Friday 26 February 2010

Surge Protectors - power strip, belkin


Normally I don't review accessories such as these, but it really makes a huge difference with all the crazy different power adapters I have. If you think you don't, remember the chargers for your digital camera or NiMH AA charger.



Most modern compact battery chargers tend to fall out of most power sticks. For example, a AA charger or for your digital camera. Instead, you can angle them at 45 degrees so they will rest on the shelf or floor and not budge. Also, a portable wifi can also sit at an angle, rather than just popping out under its weight. The big adapters are additional supported by other cables that you may run horizontally. Check out the picture I posted to see what I mean.



Every other power stick would only have 1/3 of its plugs usable; not only that, but they would fall out too easily. Not with this belkin.



It actually handles a higher surge than many out there. I've simultaneously powered: my 17" Apple, 24" monitor, three externall hard drives, a monster stereo, a scanner, a printer, a wifi, an NiMH charger, and lithium battery charger, and even an electric razor. Works fanastic without a glitch.



Also shows you if its properly grounded and protected with indicator lights. Organizes wires and through a pop up loop. Protects the cable as well.



Only complaint: I wish the cord was maybe 5 feet longer. I hooked a high quality extension to it instead Belkin Pivot-Plug Surge Protectors

most surge protectors list a joule rating, and sadly this product page didn't have one. i checked belkin's site and they didn't have one either!



luckily, i have a friend who works for them, and they let me know the spec. this wall mount protector has a 1080J rating.



hope this helps people.

I've used cheap surge protectors only for the fact that I don't have enough outlets. When I heard that a friend blew out all his home theater devices with a lightning strike, I figured I should invest in a good one. The ones I already had are 6-8 outlets, but not all plugs are the same. Sometimes a plug will take two spots instead of one for some proprietary design. Since Amazon has everything, I searched and found the Belkin Surge Protector. Now I am a bit impressed with a "Surge Protector", of all things.



Basically it is one strong unit that has twelve (12) outlets. Eight (8) of these are flexible/rotating for those odd-ball plugs. On one Belkin, I was able to connect my Television, Receiver, DVD players (2), Satellite Television box, multiple CD Player/Changer, a Light fixture, a Satellite Speaker Transmitter, and two Sub-woofers. The eight (8) foot cord is more than long enough as my electrical socket is very close. I don't have a phone jack in my living room, so I didn't need that (it is a good idea), but the 1-in, 1-out coaxial-cable protection makes me feel very good about protection.



It says that it has 4,320 Joules of Surge Protection and I have no idea what that means, but when combined with a $300,000 "Connected Equipment Warranty", I guess I don't need to. It would be curious to see if it failed and if Belkin would actually pay up on a faulty surge protector, but it's a very nice warranty. It has been on for four days now and it is not even warm. For the price, Belkin gave me a lot of piece of mind.



Now I think I'll buy another for my PC set-up. That is an entirely different issue!

The idea behind this is great, with the rotating outlets for transformers. However, look carefully and you'll see that they've blown it. On each side there are 4 rotating outlets, which are very close to each other. No problem, you might think, since you can rotate them. So let's assume you'll try to alternate one transformer with the outlet stick straight up with the next rotated 90 degrees so that the alternate transformer is plugging in at a 90 degree angle to the first one.



This works, except that if you have a 3-prong transformer there is only one way they will plug in, and that's with the cord sticking out/down, which means that the Belkin won't sit flat but will have cords pointing 'down', forcing it up in the air and putting stress of the cords running from the transformer. If many of your transformers are only 2-prong then you may be able to insert them so that this isn't an issue.



Belkin makes another 12 outlet device that's similar except that it's flatter and doesn't have rotating outlets. It only handles six transformers (3 per side) but they are very widely spaced. Also, it is heavier and seems of much higher quality.

I ordered three of these for the Home Theater and office set-ups. I utilized all the strip to minimize "vampire appliance" and turn the strips off every night. All of them failed in less than one year due to the bad switch. It may be the springs under the power button that wears out. It is a design flaw that needs to be address. - Power Strip - Surge Protectors - Belkin - Surge Protection'


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