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Automotive Education/Info Tool Review

Don’t Buy a NOCO Boost Jump Starter Without Reading This

The NOCO Boost GB250 and GB251 12V and 24V Jump Starters

Its been established in some of my prior posts that NOCO Boost jump starters are pretty much the best on the market right now. Not only are the NOCO jump starters affordable, they offer a huge variety of products from jump starters for emergencies to commercial jump starters for tow trucks and other roadside assistance.

If you’re looking for a battery booster just to have in case of emergency, check out this post. Or just try the one under this paragraph.

If you’re looking for a jump starter to use in a tow truck, wrecker or in the automotive repair shop- continue on reading. In this review, we are going to look at two of the top 12 and 24 Volt jump starters for commercial use on the market- the NOCO GB250 and the GB251.

NoCo Boost gb250 5250 amp battery boost commercial jump starter
Click the image for more info, reviews and where to buy the NoCo GB250 12V battery jump starter.

In the image above, you see the 12V GB250 NOCO Boost jump starter. Below you are going to get your first glimpse at a similar product, the GB251 NoCo Boost 24V battery jump starter.

NoCo boost gb251 12/24v volt battery jump starter with cables
Click the image for more info, reviews and where to buy the NoCo Boost GB251 24V battery jump starter.

For comparisons sake, we can look at the NOCO Boost GB251 versus another popular 12/24V jump starter- the Goodall “Start-All” Jp12-24. Although the JP12-24 from Goodall is a quality jump starter, the price is significantly higher than the GB251 at $1600 list. Here’s a look at the size of the “Start-All” compared to the NOCO Boost 12/24V portable booster pack.

Goodall start all 12 24 volt jump starter power bank red and black 10000 peak amp 16600 joules
Here you can see my used Goodall JP 12-24. It’s a solid jump starter, but it pales in comparison to the GB251.

Now that you have had a chance to get your first look at the GB250 and GB251 from NoCo Boost, we’re going to dig in and find out some of the following things.

  • Are the GB250 and GB251 NoCo Boost the same?
  • What can I use the NoCo Boost GB250 and GB251 for?
  • How much do these Boost jump starters cost in store and online?
  • What are the reviews like on the NoCo Boost GB250 and GB251?
  • Whats different about the two NoCo battery booster packs?
  • How do I use the NoCo Boost GB250/251?

So, let’s go ahead and start answering some of the questions posed above regarding the NOCO Boost GB250 and GB251 12 and 24V Battery Jump Starters.

Are the NoCo Boost GB250 and GB251 the Same?

Sharing similar part numbers, it would be easy to wonder if the Boost GB250 and 251 are the same product or at least extremely similar. The answer is, they are similar but also very much different portable battery jump starters. One key difference between the GB250 and GB251 is the fact that one is 12 Volt and the other is a 24 Volt as well.

Just above, you see the price and product listing for the NoCo Boost 250GB which is a 12Volt battery jump starter. Below, you’re going to see the NoCo Boost GB251 which will boost and charge up to 24Volt battery systems. This makes it ideal for heavy duty and industrial applications.

So what are the differences in the GB250 and GB251 NoCo Boost?

In this section of the post, I’m going to look at any differences the NoCo Boost GB250 and GB251 might have that would help you make a better informed decision which of the portable jump starters you should buy. After all, it’s going to be the things that set these two battery boosters apart that will be the deciding factor in which NoCo Boost jump starter to buy. Here goes the NoCo Boost GB250 versus GB251 debate, reviews, price warranty and pretty much everything else.

The GB250 and GB251 NoCo portable jump starters are not only different in terms of voltage, their amperage ratings are actually quite different as well. With the GB251 24Volt version putting out a peak 3000 Amps compared to the 5250 that the GB250 claims, it would be fair to think that the GB250 is actually a more powerful portable battery jump starter.

