Audew Epower-188 Multi-Function Jump Starter Review: Saves Aggravation and Service Call Expenses

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The Lowdown

With 300 Amp Starting Current and 1,500 Amp Peak Current, the Audew Epower-188 Multi-Function Jump Starter has the power to jump-start most vehicles, including cars, light-duty trucks, motorcycles, lawnmowers, and snowmobile – 35 times.

Overall
5

Pros

  • Compact kit that contains everything you need to jump-start your vehicle or power multiple devices at once — even wirelessly
  • 18,000mAh Audew Epower-188 battery
  • Simple to use
  • Built-in flashlight and emergency light options
  • Multiple functions make it handy for all kinds of situations

Cons

  • Nothing that I’ve found so far!

I could have used the Audew Epower-188 Multi-Function Jump Starter a few months ago. Kev and I were about to leave the Eldorado High School Homecoming Parade, and that was the exact moment my Jeep’s battery decided to die. Of course. And did I have a set of jumper cables with me? Of course not.

Audew Multi-Function Jump Starter

Fortunately, our town’s former judge and his wife (who, as it happens, was my 6th-grade teacher many moons ago) hadn’t yet left the area. Judge Griffin had a set of jumper cables, and after giving my battery some juice, we were soon on our way. You’ve got to love living in a small town.

Sure, I had warnings that my battery was on its way to failure. I got my Jeep in the fall of 2015, and I’d passed the outer limits for a battery’s 3-5 year lifespan a couple of months before. My Jeep had started a bit sluggishly for a few weeks, reminding me that I needed to get it serviced soon, but it would always start. I knew I needed to get the battery replaced. Soon. I just hadn’t had a chance yet. And now it had officially died. Aggravating.

As Kev and I drove home, I couldn’t help but reflect on what had just happened. If we hadn’t been somewhere with a helpful friend available to jump-start my car, we would have had to make a possibly expensive service call. I wasn’t exactly proud of my procrastination or my lack of preparedness.

Not long after I had replaced the battery, I was offered the Audew Epower-188 to review. My first thought was, “I don’t need it now; my battery is brand new!” But that kind of non-proactive thinking is what got me into the dead battery situation in the first place, and it was high time for me to level-up on my adulting skills.

Audew Epower-188 Multi-Function Jump Starter Features

  • Ergonomic Pocket-Sized | Its compact ergonomic handheld design, which makes it anti-slip, allows it to be held in your hand and fit in your glove box, console, or door pocket. There is little to no risk for this car battery tester to slip and fall during jumping. Now, forget those bulky and awkward battery-powered jump starters.
  • Powerful | With 300 Amp Starting Current and 1,500 Amp Peak Current, Audew Epower-188 has the power to jump-start most vehicles, including cars, light-duty trucks, motorcycles, lawnmowers, and snowmobile – 35 times.
  • Smart & Safe Protection Circuitry | This compact portable power pack contains an 18,000mAh battery with Smart Cables that protect against reverse polarity, short circuit, reverse charge, overcharge, and over temperature.
  • Convenient USB Device Charging | Charges up to four devices at the same time, multiple times without recharging. On the other hand, USB ports can provide up to 18 watts of output for mobile devices and laptops alike.
  • Multi-modes LED Flashlight | While most similar products have an LED flashlight function, this is a flashlight that has multiple modes – Torch, Beacons, Strobe, and SOS modes. This means that even in situations where you didn’t need a jump starter that it would be highly useful for working on your car or even lighting the path if you take a walk in the woods.

The jump-starting kit comes in a convenient storage bag that includes the 18,000mAh Epower-188 Jump Starter, the plug-in cable with attached clamps to use on a vehicle’s battery, a wall charger, a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable, and a user manual.

The jump-starter looks like an over-sized black plastic external battery pack with red racing stripes. It measures approximately 7.5″ long by 3.25″ wide by 1.5″ thick, and it weighs 1 pound 4.3 ounces, so you aren’t going to confuse it with the typical portable battery pack, but it isn’t unwieldy. On the left side of the Audew Multi-Function Jump Starter, there is a USB Type-A Output port (5V/9V/12V), a second USB Type-A output port (5V, 2.4A), a USB Type-C port (5V, 3A), and a power/switch button.

Audew Multi-Function Jump Starter

There is an LCD screen on the front of the device that displays the remaining battery life in the jump starter battery. It will display the percentage left when you press the power/switch button along with a flashing wireless charge icon because the battery pack also offers that feature — it will wirelessly charge your Qi-enabled smartphone if you lay it on the top of the Audew.

