Five Best Surge Protectors
Friday, November 15, 2013 at 08:56AM Five Best Surge Protectors
A good surge protector is one of those things everyone needs, but we often don't give much thought to—until we need one or something happens to the power. If you have a good, flexible one, you can connect all of your gear to it safely, organize your plugs, and still have room for more. This week, we're looking at five of the best, based on your nominations.
Belkin Conserve Smart AV
The Belkin Conserve series is one we've mentioned a few times before, mostly because of their focus on energy efficiency. Almost every surge protector or outlet in the Conserve line makes it really easy to save energy and turn off your devices or stop the flow of power as soon as your device is charged, or, in the case of the Conserve Smart AV, when the primary device on your surge protector is turned off. The Conserve Smart AV has come a long way since we last saw it, but the basics are the same—it's designed for home entertainment centers, and for use where your TV is the primary device, with other devices connected to it. Unfortunately, those other devices, like game consoles, receivers, and so on, may prefer to go to standby than shut off entirely, so if you plug your TV into the primary socket and all the others into the secondary sockets, the Conserve Smart will turn off everything in the secondary sockets when you turn off your TV. When your fire up the TV, it'll power the others back on (or at least allow them to be powered on) so you can use them, without your game console, for example, sitting in standby sucking down power for no reason.
The Conserve Smart AV sports 8 outlets, all in a single row, and while it's not designed for big blocky power strips, it does have a few outlets on the end that aren't part of the device's smart power management, so you can plug them in there. It's rated for 1080 Joules, features a 1 year limited warranty, and will set you back $25 at Amazon.
Belkin Conserve Socket with Energy Saving Outlet
Tripp Lite HT10DBS Home Theater Isobar
The Tripp Lite HD10DBZ Home Theater Isobar is a heavy duty, all-metal surge protector that sports 10 outlets and is designed for demanding equipment like your home entertainment system or computer workstation. It features isolated filter banks to keep your electronics safe from line noise, and packs three coaxial inputs and outputs as well as one RJ-45 Ethernet inputs and outputs and one telephone input and output to keep devices along those cables safe from surges as well. The outlets on the top are well spaced, arranged so five are pointed in either direction on the top (so long power bricks can hang off of the sides), and two sets or two outlets spaced away from others to accommodate wide plugs and bricks as well. They're even color-coded and labeled. Plus, the HD10DBZ packs an 8-foot cord, and comes with telephone, coax, and ethernet cables to help you get started connecting your gear to it.
When I worked in IT and spent at least some of my day hanging around a datacenter, Tripp Lite was the company that made the surge protectors and shop power strips we used to keep our racks powered without taking up a ton of space, and their home/business line is no different. The HD10DBZ is rated for 3840 joules, features a lifetime warranty, and carries $500,000 worth of "Ultimate Lifetime Coverage," which is their way of phrasing their protection policy for your connected devices.
Belkin 12 Outlet Pivot Plug Surge Protector
The Belkin Pivot Plug Surge Protector sports 12 ports, with four on the left and right side, and four in a strip down the center. What makes the Pivot Plug so unique is the fact that the four on the left and four one the right are in individually adjustable plugs that can swivel out 90 degrees to the side of the surge protector, giving you the freedom to connect large bricks, tall power supplies, and other devices with large plugs without obstructing the other outlets available. Each of the four on either side can be set at their own angle, so you have complete freedom to move them as you see fit. The four stationary plugs in the center are well spaced as well.
All told, you get 12 outlets on a relatively small surge protector that features an 8-foot cord, so it can go anywhere in the room. Plus, it's wall-mountable if you prefer. It also supports coaxial cable in and out, RJ-45 Ethernet in and out, and even has a cable management slot at the bottom to corral your cords. It also sports Belkin's lifetime warranty (so if it's defective or something happens to it, Belkin will replace it), is rated for 4320 Joules, and comes with a $300,000 connected equipment warranty. You could buy it direct from Belkin, but it's much cheaper (only $29) over at Amazon.
Belkin 12 Outlet Pivot Plug Surge Protector with 8 Foot Cord
APC Performance SurgeArrest 11 Outlet
Packing 11 outlets and a 180-degree adjustable 6-foot power cable, the APC Performance SurgeArrest 11 is a low, slim power strip with three outlets on either side of its body, angled down as to not obstruct the five center outlets along the top, and well spaced to accommodate bulky power bricks. It also supports coaxial input/output, as well as ethernet and telephone line protection along the top of the surge protector. It features power-saving outlets that will cut power to specific devices to conserve electricity without turning off power to everything else on the unit, so you can plug in "always on" devices in some outlets, and devices that are safe to cut the power to any time into the power-saving ones. You can even slide unused outlets closed when they're not in use.
The SurgeArrest 11 is rated for 3400 Joules, sports a lifetime warranty, and is protected by a $150,000 equipment protection policy in case it fails or your gear is damaged because of a defect. It'll set you back $36 at Amazon. Note: The SurgeArrest 11 is not one of the older APC SurgeArrest surge protector lines currently being recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. If you do have an older SurgeArrest series 7 or 8, stop using it and get in touch for a free replacement unit.
APC Power-Saving Performance SurgeArrest, 11 Outlets with Phone and Video Prote...
Fellowes 99090, Mighty 8 Surge Protector
The Fellowes Mighty 8 may only have eight outlets on board, but you'll definitely be able to use all of them. They're arranged in a really creative layout around the body of the surge protector, with three on the "face," three on the "bottom," and two others almost on "wings" along the sides of the surge protector's body. In general, they're all well spaced enough that you can use even bulky power strips without too much hassle, and without totally obstructing the others at the same time. The Mighty 8 features a 6-foot power cord and solid noise filtering, although it doesn't pack coaxial or data/telephone protection. It's also tiny, less than four inches across, meaning you could toss it in a backpack or carry-on bag if you need extra outlets on the go.
The Mighty 8 is rated for 1300 Joules, sports a 1 year limited warranty, and a $50,000 connected equipment warranty. It's also the most affordable in our lineup—it'll set you back a mere $15 at Amazon.
Fellowes Mighty 8 Surge Protector (99090)
The honorable mention this week goes out to the Monoprice 3 Outlet Power Surge Protector Wall Tap w/ 2 Built-In USB Charger (#7991), a super-portable surge protector that can fit in any bag, is rated for 1050 joules, and packs three ports you can use to connect your laptop, smartphone charger, or anything else while you're sharing an outlet with others or just need a few more ports in a hotel room, a conference room, or just on the go. Plus, it has two high-powered USB ports capable of charging power-hungry devices like tablets as well as smartphones. It's like a slimmer, trimmer version of our old favorite Belkin 3-in-1 mini surge protector.
Electronics