I bought a white pair the last time they were offered. The blue power light is pretty bright when using them in a dark room. Even if you cover the light with a piece of electric tape, blue light still shines through the USB ports at the top. Otherwise they seem to be good power strips.
Just cause this surge protector has 9 outlets doesn’t actually portray that we the people have 9 lives and can actually test the surge rating on it. Please, children don’t attempt this without the support of both of your parents.
If you actually do plug in all those high-draw appliances, you won’t need to worry about surges during the ensuing fire.
Unless you are just testing your breakers…
Sorry, but haven’t these Ben sold here before?
Would these be a fire hazard plugging all these devices into one outlet?
My workspace has 4 items plugged into a power strip and I think it’s maxed out.
These look like a kitchen fire waiting to happen. I’m sure the overall (total) rating for the AC outlets is only 15A, much the same as the outlet you plug it into, so it can probably only take one or two of the larger counter-top appliance thingies.
But if you got a lot of little low-draw things to plug in, could be useful.
@stolicat But wouldn’t that be the same case for any power strip or distribution system you plug into your kitchen? That would not be a unique problem with just this one. You would pop any 15A circuit breaker if you exceed 15A for too long with or without a power strip.
@cengland0 True - and if you’ve got a house with proper, up-to-date wiring, your circuit breakers should protect any overload.
But in older houses with flaky wiring and old breakers … I’m still surprised at the number of people who think these things are multipliers, not distributors.
@stolicat As long as you aren’t using all the devices at the same time it’ll be fine, and that’s probably the intended usage. I have my rice cooker & microwave plugged into the same outlet, but I never use them at the same time.
I have to be extra careful about that because all the outlets in the kitchen (except one for the fridge) are on a single circuit. For added fun, the two outlets along the wall shared with the living room are also on that circuit. I learned this the hard way when I had a 1500w heater, toaster & microwave all running while plugged into separate outlets and it popped the breaker. Moved the heater to the living room outlet and… popped the breaker again a few days later.
I have no clue what the person who wired this house was thinking.
Sounds like a few of us are calling out the same general concerns over the lack of any rating of this as a surge protector. Power strip and surge protector have become somewhat interchangeable in common speech as names, but it’s not really accurate if it doesn’t offer a decent rating (in Joules, and which degrades over time and use)… So, I would consider these, generally, just a power strip.
Similarly, the brand itself doesn’t lend itself to an over abundance of trust in quality. I will admit to having purchased some Aduro equipment in the past, but that doesn’t mean that much of it is very good at all. In fact, I don’t recommend most of it, like this sort of device, which could easily become unsafe. For a simple phone charger, if you feel comfortable in taking one apart, and doing some minor modifications to things like LEDs (which this brands loves to make REALLY bright), or to validate basic construction, it’s less of a danger. But I am not advising this for most folks. And for something like Li-ion battery packs from them? Absolutely not on my list.
Perhaps in the lightest duty scenarios, and for the very wary buyers who will replace these within a reasonable few years, they could be practical. But I would suggest passing on these, and many Aduro electronics.
Why do all the recent write-ups sound like meh-rathon write-ups? Are these leftovers and they are just just re-using the write-ups while the staff goes on a pre-summer vacation?
@werehatrack party sure they just flipped that portion in Photoshop so they could add it to the picture. Not sure why they couldn’t just take a picture with it in use. Guess the marketing dept is afraid of fires.
Safety shutdown technology means a fuse that blows when a surge shorts out the voltage-sensing varistor. A lower rating means less surge is required to cause the shutdown. When it quits working, you throw it away. The plug on the back swivels to allow the usb outlets to be up, down, right or left.
If you’re using USB ports on power strips, you may be in for an unhappy surprise. They can provide dangerously errant voltage to your $1000+ phone, and often don’t work at all. (Experience with several brands.)