Audew Epower-188 Multi-Function Jump Starter Review: Saves Aggravation and Service Call Expenses

On the top, there is an LED flashlight.

Audew Multi-Function Jump Starter

It is turned on by pressing and holding the power/switch button for 1.5 seconds. Pressing the power/switch button again will start fast blinking strobe light; pressing the button again will start a morse code SOS flash, and another press will start flashing the red LEDs on either side of the center flashlight. A final press will turn the flashlight feature off.

Audew Epower-188 Multi-Function Jump Starter Review: Saves Aggravation and Service Call Expenses

On the right side of the Audew Epower-188 Multi-Function Jump Starter, there is a rubber cover on the port for the jumper cable attachment; next to that, there is a 15V 10A output port.

Audew Multi-Function Jump Starter

If there’s ever a need for it, you’ll be able to pull out your fully-charged handy jump starter kit, plug the jumper cables into this port, and then attach their color-coded clamps to the positive and negative posts on your vehicle’s battery.

Audew Multi-Function Jump Starter

The jumper cable port opened.

Audew Multi-Function Jump Starter

The back of the device lists the Audew Epower-188’s technical specifications as well as some safety warnings, which include [with my comments in brackets]:

  • Do not jump-start the vehicle if less than 60%. Do not connect the positive and negative poles to the opposite poles [This can cause a massive spark that can severely injure you with burns], or connect the two clamps; otherwise, an accident may occur. [Most of us have seen what happens when you touch two live battery clamps together, it creates a spark of electricity that can be dangerous]
  • If the engine does not start within 3 seconds, stop cranking and wait at least 30 seconds before attempting to start the vehicle again.
  • Do not disassemble the host or use it as a car battery; otherwise, an accident may occur. [I guess they have to list everything someone might try to do with this that could cause safety issues, right?]
  • Do not crush the product or put it into a fire; otherwise, an accident may occur. [Most likely, an explosion]
  • Keep away from children to avoid any accident.

Audew Multi-Function Jump Starter

Audew says that the life-time of the Epower-188 battery is usually three to five years of normal use and that it can still jump start a vehicle after sitting for 6 to 12 months. They do mention that it’s a good idea to top off the charge every three months if it hasn’t been used to be ready for you when you need it. It takes about four hours to fully charge the Audew Epower-188 from empty using the fast-charge USB Type-C port.

I appreciate that the Audew Epower-188 is compact enough to use in even the tightest spaces; I’ve had car batteries die before when I was in a spot where another vehicle couldn’t easily be placed to jump-off my vehicle’s battery, and that wouldn’t be a problem with this device. I like that I don’t have to carry a coiled set of jumper cables in the back of my Jeep. I also like that if I am ever stranded somewhere without the chance of someone else coming to offer a jump-start, I’ll be able to get my vehicle started on my own, without having to put in a service call. The Audew Epower-188 is the kind of thing that we should all keep on hand!

While I wish that I’d had the Audew Multi-Function Jump Starter the last time I got the ugly surprise of a dead battery, at least I know that it won’t happen to me again! I keep the kit in the back of my Jeep, and I’ll be ready should it ever be needed. In the meantime, it’s handy to know that I will always have a large capacity external battery in the car, ready to power (or jump-start) just about anything should the need ever arise.

The Audew Epower-188 Multi-Function Jump Starter sells for $79.99, and it is available directly from the manufacturer.  Use the code GEARDIARY20 to get 20% off the Audew Epower-188; it is good until January 31, 2021.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Compact kit that contains everything you need to jump-start your vehicle or power multiple devices at once — even wirelessly; 18,000mAh Audew Epower-188 battery; Simple to use; Built-in flashlight and emergency light options; Multiple functions make it handy for all kinds of situations

What Needs Improvement: Nothing that I’ve found so far!

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She got her start in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie has written for or been profiled by nationally known sites and magazines, and she has served on multiple industry hardware and software award panels. She is best known for her device-agnostic approach, enjoyment of exploring tech, gadgets, and gear, and her deep-diving, jargon-free reviews.

2 Comments on "Audew Epower-188 Multi-Function Jump Starter Review: Saves Aggravation and Service Call Expenses"

  1. This would be useful to have on hand during our cold winters in Upstate NY

  2. laurawilson082 | October 27, 2021 at 6:20 am |

    It looks really good

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