

GT3000

• Turn on the jump starter, then press the Power button for 1-2 seconds to turn on the light. Cycle through the modes by briefly pushing the Power button again

As Low-Current Charger

• Press Power and Boost button at the same time for 2-3 seconds to turn on this mode. It allows for low-level charging of sensitive devices like headphones and smartwatches

Error Messages

Here are the errors that may show up on the screen. They are also printed on the bottom of the Gooloo.

• “X” + Beeping: Polarity is reversed. Ensure the clamps are connected to the correct battery terminals [Red clamp with car’s red or plus (+) terminal]
• “Ready” (blinks) + Beeping: Vehicle battery is dead. Press “Boost” for 2-3 secs, and once the “Ready” icon lights up solid, start the vehicle within 30 seconds
• “1” + Beeping: Jump starter’s temperature is too low or high. Wait until the Gooloo’s temperature is between 32F – 113F
• “2” + Beeping: Overcurrent protection. Wait 30 seconds before trying again.
• “3” + Beeping: Vehicle was jump started 4x within 10 minutes, putting the Gooloo into safe mode. Wait 10 mins before trying again

Gooloo vs Fanttik vs NOCO

How do the Gooloo GT3000 Turbo, Fanttik T8 Apex, and NOCO Genius Boost models compare?

• Boosting power
  • Gooloo GT3000: 3,000A – Up to 9L gas, 7L diesel / 60-80 starts
    • Manufacturer claims up to 10L gas, 8L diesel, but I prefer to err on the conservative side
  • NOCO
    • Hardware design is no-frills but the most rugged among all 3 brands
    • GB150: 3,000A – Up to 9L gas, 7L diesel / 60-80 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
  • Fanttik T8 Apex: 2,000A – For up to 8.5L gas, 6L diesel / 40 jump starts
    • Display screen may be prone to cracking after a hard fall
  • Boost Test: GT3000, 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

• Pricing
  • $188 – Gooloo GT3000 Turbo (3,000A)
    • Half the price of the equivalent NOCO GB150
  • $109 – Fanttik T8 Apex (2,000A)
    • Includes a fantastic carry case
  • NOCO
    • $375 GB150 (3,000A)
    • $250 GB70 / $190 GB50 XL / $125 GB40 Plus
• Gooloo GT3000 and Fanttik T8 Apex include USB-C PD input/output suitable for charging tablets, phones, and laptops at up to 65W. 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 (except when “Boost” mode is activated)
  • 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
  • Acts as a power bank, allowing mobile USB devices to be charged with it
  • Lithium-ion battery holds its charge for months and up to 2 years, although it should be charged every 3-6 months
  • Built-in flashlight with SOS function

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.

GT3000 and Accessories

The Gooloo GT3000 Turbo mirrors what was said about the NOCO batteries, and its high 3,000A output can jump start vehicles many dozen times over. Its rugged, eye catching design makes it stand out from the NOCO and Fanttik T8 Apex starters, and the addition of a 12V DC-to-12V Car Port cable opens it for more versatile use than the other brands I have compared it to. Both the Gooloo and Fanttik include modern USB-C PD (Power Delivery) output that can fast-charge phones, tablets, and laptops at up to 65W. None of the NOCO boosters mentioned in this article have this. That also means that the Gooloo and Fanttik batteries could power a laptop that uses 45W for up to 1.5 hours! That just highlights how NOCO — despite being one of the top brands in the industry — appears a bit outdated for modern times.

All three brands can be used as power banks for charging mobile USB devices and to signal with built-in emergency lights. At $188, the Gooloo is a FANTASTIC buy over the NOCO-equivalent GB150 ($375) with extra features, accessories, and VERY fast, two-way charging. I was also pleasantly surprised to see the GT3000 power my car freezer for some time (for up to 3 hours in theory). However, like the Fanttik, the jury is still out on how well the company will fare over time in the face of increasing competition in the portable car booster space.

Where To Buy

• Gooloo GT3000 Turbo (3,000A)
• 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
• Fanttik T8 Apex vs NOCO (2,000A) Lithium Car Jump Starter