Belkin SurgePro 6-Outlet Surge Protector Review
Summary: Belkin have found a way to package confidence and security along with a banal power board, and I'm here for it.
4
Reliable protection
I have not met many people who find cable management or power set ups sexy. My family are grateful for my habit of labelling cords and cables and overall just organising everything to be discreet yet easily accessible – but they wouldn’t ever consider spending time on it themselves. The only other people I’ve met who are as focussed on cable management as myself are usually gamers, particularly those with set-ups that took both time and money. And so I suspect you might only share my keen interest in Belkin surge protection range if you too have spent many an hour organising cables and trying to balance consoles and computers across multiple power boards.
I was lucky enough to get a chance to try Belkin’s ‘SurgePro’ 6-outlet surge protector. What piqued my interest is Belkin’s advertised ‘Connected Equipment Warranty’ for up to $50,000 – so long as you ensure the indicator light is working and you use the board as intended, Belkin will cover repair or replacement costs from a power surge. Again, just like cable management, this might not seem important… however since I moved homes in February we have already had 3 flooding events from 3 ‘once in a decade’ storms; the government has already offered disaster relief twice; and more relevant to surge protection, we’ve had to call out the electrician for repairs after a surge knocked out power to half the kitchen, and fried an air conditioner. With that context I reckon most of you will understand why I was keen for the opportunity to give the SurgePro range a go when Belkin offered.
Let’s cover the features. Belkin have described this particular Surge Protection range as described locally in Australia for local weather conditions given the risk and hazard of electrical storms, particularly in the north. The product I tested, the SurgePro 6-outlet surge protector, advertises 650 joules of surge protection and Belkin have highlighted their efforts to ensure your devices are protected from excess heat and energy in their list of technical specifications… and whilst I’m not sure 650 joules would be enough if your home was struck directly by lightning, at an $89.95AUD price tag with a $50,000 warranty I think most people would find it sufficient. As titled, yes it has 6 outlets – and more crucially 2 USB-C outlets at 30-W a piece.
I hope it’s obvious why I have not tried to deliberately test the surge capacity of the SurgePro – what I can speak to is the design and features and how well it fits my set up. The SurgePro comes with quality of life features that are essential nowadays – a decent cord length at 2m is handy, and the wall mount holes are a nice touch for anyone who needed it somewhere a bit more permanently. The indicator light is nice and bright but doesn’t distract late at night when you’re watching movies or playing an atmospheric game. I really appreciated that the plug was not curved or angled for a change, meaning I wasn’t trying to solve a puzzle when manoeuvring it around my current set-up when trying to fit it in.
It’s worth noting that the Belkin SurgePro 6-outlet is really really chunky despite its smooth minimalist design. It did not immediately occur to me when I read the dimensions – approx. 26cm long x 10cm wide x 4cm high. But the height really made a difference when it came to fitting it in the narrow space behind or under the furniture, and this is only exacerbated what plug the device your powering uses. The Nintendo switch’s power unit is particularly large for example, and I suspect the Belkin SurgePro is doubling as a load-bearing support for my entertainment unit now that I’ve managed to slide it underneath despite the extra height.
Final Thoughts?
Overall, I’m fairly satisfied with what the Belkin SurgePro 6-outlet is offering. It feels sturdy and the peace of mind of knowing there is a $50,000 warranty gets a lot of mileage for me. I wish it was slightly slimmer and that the power plugs were a little bit less tight and plasticky, particularly for $89.95. But given I’ve already paid more than $600 in call-out fees this year for a sparky, I’ll be glad if Belkin’s $89.95 saves me from having to worry about it again, since I’ve already burned through 3 cheap Amazon power boards this year. I recommend the Belkin SurgePro range to anyone like me who has spent too many hours comparing products and customer reviews on Amazon, and who wants to finally feel confident their expensive tech will be protected.
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