What surge cube to get?

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  Twisty on 31/10/2011 - 15:05

  The phone ones are $19.00 + $6.50 from Ebay and the none phone ones are $19.00 Free P/H from Jb HiFi

  What ones to get guys?

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  ESEMCE on 31/10/2011 - 15:42

  The general recommendation is neither..
  Because:
  1) Belkin is not a particularly good brand (despite their nice looks)
  2) Cheap Surge protectors are unlikely to protect your equipment from anything actually damaging to your equipment, especially after a few weeks of use. (http://www.dansdata.com/gz039.htm)

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  Twisty on 31/10/2011 - 15:52

  Well if you had to choose one plz

  • 

    ESEMCE on 31/10/2011 - 17:59

    If I had to choose one, I'd get the cheapest one I could, therefore the JB HiFi non-phone one.

    Bear in mind the $40,000 equipment protection is probably not worth the paper its written on and that these things are scams in that they really offer minimal ti no protection to your equipment..

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  c64 on 31/10/2011 - 16:47

  exactly the same, the only difference is the first one has additional telephone protection. both are nothing special, just 3 varistors across the mains

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  Twisty on 31/10/2011 - 18:23

  Ok thanks just one has lower joules and was wondering if it wasn't that great

  • 

    c64 on 31/10/2011 - 18:39

    the extra joules can simply be attributed to the gas arrestor on the telephone line. it does not absorb more energy on the mains. the l-n, l-e & n-e figures are for the three varistors across the mains and are identical for both (l = line, n = neutral, e = earth)

    one is mains, one is mains + telephone.

• 

  samfisher5986 on 31/10/2011 - 19:28

  Edit: nevermind, these are useless, but they do come with 55k warranty for when they do fail.

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  Twisty on 31/10/2011 - 20:04

  What ones would you recommend? I dont need need a big board I just want a single one that plugs into the wall like shown on these Belkin ones

  • 

    ESEMCE on 01/11/2011 - 14:40

    We don't recommend them, cause they don't work!
    As such, you don't NEED one.

    It's like asking "What brand of wristband with a holographic sticker stuck on it should I buy?"

    Noone can make a serious recommendation because they don't actually do anything apart from rip good money out of peoples wallets!

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  Twisty on 01/11/2011 - 16:56

  So you dont recommend any surge protection?

  • 

    ESEMCE on 02/11/2011 - 08:53

    Correct, these cheap devices stop working very quickly (ie, within a few weeks) and give no indication of failure after they've "died" (failure of the surge protection device does not kill the power passing through the device).
    Read the link I gave you.

    If you're truly worried about your gear dying, make sure you unplug when not using.
    For a bit more "protection", get a half decent UPS. The UPS will smooth out the power delivered to your devices and in the case of a big lightning strike, puts a sacrificial device between your gear and the wall.

    You're looking in a different price range for a UPS though $100-150 for cheapies and upwards for the units that are going to provide more reliable protection.

    • 

      samfisher5986 on 02/11/2011 - 20:27

      exactly.

      Most people can easily go 10 years without a problem.

      If you are someone who has issues with electricity constantly, then you would be stupid not to get a UPS.

    • 

      c64 on 02/11/2011 - 20:54

      Correct, these cheap devices stop working very quickly (ie, within a few weeks)

      and the basis of your claims is … ???? i think you are speaking nonsense. i can't think of any reason a varistor would fail unless a surge was experienced. certainly a visual indicator is essential otherwise you will not know if the surge protector has experienced any surges.

    • 

      c64 on 02/11/2011 - 21:08

      cheap surge protectors are not a waste of money, they have their uses. you are not going to be able to run a clothes dryer or washing machine off a ups, not to mention the cost. not much will protect you from a close-by lightning strike, but certainly they are useful for strikes further away.

      • 

        samfisher5986 on 02/11/2011 - 21:33

        It depends on your circumstances.

        For 99% of people that don't have dodgy power to their house they are useless.

        They will sit there and do nothing for years, then when you do get a surge your equipment will be damaged anyway.

        When the average person can go 20+ years without having a surge break their washing machine, what exactly are you so worried about?

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  EnALup on 02/11/2011 - 21:05

  Can we attach a extension on these surge protectors?

  • 

    llama on 02/11/2011 - 22:39

    Yes, of course. Unless you think that it might look ugly. Or you might trip over the lead.