Protecting your valuable appliances from unexpected power surges is a matter of concern for everyone. These electronic items range from $500 to $5,000 and first-hand protection is essential for them. This is only possible by using the best surge protector which acts as the first line of defense for your electronic devices.
For a very reasonable price, a surge protector will help in protecting the electronic items for a good period of time. This will be possible if you make the right choice while buying a surge protector and make a modest investment in the right domain. They range from simple power strips to the expensive versions having built-in batteries which can deal with any kind of power outage irrespective of its magnitude.
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Top 5 Surge Protectors Comparison Chart
Belkin 8-Outlet Home/Office Series Surge Protector with 12-Foot Cord (BE108230-12)
AmazonBasics 6-Outlet Surge Protector Power Strip 2-Pack, 200 Joule
CyberPower CSP600WSU Surge Protector, 1200J/125V, 6-AC Swivel Outlets, 2 USB Charging Ports, Wall Tap Design
Belkin 12-Outlet Pivot-Plug Power Strip Surge Protector with 8-Foot Power Cord, 4320 Joules (BP112230-08)
APC 11-Outlet Surge Protector Power Strip with USB Charging Ports, 2880 Joules, SurgeArrest Home/Office (P11U2)
Best Surge Protector Reviews
1. Belkin BE112230-08 12-Outlet Power Strip Surge Protector
The best-selling surge protector, the Belkin BE112230-08 has 12 power outlets. This surge protector not only comes with a lifetime warranty but also provides a $300,000 warranty on the connected equipment, so you can easily connect any of the valuable devices without being concerned about its safety.
Product Highlights
It is ideal to be used both in homes and offices and can easily protect heavy-duty devices because of its 3940-joule energy rating. There is an 8-foot power cord connected with it and there are sliding safety covers as well. All you need to do is to plug the surge protector in an AC power outlet and your connected devices will become safe from lightning strikes and surges.
What's to like about the Belkin BE112230-08 12-Outlet Power Strip Surge Protector
The top-most perk of buying this surge protector is that it comes with 12 power outlets and the 3940-joule rating will help in protecting the devices from even the biggest surges. Irrespective of the number of storms your city faces, the unexpected surges are not going to damage your equipment because of the enhanced capacity of this surge protector to degrade them.
What's not to like about the Belkin BE112230-08 12-Outlet Power Strip Surge Protector
Although it comes with a large number of power outlets, the performance of the surge protector will be compromised if you connect more devices. This means that it only offers a connection to maximum devices but cannot handle them which, in turn, means that it doesn’t even have the capacity to protect them.
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2. AmazonBasics 6-Outlet Surge Protector
If you want two surge protectors to provide plenty of protection to all of your important equipment, getting your hands on the AmazonBasics 6-Outlet Surge Protector might seem to be a nice idea. You will get enough protection for the smaller devices of the house or office.
Product Highlights
This product comes with 2 power strips each having 6 outlets. It will help you in protecting small appliances like lamps or your phone with this 200-joule basic surge protection. The cord is 2-foot long coming with 14 AWG power. The two different devices allow you to get protection for the appliances located at a distance from each other without having to order another surge protector.
What's to like about the AmazonBasics 6-Outlet Surge Protector
Each of the surge protectors comes with 6 power outlets allowing multiple devices to be connected at the same time. The 200-joule rating enables protection for the basic appliances keeping you at ease that a sudden surge will not damage your cell phone or other small devices being charged.
What's not to like about the AmazonBasics 6-Outlet Surge Protector
This surge protector is only suitable for the devices of minute importance and would not be able to do anything for the high-value appliances. Your computer or your home theater system will still be at a high risk, so spending money on this product is only suitable if you want to take care of the less-valuable appliances.
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3. CyberPower CSP600WSU Surge Protector
The major function of a surge protector is to deviate the excess voltage away from the appliances during a power surge or a power spike. It has been designed to be used in homes and offices and is ideal for the protection of your important appliances like personal computers, consumer electronics, and similar devices.
