Recommendation on a surge protector?

kuad

Super Member
Hi there!

Looking to replace my surge protector with something a little better. Do not need a ton of outlets. Anything good for $100 or less?

Grateful,
Dennis
 
I have been _very_ happy with my APC H10 power conditioner and surge protector. It has protected my gear very well against any and all power spikes and brown outs.

APC site:
http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=H10BLK

Amazon (~$200 thanks to substantial ~$170 discount) :
http://www.amazon.com/APC-H10BLK-Conditioner-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B000FBLOAY

I am just thinking that since you are willing to budget up to $100, for a modestly higher $200 you would get a very good upgrade from a basic surge protector. Or perhaps you might be able to find a used H10 for less than $100...
 
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buy a whole house one and wire it into the breaker panel.
I have one made by a company named "Transient Eliminator" which has been installed for years, seems to work good!
 
Panamax and Furman make a whole variety under $100. The only other brand I'd consider is TrippLite.

Happy trails,
Larry B.
 
Do those things actually work?
I don't have such ..so no direct experiences.
However I do know those who do 'claim' theirs proved ineffective in protecting against a genuine power surge... as opposed to a minor variation type.
So much so that a Lot/most of their electronics fried.
Just asking?
 
If you can stretch your budget a bit, check out Price Wheeler's Brickwall. I have had one for 10 years and have been very pleased. Great customer service as well.
 
Do those things actually work?
I don't have such ..so no direct experiences.
However I do know those who do 'claim' theirs proved ineffective in protecting against a genuine power surge... as opposed to a minor variation type.
So much so that a Lot/most of their electronics fried.
Just asking?

Well, Panamax' biggest customer is AT&T/Lucent - Does that tell you anything?

Seriously, a well-designed unit will indeed protect your equipment from surges or lightning strikes. The cheapo units don't. As far as the "line conditioner" units...I'm not gonna open that bag o' worms.:no:

Happy trails,
Larry B.
 
buy a whole house one and wire it into the breaker panel.
I have one made by a company named "Transient Eliminator" which has been installed for years, seems to work good!

Local power company was offering a behind the meter unit ... about as "whole house" as you can get, ok. Paid around $150 for it 10 years ago, lifetime warranty, and they're on the hook for maintenance as needed. So far so good.

Do those things actually work?
I don't have such ..so no direct experiences.

I had a lightning hit here that fried the pole transformer. Only damage in the house was a dial up computer modem that was hooked up to the phone line.

Oh. And my shorts ... <G>
 
I use this APC G5 Rack Power Filter which sells for around $100. Love it's sequential turn on/off feature.

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One thing to remember...

Surge Protectors "wear out" - i.e., they stop protecting as well as they did when new. Each "hit" breaks them down a bit more. So, I buy a decent, moderately priced one and use it for a couple years. Then I buy another one. I have NO idea if "a couple years" is adequate...

Batteries in UPC's wear out too. They get to where they won't recharge. Pretty easy to replace, and not too expensive. I just went to a "Batteries Plus" shop and they even installed the replacement for me.
 
Units that mount in the electric panel are great for what they are, but don't be surprised when your equipment fails. These are more for protecting heavy electrical equipment like your range or AC, not sensitive electronics. You can never have too much protection so I would suggest more down stream from the panel, and even then nothing will protect everything all the time from every strike. This is the reason they are called surge protectors not lightning protectors, not much will stop a direct lightning strike. I've seen cinder blocks blown completely out of a concrete wall from a lightning strike.

For an inexpensive power strip with protection I like the added feature of a master control receptacle this one has. If you connect your pre-amp/integrated/receiver into the master receptacle the equipment connected to the controlled receptacles will turn on/off when the main unit is. This is useful if connecting a tuner/processor/equalizer/etc that it would be convenient to have turn on/off with the main unit.

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Martin
 
Surge Protectors "wear out" - i.e., they stop protecting as well as they did when new. Each "hit" breaks them down a bit more. So, I buy a decent, moderately priced one and use it for a couple years. Then I buy another one. I have NO idea if "a couple years" is adequate...

I was thinking along these lines too :yes: ... that's really the only reason I'm replacing my current surge protectors with a couple of Tripp Lites on my PC audio rig ... the units are old ... I don't want to think about how old. :nono: shame on me.
 
Do those things actually work?
I don't have such ..so no direct experiences.
However I do know those who do 'claim' theirs proved ineffective in protecting against a genuine power surge... as opposed to a minor variation type.
So much so that a Lot/most of their electronics fried.
Just asking?

Under certain conditions they may help, and likely to perform according to the electrical principles and fine print therein.

However, I think they're vastly oversold in regard to actually needing/should have one.
 
Well, Panamax' biggest customer is AT&T/Lucent - Does that tell you anything?

Seriously, a well-designed unit will indeed protect your equipment from surges or lightning strikes. The cheapo units don't. As far as the "line conditioner" units...I'm not gonna open that bag o' worms.:no:

Happy trails,
Larry B.

A surge protector will not stop a lighting strike, at all.........


BTW, I also use Tripp-lite. Cost effective and well built. Yes, the use MOVs......
 
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