TOP-5 surge protectors and extension cords for domestic use

Many people have quirks. Athletes can step on the field strictly with the left or vice versa with the right foot, sailors believed that a woman on board was a disaster, and some people like to remove extra plugs from extension cords that are not currently in use. The problem is that in the pursuit of cheapness, many manufacturers use far from the highest quality materials, so with constant switching on and pulling out "extra" plugs, the reliability of contacts may decrease. If this story is about you, then we advise you to take a closer look at the REAL-EL RS-6 Extra caliber filter.

The main feature of this filter is that, in addition to the general on-off button of the filter itself, each of its six sockets is equipped with a separate on-off button with a light indicator. The filter is designed for a load of up to 2300 watts and a maximum dissipated energy of up to 350 J.

Unlike many low-cost filters, the RS-6 Extra also has a varistor that limits surge surges, absorbing its excess. Such protection is designed primarily for random short-term bursts and does not react in any way to uncritical excess of the nominal value. Add here the basic protection against short circuit and overload in the network, protective curtains for children and get a completely universal and at the same time inexpensive mains filter. To complete the picture, maybe a couple of USB ports are missing, but this is not critical.

The Chinese manufacturer of various electronic trifles LDNIO has not yet become too familiar in our area, but its products are definitely worth attention. The company strives to keep up with the times and provide modern products at adequate prices. For example, the LDNIO SC3301 filter pleasantly surprises with its versatility.

We bend our fingers. 3 multi sockets with an international plug. There is. 3 universal USB ports with a maximum current of 2.4 A. There are. There are operation indicators and shutdown buttons. A nice design that stands out against the background of absolutely identical extension cords is also there. Yes, yes, it turns out network filters can also be cute. In general, such a combo of universal sockets and USB ports is great to untie your hands when you need an additional charging hub for a bunch of home electronics. The maximum allowable power of the connected devices is 2500 watts. At the same time, one USB port is not capable of producing a current of more than 2.4 A,.

Even if you need the simplest, most inexpensive and unpretentious network filter, you should not neglect additional protection. At least an automatic fuse is needed, the heating of which will not affect the switch in any way. In this part, LDNIO SC3301 is in full order. According to the manufacturer's statement, the external and internal plastic parts of this mains filter are made of refractory plastic, and the filter itself is equipped with grounding, overvoltage and short circuit protection, as well as special curtains that will not allow plugging into the outlet what should not be plugged into it.

It is said that the head of Xiaomi, Lei Jun, dreams of a dream house every night, where even bricks with mortar are produced by his company. Otherwise, how else to explain the fact that their products certainly reign in any top of smart light bulbs, network filters and other small things? However, with this approach, it is not surprising, while other companies are intensively monetizing their brand, Xiaomi takes affordable prices, high quality and some unique buns that competitors for some reason did not want to do.

For example, Xiaomi Mi Power Strip 6 is among the top 10 best-selling network filters in most electronic stores in the CIS. It so happened that different countries use different types of plugs, so the Xiaomi filter combines them all in one case. There are 6 such universal sockets on the case in total. In addition to them, here you can find 3 USB ports for charging mobile gadgets. However, the total current for all three ports is 2.1 A. In total, the extension cable supports a maximum connection power of 2.5 kW and a current of 10 A. If the values are exceeded or a voltage surge occurs, the overload fuse will trigger. In addition, the filter is equipped with short circuit protection, and all sockets are covered with protective curtains for children.

The downside of such versatility lies in two nuances. Due to the number, accuracy and variety of sockets, they were arranged in two rows along the body. Because of this, simultaneous use of all sockets is still a challenge, large, l―shaped or non-standard plugs are likely to interfere with each other. And in some cases, you may come across an option with an atypical Australian-type plug and then you will have to use an adapter. Therefore, before buying, it is better to clarify this point with the seller.

The American company ARS has been earning credibility in the market of network filters and other electrical appliances for several years, and its products are famous for their combination of excellent characteristics and reliability. And the hero of this review, the PM5-RS surge protector for 5 sockets is no exception to the rule.

The 1.8-metre filter is designed for a maximum load of 2300 watts, that is, you can plug a boiler and a washing machine into it without a second thought, without fear of overload. What can we say about smaller equipment. And in case of voltage surges, the filter stabilizes the output voltage or simply turns off the power. At the same time, the device is also turned off in case of overheating of the case, for example, if the power of the switched-on equipment is too high. In order to better understand what is happening, 2 additional light indicators were placed on the housing, the first one signals the protection operation, the second one indicates the presence of grounding.

Add here traditional curtains to protect against children and get the most reliable mains filter that can be left on the floor without worrying about anything. Alternatively, there is the possibility of wall mounting. It's a pity that, taking into account the price tag, the guys from the APC did not add at least one USB port to the case. Well, the length restriction (maximum 1.8 metres) reduces the number of use cases.

EnerGenie EG-PMS2 is never a traditional mains filter, but a real hi―tech device with a couple of unusual functions. There is a reason that the inscription Power Manager is emblazoned on its body and in fact it is one carrier in a million, complete with a separate software package.

Yes, yes, you heard right, proprietary software allows you to programme the power supply of all four outlets in several modes. The first option is to set a timer to turn off all connected devices at the end of the working day. The second is to set more tricky chains of actions, for example, to turn off the scanner when you start Photoshop or turn off computer speakers when Windows goes to sleep. The beauty is that the software is really pumped up and allows you to do a lot more with existing sockets: give them names depending on the connected equipment, create hotkeys for quick on-off and even save the necessary behavior patterns that will not change when another computer or laptop is connected to the filter.

Now about the filter itself. On an unusually plump oblong case there are 6 euro sockets with grounding: 2 conventional and 4 programmable with light indicators. The total power of this good is 2500 watts. This is quite an adequate indicator that allows you to use this filter with "voracious" equipment like boilers. For the safety of equipment, there is a varistor to combat voltage surges, protection against short circuits and pulse surges, as well as a thermal disconnector that automatically turns off the filter when the permissible load level is exceeded. Of course, they did not forget about the curtain protectors. In general, if the manufacturers of network filters held their own analogue of the Oscar, we would bet on the victory of EnerGenie EG-PMS2.