Power Strips vs. Surge Protectors

7/29/2020 (Permalink)

Not All Power Strips Are Surge Protectors

"Power strips and surge protectors, also called surge suppressors, are different. 

Typically, power strips are cheap, multi-outlet products that are merely an expansion of a wall outlet. These usually have a circuit breaker (on/off switch) of some sort, but most don't offer any real "protection" from electrical issues. Some might have the barest level of protection, but they're all pretty much just like plugging into the wall direct.

Surge protectors are relatively cheap too, but unlike power strips they offer some level of protection against power spikes. How much and how well varies considerably."

Source: CNET

How To Tell

When shopping for a surge protector, make sure you are getting a surge protector, and not just a power strip.  The easiest way to be sure your are going to be protecting your electronics is to check the Joule rating of the product.  A power strip will not have a Joule rating, as it does not offer any protection.  When looking at actual surge protectors, the higher the Joule rating, the more protection you have against power surges.