Because electricity is a complicated thing, in order to get the capacity of the GB250 you need to multiply the 3,000 amps by 12 Volts which amounts to 63,000 Watts. If you do the same thing with the larger 24V GB251, you come up with 24 (voltage) times 3,000 (Amps) which amounts to 72,000 Watts.

Its actually really hard to find anything different between the GB250 and GB251 aside from the intended voltage for the two different jump starters. As we have already established, the NoCo Boost GB250 is a 12V cordless jump starter and the NoCo Boost GB251 is a 24V portable jump starter.

Whats the Same About the NoCo Boost GB250 and GB251?

Specs like weight, height, length and some others are all identical on the NoCo Boost GB250 versus the GB251. Both units weigh in at a respectable 21.6 pounds which is heavy enough to withstand any kind of abuse in the commercial repair shop but also light enough to carry around and use from vehicle to vehicle. Also, both of these NoCo Boost jump starters come with the standard quality and assurances of all the tools on the NoCo Boost line.

What Can I Use the Boost GB250 and GB251 to Jump Start?

Owning a portable jump starter would be useless if the tool did not get the job done. But what exactly is the job that we’re trying to do and can the GB250 and GB251 get it done?

Ideally, if you are going to spend around $1,000 on portable jump starters or any jump starter for that matter, you should expect to have very few roadblocks and one of the two should have the capability to jump start almost everything from cars, trucks and SUV’s to commercial construction equipment. Here are the specs on what the GB250 and GB251 are capable of boosting.

NoCo Boost 5250 Amp GB250 portable jump starter designed for commercial and industrial use.
In this photo you see that NoCo is marketing the GB250 and GB251 as tools for commercial use, not just at home jump starting.
GB250 Starting Specs: What Engines Can the NoCo Start?

According to the NoCo Boost GB250 product listing, the portable jump starter can boost up to 16-liter gasoline and Diesel engines safely with its “Ultrasafe Technology”. It also claims to be able to start a vehicle within 60-seconds and it has a timer to ensure you wait just the right amount of time.

One user on Amazon left the following review testifying to what vehicles he has used the GB250 to jump start.

So I have had the the jump pack for 1 month. I have used it several times it’s worked well so far have had several batteries completely drained and was able to fire them up it’s jumped 6.7 8.4 9.0 and 13 liter engines with ease the one thing I don’t really care for is the carry case it’s made outs of some sort of cloth/ canvas material and I don’t see it holding up well maybe the inside but outer shell should be like a polymer for durability- Steve Leonard on Amazon 

As you can gather by reading his review, the GB250 is fully capable of jump starting a 6.7, 8.4, 9.0 liter and 13.0 liter engine! His only complaint about the Boost GB250 was regarding the carrying case.

If the carrying case is an issue with your GB250, there are tons of great options on Amazon that replace the original case. Here’s just one, but if you click shop now, you will find dozens of cases in all shapes and sizes.

What Engines and Equipment Are the GB251 Designed For?

What makes the NoCo Boost GB251 special compared to the GB250 is the fact that it is compatible with 24V systems which are very common in every industry other than light duty cars and trucks. If your shop services heavy equipment or you are moving to a shop where you will be working on 24V systems, this NoCo Boost is hands down the best jump starter.

With a 24V portable jump starter, the problem is oftentimes the weight of the unit. Many of the 24V battery boosters with any real juice commonly weigh a ton. Here’s an example of a 24V battery jump starter and charger on wheels. The Solar 4001 12/24V battery charger costs half that of a Boost 24V battery charger, but it weighs a whopping 73.8 pounds. Even though it’s on wheels, that could get heavy. And again, the NoCo 24V weighs 21.6 pounds according the the product listing.

How Much do NoCo Boost 12 and 24 Volt Chargers Cost?

If you’re in the midst of making a decision whether it’s worth buying a NoCo Boost GB250 or GB251, an obvious question you will have is how much do these portable jump starters cost? You’d be surprised to know that the Boost GB250 and GB251 are almost the same price with the 24V version costing just slightly LESS than the 12V.

