Cartman 4 Gauge 20 ft Heavy-Duty Jumper Cables Review
Twenty feet of 4-gauge cable that stays flexible in the cold and reaches a battery when the donor car can't park nose-to-nose — the cables to replace the thin ones in your kit.
The verdict
Even if you own a jump starter, a real set of jumper cables belongs in a winter kit: they're the backup when the pack is flat, and the only way to help someone else. Cartman's 4-gauge, 20-foot set is the value pick — heavy enough to start V6 and V8 engines from a healthy donor, long enough to reach across a parking space, with insulation that stays pliable in sub-zero cold and a bag to keep them tidy. They're copper-clad aluminum rather than pure copper (like nearly everything at this price), so don't expect 2-gauge performance on a big diesel.
$27.99on Amazon
Price as of Aug 23, 1:20 AM ET — subject to change.
What we like
- +4 AWG handles four- through eight-cylinder gas engines from a good donor vehicle
- +20-foot length reaches between cars that can't park nose-to-nose
- +Insulation rated to stay flexible in deep cold (Cartman quotes -40°F)
- +Full-size, well-insulated clamps; storage bag included
- +Consistently the best-reviewed budget 4 AWG set
What to know
- −Copper-clad aluminum conductors — fine for gas engines, marginal for large diesels (use 2 AWG or a big jump pack)
- −Bulkier to store than the thin cables in pre-packed kits
- −Clamps are good, not great, on small side-post terminals
- −Requires a donor car — a jump starter doesn't
Full review
Jumper cables have two jobs a jump starter can't do: they work when the pack is flat, and they let you help someone else. For both, the cables need to be thick enough to move real current and long enough to reach — which rules out the 8- or 10-gauge, 8-foot cables in most pre-packed kits. Cartman's 4-gauge, 20-foot set is the budget answer that actually meets the bar.
What matters in use: the insulation stays bendable at -20°F instead of turning into a frozen coil, the clamps open wide enough to grab a top post or a remote jump terminal under the hood, and twenty feet lets you reach a battery from a donor parked alongside or behind. The bag keeps them from tangling with the rest of the kit. Connect positive to positive, negative to a bare ground on the dead car, let the donor run a few minutes, then crank.
Honesty about the metal: at this price the conductors are copper-clad aluminum, not pure copper, which means slightly less current capacity than an equivalent-gauge copper cable. For gas cars and light trucks it's irrelevant in practice; for a big diesel or a 7.3L in January, step up to 2 AWG copper or — more practically — a 4,000A-class jump pack. For everyone else, these are the cables that replace the toy ones in the kit.
Best for: The backup to a jump starter, and the set to keep in a truck so you can help the next person in the lot.
Specifications
| Gauge | 4 AWG |
|---|---|
| Length | 20 ft |
| Conductor | Copper-clad aluminum (CCA) |
| Engine rating | 4- to 8-cylinder gas engines (manufacturer) |
| Cold rating | Insulation flexible to -40°F (manufacturer) |
| Clamps | Insulated, full-size |
| Included | Carry bag |
Ready to get one?
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$27.99on Amazon
Price as of Aug 23, 1:20 AM ET — subject to change.
Head-to-head comparisons
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