update October 2024
The product is in no way worth the 92 euros; check the price trend for advice, there is an issue either with stock or with price increase due to good reviews. This evaluation refers to a price of 35-50 euros that was available at the time of purchase. Look elsewhere for the code or a different model.
TLDR: I am satisfied; it is a commendable and safe product.
Positives:
+ Protection for the phone line + protection for the TV antenna from surges in a separate circuit.
+ 2700+ joules total protection puts it among the best power strips in the European market under a budget of <50e. Most 20-euro ones will range around 500 to 900 joules.
+ Let through voltage after a 6000-volt spike test =~ 300 volts (on paper). 1 nanosecond clamping time, which means it has a better chance of not allowing lethal voltage to pass to the connected equipment compared to the nonames of the 20-euro ones. Joules alone are useless if the circuit isn't "fast"; in this case, let's hope it is.
+ Combination of Varistor (circled black in the photo) with gas discharge tube (green), so we have two levels of protection, fast acting and high capacity. The 20-euro ones usually only have varistors.
+ Presence of a line filter at 60 db (red square), which may reduce noise in audio amplifiers and sweeten the current a bit, but don't confuse it with a stabilizer. Welcome addition.
+ It did not drop my speed at 50 mbps VDSL at all, and the ping is exactly the same. I don't think there is an issue with higher speeds, but I have heard comments about a 5% drop on a 100 Mbps line, which would be around 5 Mbps, which I would easily accept again.
+ It did not distort my signal in a test of the antenna protection; I imagine it has less than 3 db loss and that if the signal affects you, you had an issue from the start.
+ Smart cable management, nice quality feel in the plastics, the 3-meter cable is useful, wall-mounting capability.
+ In case of failure of the protective measures or a large surge, one positive is that the board is designed to disconnect completely. In theory, it will not provide power if it does not protect at the same time.
Negatives:
- The product does not have a quality on-off switch. It is hard, causing internal sparks that gradually blacken the internal casing (not personal experience), the operation is not smooth, and with long-term daily use (2 years), people complain (same version on a German site) that there has been failure with switch instability. In an email with the company, I learned that the product has not been revised. If you plan to use the switch daily, it is something worth mentioning. I do not use the switch frequently, and the only thing that has bothered me so far is that it is not smooth in operation; however, it is the reason it loses 1 star because it does not align with the rest of the product. APC needs to revise the problematic switch of a product with a "lifetime" warranty.
=Conclusion=
The price is a bit high, which is justified by the quality of the plastics (I want to believe everything is fireproof), and the extra measures compared to the competition + warranty. It is a simple power strip, not a real lightning protector, and has nothing to do with direct surge protection. If you have equipment worth thousands of euros or live in an area with statistically high lightning activity and damage, install a T2 lightning protector in the panel. The power strip is considered T3. The T2 surge protectors collect the larger surges, while the T3 ones collect the small spikes. In urban areas, I still consider this particular power strip to be a very significant measure, because the surges that can affect it are not exactly a daily occurrence, to be honest.
No matter how much I search, I can't find real tests or demonstrations from consumers in their own conditions, apart from the company's which are only in PDF certifications. Everything is on paper, just like in 99.9% of the power strips on the market. Also, I believe it doesn't catch the small spikes (like those from a vacuum cleaner) which are the daily occurrences, but this is my personal opinion due to the technology of MOVs in general. These theoretically can be "solved" by the power supplies of most devices. I would appreciate if someone with real knowledge on the subject could comment so we can have an idea. I can't list these as negatives, as it is not a voltage regulator, of course.
Someone might wonder why not a cheap UPS for just 20 euros more, which can actively protect against prolonged surges due to the AVR. My reasoning is that the currents and voltage regulation in cheap UPS units are unacceptable and even dangerous. I don't often experience blackouts in my area, and my view on the matter is that when I need it, I will go for something serious. High-voltage batteries are not a 60-euro game...
Always remember that the best protection in cases of lightning activity or working with large motors (drills, electric welding) in our network is to simply unplug sensitive devices and have a well-maintained grounding both in the outlets and in the panel.
16/05/2021: No problems with the operation.
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