Here are the prices on Amazon which I find to be the cheapest place to buy NoCo battery charging products.

NoCo Boost GB250 Portable Jump Starter Prices

NoCo Boost GB251 24 Volt Battery Jump Starter Price

If you’re not looking to buy a $1,000 jump starter, there are a lot of other options for 12/24 Volt that are just less amps but they get the job done very well. The GB40 and GB150 are both examples from NoCo. Snap-On makes one too, but I was not a fan of the design or functionality.

As is usual with Amazon, their prices will change pretty rapidly from day to day. For this reason, it might be a good idea after you click on those links to look around in the “related products” or see if there is a lower priced seller for the Boost GB250 and Boost GB251.

NoCo Boost GB250, GB251 12 and 24 Volt Reviews

Now that we have pretty much covered every other detail regarding the NoCo Boost 12 and 24 V 5250 and 3000 Amp portable jump starters, it’s time to take a look around the internet and see what real-life users and saying in their reviews about the GB250 and GB251. NoCo has always generally had outstanding reviews, so let’s hope that’s the case with these two specific battery jump starters.

Amazon Reviews GB250
Massive Power NoCo Boost GB250 12V Portable Battery booster and jump starter 5250 amp
Here you can see a photo from NoCo’s company website advertising for the commercial use of the GB251

From Roberto Garcia captioned “Baddest mofo in our diesel shop”- 

I just want to say this product is Crazy amazing, my little GB150 is nothing compared to this GB250 the only bad thing is the carry bag , the zipper gets stuck , hopefully they get back to me and we can figure this little issue but other then that God Bless this Mofo is Nice,Portable, Perfect to Jump Start Diesel Trucks with Both Bad Batteries, if I could I would give this 6 stars.- Verified Amazon Purchase

From Tom R Kent with caption “Amazing Power Booster”

I have Tractors and Farm Equipment and let me tell you this thing is AMAZING! Jump Start any 12 volt system out there. This will do it! – Verified Buyer

Here’s what some of YouTube had to say in its reviews of the NoCo Boost GB250 and GB251. Remember, all previous models of NoCo battery chargers and portable jump starters have had excellent reviews no matter what platform you find them on.

I suspect the NoCo GB Series battery boosters are mostly being used in commercial and heavy duty due to the lack of YouTube videos reviewing the models specifically. There are some short clips showing the GB250 in action, but videos are scarce.

Make no mistake though, there are hundreds of videos pertaining to NoCo Boost jump starters in general. Some of the most popular ones are the GB 150 (3000 Amp), the GB40 is a small 1,000 amp jump starter that’s popular on car lots.

Conclusion- NoCo Boost and Genius are the Best Charging Tools

It’s clear NoCo Boost portable jump starters are the most popular right now even with some Amazon brands like NexPow and Yesper catching fire on Amazon. If these large NoCo GB250 and GB251 battery booster/jump packs are too big for what you need, just click on this link to the full lineup of NoCo Boost and NoCo Genius products. You now have no excuse not to own one, even it is the little baby guy GB40 1,000 amp portable jump starter.

Gone are the days of carrying around the JNC660 which was heavy and awkward making it a much more difficult task to jump start multiple vehicles or share the portable booster pack with other technicians in the shop. Now, starting at just a couple pounds, NoCo Boost products are the leading portable battery booster tools available to mechanics and individuals alike.

By John Green

I’m John Green. I’m a 33 year old auto technician from Upstate New York. I have 18 years of experience as an automotive light duty and heavy duty truck mechanic. Cars, trucks and anything with moving parts are my passion in my professional life.

Aside from my life as a technician, I am also a seasoned investor and consider myself very financially literate. I use this other passion combined with my passion for cars, trucks and tools to look for ways to save money for my technician friends.

Raising my three girls and teaching them the proper way of life is my personal passion in life. If you want to know more, just ask! I’m on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube as well!