Featuring wider-spaced outlets to fit large power adapters, built-in phone/fax line protection, an extremely loud protection alert with fault lights and a resettable circuit breaker, the Powersmart 100 provides an incredible 18,000 amp surge protection! Think of it as computer insurance without all the paperwork. $27.95 + $8.95 shipping.
My $30 Cabacs claim 144,000 amp protection. But every knowledgeable person I've heard from on the issue has stressed it's all meaningless against a severe enough surge from a nearby lightning strike. The only thing that'll help you then is a connected equipment warranty or home contents insurance, plus offline data backups. Or unplugging equipment during storms, though that's often impractical.
Yeah, we did write the story. We're a not all that serious ecommerce site.
@Jabba
That is both true and not so true. If your house gets hit by a lightning strike everything could get blown — but that's likely to be the least of your worries!
Beyond that, it really depends on the actual power surge protector you choose. Some only cope with smaller surges, and some cope with really big surges as well. There's a really great review of surge protectors over at choice.com.au. To just briefly summarize some of the really interesting things they say:
1/ The type of surge protector you need depends on where you live. If you live in the city, when there is a lightning strike nearby, the actual current gets dissipated through a lot of different systems — everything from sewer system piplelines to communications and electrical systems. So the actual jolt you get is reduced. In the country or sparsely populated suburbs, there are far fewer of these systems, the charge doesn't get dissipated so much, and you get a bigger jolt. So if you live in the sticks, you need a better surge protector.
2/ The capacity of a surge protector to help you out does not really depend on the price. A lot of sub-$50 protectors work just as well as $150+ protectors.
3/ Voltage fluctuations actually harm your electrical equipment, even if they don't qualify as full surges. Things just break down quicker.
Looking at the picture, so, it also comes with a switch?
Um … :P … did you guys write that story? :P (on the product page)