Product Highlights
It comes with 6 surge-protected swivel outlets and provides the protection of 1200 joules. There are two USB charging ports as well that are perfect for charging tablets, smartphones and other such rechargeable electronic devices. It also offers direct plug-in and the two rotatable outlets (3 on each side) allow you to plug your devices conveniently at any angle.
What's to like about the CyberPower CSP600WSU Surge Protector
One of the strengths of this device is the green LED “grounded” and “protected” indicators. The product comes with a lifetime warranty along with the $75,000 warranty on the connected devices. The company has a name for itself as a manufacturer of only high-quality equipment and its products can easily handle the commonly occurring power surges.
What's not to like about the CyberPower CSP600WSU Surge Protector
The 1200-joule rating is not enough to take care of valuable appliances, especially if a number of them are connected to it. The three-pin plug might not be suitable as most of the power outlets won’t be able to support it so you would need to make sure the availability of such a power switch in your home or office before making the purchase.
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4. Belkin 12-Outlet Pivot-Plug Power Strip Surge Protector
This is by far one of the best surge protectors available on the market because of its multiple features and high-quality. Coming with 4 stationary and 8 rotatable ports, this product is perfect to connect with any of your appliances.
The strong and long 8-foot cord also makes it a reliable surge protector which will protect your appliances irrespective of the magnitude of the surge.
Product Highlights
The 12 outlets and the 8 feet of cord make this surge protector quite desirable because it is going to satisfy all your requirements. It is suitable for large AC adapter plugs as well as the smaller ones like phone chargers and lamps. This 4320-joule rating surge protector provides a $300,000 warranty for your valuable appliances and comes at a very reasonable price.
What's to like about the Belkin 12-Outlet Pivot-Plug Power Strip Surge Protector
This surge protector is the highest in ranking and this is because of its impeccable features. Not only will it protect all the appliances because of its high joule power but will also allow connectivity of multiple of them. The 14-gauge heavy duty cord allows the AC power to pass through safely protecting the appliances from sudden power surges.
What's not to like about the Belkin 12-Outlet Pivot-Plug Power Strip Surge Protector
Unfortunately, this product hasn’t been designed to protect against lightning strikes and you could be in for trouble if you live in an area where frequent storms take place. So, you would need to make the purchase each time a disaster strikes in your area and there is power outage.
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5. APC 11-Outlet Surge Protector
This is one of the best surge protectors and has 11 total power outlets with 6 of them for block-spaced large adapters. There are two additional USB ports for charging tablets and smartphones. This surge protector offers a lifetime warranty and covers $250,000 for any kind of damage to your valuable equipment.
Product Highlights
The 11 power outlets also offer sliding safety shutters for increased protection of the user. It has the ability to provide complete protection to all your important appliances including personal computers, home theater systems, and other household appliances. The 8-foot cord has a right-angle plug and provides 180-degree rotation.
What's to like about the APC 11-Outlet Surge Protector
The surge protector comes with a 2160-joule rating which is enough to secure the valuable appliances. It will survive at least one major and a couple of minor surges to provide protection to your electronics and to ensure that you don’t have to bear a major loss. All the protection is provided at a fraction of the cost which you would expect to pay for such a useful device.
What's not to like about the APC 11-Outlet Surge Protector
It might look great physically, but it is not the best surge protector when it comes to electrical use. When it comes to extreme power outages and thunder or lightning storms, this might not be able to survive putting all your valuable equipment at such a huge risk.
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BUYER'S GUIDE
Before you set out to buy a surge protector, it is better to gain maximum information about them so that you can make a beneficial decision based on your preferences and needs:
Types
There are four distinct types of surge protectors and you can make a purchase depending on its functions and your own needs.
- The basic surge protector strip plugs into any standard outlet and will allow you to connect several devices at the same time
- The point-of-energy surge protectors have the ability to protect your entire facility
- The Uninterruptible Power Supplies give energy to the appliances for a limited time and let them run until the battery lasts
- You can even go with the wall-mount surge protectors which come without a cord
Uses
Depending on your usage, you will determine what kind of surge protector will best meet your needs. If you have multiple devices which need to be plugged in at the same time, you need a surge protector which has a maximum number of power outlets.
