Auxito AJ01 Review: The Idiot-Proof Jump Starter

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Does it actually work when you need it?

The Auxito battery jump starter is a solid option for the average car owner who wants to stay prepared. It’ll save your bacon 95% of the time, but it does have its limits in extreme cases. That’s a very minor tradeoff for something so compact and easy to use.

Build quality and design

As soon as you pick it up, you’ll notice this thing has some weight to it. That gives you some confidence that it does indeed have the battery power needed to start your car.

The clamps have good spring tension and grab firmly to the battery terminals. With that said, I find the cables are too short for my liking. Their length can make it difficult to find a safe place to rest it in the engine bay. Not a deal breaker, but longer cables would be a nice improvement.

The button placement is straightforward and easy to use, although they don’t have the highest quality appearance. The LCD display is nice and clear to read.

I think the AJ01 is the perfect size for a jump starter. It’s big enough to be very effective at starting large vehicles, but small enough to fit under a seat or in a door pocket. I keep mine tucked away in a gear bag in my 4Runner’s rear hatch.

Overall, this unit feels solid enough to be dropped or thrown around in your vehicle without breaking (although I wouldn’t recommend Gronk-spiking it for funzies).

Ease of use (When you’re stressed)

A few weeks ago, my 4Runner’s battery failed prematurely. The timing wasn’t exactly convenient (it never is).

I was about to leave to drop my toddler off at my parents’ house. There he was standing at the door: Hat on. Mitts on. Winter boots on. I went to start the truck annnnd… nothing.

We were already running late, and I didn’t have time to swap his car seat over to another vehicle or even rearrange the trucks so I could boost it.

This might be the AJ01’s biggest strength. It’s incredibly quick and easy to use, and with its built-in failsafes, pretty much anyone can get their vehicle up and running in a small amount of time.

The instructions are clear and easy to understand but honestly, it’s intuitive enough for you to figure it out on the fly.

It won’t let you damage your car – it has a reverse polarity warning that tells you if you have the cables hooked up incorrectly. It won’t work until you switch them.

You literally plug the cables in, hold the power button to turn it on, and hook it up to your dead battery… your car should start like normal now. It’s that simple!

We were up and running within 3 minutes. Bonus points for making me look like a hero in front of my son, haha.

Real-world testing

I’ve had the chance to test the AJ01 out on a fairly wide variety of vehicles.

Jump starter

The primary function of this unit is to boost dead batteries, and I’ve used it on everything from the small battery on my Harley Davidson up to our V6 and V8 powered Toyota trucks.

In general, it has had no problem starting dead or weak batteries. In most cases, it started them on the first try, although sometimes it had to sit and charge it a bit first.

It’s kind of surprising that such a small device can create enough power to turn over a big engine so easily, but it does.

I tried a little off-label usage once – the alternator broke on our Tacoma, which drained the battery fully.

The tow truck dropped it off in my driveway, but when the time came to pull it into my garage to fix it, I had to turn it around. So I left the jump starter connected, and it actually ran the truck for long enough to pull it out to the street, turn around, and pull up the driveway and into the garage. Pretty impressive with no alternator at the time!

Unfortunately, the Auxito jump starter hasn’t had a flawless track record with me. There was one time when it finally met its match – my neighbor’s Tundra.

He had left his door partially open with the interior lights on, not just overnight, but for DAYS. So the battery was deader than dead. Plus, this was late fall, so it was getting pretty darn cold overnight.

Try as it might, the AJ01 just didn’t have the juice to crank it over. I ended up bringing the Tacoma over and using traditional jumper cables to get it going. Even when boosting it off a running truck, it still had to sit and charge for a while before it would finally fire up.

It would be easy to assume this means that a V8 engine is too much for it to handle, but that’s simply not true.

How can I be so sure?

Because I kid you not, it was just weeks later that the battery on our 4Runner reached the end of its life. And it just so happens that the 4Runner has the same 4.7L V8 under the hood.

In this case, it fired up without struggling at all.

So in normal scenarios, you can count on it. Just know that it does have limitations.

Tire inflation

The AJ01 also has a small air compressor to fill up tires. And much like the jump-start function, you have to manage your expectations here, too.

I’ll admit, when I notice a low tire on anything from my car to my snow blower, I’ll usually pull out the AJ01 instead of firing up my noisy air compressor. Maybe I’m lazy.

But it really does do a good job for the most part. It has no problem filling up a low-profile 18” tire on my MR2. I’d say it takes a good 5 mins or so if it’s totally flat, and it definitely builds up some heat (something I’ve never noticed when using it to boost a battery).

The 33” tires on my 4Runner are a different story, though. Technically, it can inflate them, but it struggles. For anyone thinking they can use something like this after airing down at an off-road trail, look elsewhere. You really need an onboard air setup for something like that – this unit is better suited for unplanned emergencies.

My only other complaint is that attaching the inflator tube is awkward. The fitting doesn’t spin on the hose, so you have to spin the entire hose along with it to thread it into the unit. It still works fine, but I find it annoying.

Cold weather performance

It’s no secret that the cold weather wreaks havoc on batteries. Here in Canada, a battery that’s on its way out might last the entire summer, no problem. But the first time it gets really cold overnight, that’s when you see tow trucks and hoods open in your neighborhood.

That means it’s pretty darn important that your jump starter performs well in the cold. Chances are, this is when you’ll need to use it.

I actually store mine in the hatch of my 4Runner, which sits outside in the cold for most of the winter. And while I’m sure its battery life drops in these conditions, it always turns on and functions as intended.

As a matter of fact, it was -27 C with the windchill when I pulled it out to take photos for this article. It registered over 80% battery left, and I haven’t charged it in 3 months.

The only time it’s let me down in the cold was when the battery was really dead for a few days, combined with the temperature.

Battery life and standby drain

So how well does the Auxito jump starter hold its charge? Well, it does a pretty fantastic job in this department.

I try to remember to charge it every 3 or 4 months or so, and every time I go to do so, it’s reading no lower than 80%. 

While I’m sure you can use it on multiple vehicles before charging it, my rule is that I always give it a full charge after use. I want to be prepared for anything.

During the time that it struggled with boosting the Tundra, it dropped down to 50% after many failed starts. It definitely had more attempts left in it, I just chose to call it off because I knew we weren’t getting anywhere.

Extra features: Useful or gimmicks?

The tech industry is super competitive, so you’ll find a lot of companies adding extra features and gadgets in an effort to stand out. Some are useful, and some aren’t. The Auxito AJ01 has a combo of both.

Tire inflation – Useful, within reason (also handy for pumping up balls or bike tires)

LED flashlight – Gimmick. It puts out a similar amount of light as your phone’s flashlight app, but much more clunky to actually use.

USB-A charging port – Both. It could come in handy to charge your phone or something, but most people use their car to charge it. If your car is dead, you’ll likely be using the AJ01 to boost it, not charge your phone. 

Pros and cons

Value for money