Make sure that there is enough space between these outlets otherwise, it might be impossible to plug different devices simultaneously.
It is important to consider the type of gear which you will be plugging in. This will be a huge determinant in your choice of buying the best surge protector. Depending on the value and types of your equipment, you can make the choice.
Clamping Voltage
Clamping voltage is known as suppressed voltage or peak let-through. This is the point where the surge protector will actually let its functioning initiate and will start protecting your devices. Unlike joules, you must look for a lower number here.
This is also known as the response time of the surge protector. The lower the response time is, the less time the device will take to act upon its task and block the excessive current from reaching the appliance.
On the other hand, a high response time means that more time will be taken by the device to degrade the current and in the meanwhile, significant damage could already have been caused by it.
Components
It is the metal oxide varistor (MOV) inside the surge protector which is responsible for absorbing the excess voltage and protecting the devices from any kind of damage. This is the main component of the surge protector and if a company uses high-quality MOVs in manufacturing these devices, their products are surely going to deliver exceptional results.
Safety
There are certain surge protectors which come with safety sliding covers and LED lights too which indicate if the voltage is passing or not. These are designed to keep the safety of the user intact.
Performance
Most of the surge protectors come with a lifetime warranty which is not something achievable. A surge of high magnitude or multiple surges will damage the surge protector significantly.
If the surge protector can survive the surges for two years without causing any damage to the equipment, it has showcased an outstanding performance.
Surge Protectors F.A.Q.
Many people have a number of queries regarding the surge protectors and some of the most common ones have been discussed in detail below:
How does a surge protector work?
When the voltage rises above a certain level, it can cause significant damage to the electrical appliances. The surge protector will suppress this excess voltage with its metal oxide varistors (MOV). These components absorb the surplus voltage and prevent it from reaching any of the devices.
A surge protector can absorb up to a certain level of voltage and when the value surpasses its original joule-rating, it wears off. In order to function, a surge protector needs to be connected to an AC outlet. Some of the best surge protectors come with LED lights which indicate that current is passing through them.
How to tell if a surge protector is bad?
Surge protectors do go bad and this has more to do with the environment instead of the time they have been in use. It is hard to tell the lifespan of the surge protector and if it is working in a perfectly fine condition or not.
If you feel that it has been working for many years or has faced a number of surges, it is already long past its working capacity. Ideally, the surge protector should be replaced after every two years but this lifespan is not guaranteed and a number of environmental factors can deem it to be useless even before this time.
How to choose a surge protector?
There are a number of factors you should take into consideration when making a choice and the most important ones include:
- The joule-rating of the surge protector which shows its capacity to provide enough protection
- The clamping voltage is also considered while making the purchase and the lower value is considered to be better
- The diagnostic LEDs which show the performance status.
- The longevity of the warranty provided by the company.
- The amount of the connected equipment insurance.
What kind of surge protector do I need for my computer?
A personal computer is a valuable device and a surge protector of small joule-rating will not be enough to protect it. It is essential that a stronger surge protector is used to safeguard your expensive electronic devices, especially a computer which contains all the important data, photos, and other information.
It is advised to buy the best surge protector which has a high joule rating (preferably more than 1000 or 2000) and a lower response time. This will ensure that no damage is done to your computer despite the magnitude of the surge which has occurred.
What do joules mean in surge protector?
The joule rating of a surge protector indicates its limit of energy absorption before it can finally wear out. If the number is higher, more protection will be provided whereas a lower number will indicate limited protection. The joule rating of a surge protector is determined by the type and the value of the equipment which needs to be protected.
Moreover, if your area receives thunder and lightning storms frequently, you must buy a high joule-rating surge protector in this case as well. This is because the occasional surges will strike the device making it lose its capacity way before time.
FINAL VERDICT
Surge protectors are valuable devices which come at a nominal price but serve very useful purposes. They can help you protect your electronic devices worth thousands of dollars and enable you to keep important data intact.
With frequent surges occurring because of storms which can be caused due to extreme weather changes, it is advisable to use the best surge protectors with all appliances so that their safety is guaranteed.