I use this in my bedroom for my “hair appliances”. Because of the way it’s laid out, I can plug several more things into it than a regular power strip. It had been very reliable. However, I must admit that there’s never more than two things running at a time off of it. A Roku that’s always on, and one of two dryers or the TV.
I bought a white pair the last time they were offered. The blue power light is pretty bright when using them in a dark room. Even if you cover the light with a piece of electric tape, blue light still shines through the USB ports at the top. Otherwise they seem to be good power strips.
@gatwood just break the light
@gatwood Or buy an extra pair for night lights
@gatwood Obey the Light! Do as it says.
@gatwood Companies putting blue LEDs on everything has become a scourge. Not everything needs a flashlight as a power indicator!
Just cause this surge protector has 9 outlets doesn’t actually portray that we the people have 9 lives and can actually test the surge rating on it. Please, children don’t attempt this without the support of both of your parents.
Reviews on this thing are terrible. Sparks, failures, no surge protection, not UL compliant. Hard pass.
@dam091 Thank you for this. Most useful comment I have seen.
@dam091 If you set fire to your residence, contact support and they’ll send you a free replacement charging tower.
If you actually do plug in all those high-draw appliances, you won’t need to worry about surges during the ensuing fire.
Unless you are just testing your breakers…
No swivel, sit and spin baby!
Sorry, but haven’t these Ben sold here before?
Would these be a fire hazard plugging all these devices into one outlet?
My workspace has 4 items plugged into a power strip and I think it’s maxed out.
@gustador Maybe that’s why they claim "Materials: Flame-retardant ABS thermoplastic "
@gustador If they’re low current devices, no problem. If you plug in 9 space heaters and hair dryers, you’re gonna have a bad day.
@gustador it’s not how many inserted together but the simultaneous draw in Amperes.
@gpm290 @gustador That’s what she said.
@bainst @gpm290 @gustador
“That.”
- She
These look like a kitchen fire waiting to happen. I’m sure the overall (total) rating for the AC outlets is only 15A, much the same as the outlet you plug it into, so it can probably only take one or two of the larger counter-top appliance thingies.
But if you got a lot of little low-draw things to plug in, could be useful.
@stolicat But wouldn’t that be the same case for any power strip or distribution system you plug into your kitchen? That would not be a unique problem with just this one. You would pop any 15A circuit breaker if you exceed 15A for too long with or without a power strip.
@cengland0 True - and if you’ve got a house with proper, up-to-date wiring, your circuit breakers should protect any overload.
But in older houses with flaky wiring and old breakers … I’m still surprised at the number of people who think these things are multipliers, not distributors.
@stolicat As long as you aren’t using all the devices at the same time it’ll be fine, and that’s probably the intended usage. I have my rice cooker & microwave plugged into the same outlet, but I never use them at the same time.
I have to be extra careful about that because all the outlets in the kitchen (except one for the fridge) are on a single circuit. For added fun, the two outlets along the wall shared with the living room are also on that circuit. I learned this the hard way when I had a 1500w heater, toaster & microwave all running while plugged into separate outlets and it popped the breaker. Moved the heater to the living room outlet and… popped the breaker again a few days later.
I have no clue what the person who wired this house was thinking.
Sounds like a few of us are calling out the same general concerns over the lack of any rating of this as a surge protector. Power strip and surge protector have become somewhat interchangeable in common speech as names, but it’s not really accurate if it doesn’t offer a decent rating (in Joules, and which degrades over time and use)… So, I would consider these, generally, just a power strip.
Similarly, the brand itself doesn’t lend itself to an over abundance of trust in quality. I will admit to having purchased some Aduro equipment in the past, but that doesn’t mean that much of it is very good at all. In fact, I don’t recommend most of it, like this sort of device, which could easily become unsafe. For a simple phone charger, if you feel comfortable in taking one apart, and doing some minor modifications to things like LEDs (which this brands loves to make REALLY bright), or to validate basic construction, it’s less of a danger. But I am not advising this for most folks. And for something like Li-ion battery packs from them? Absolutely not on my list.
Perhaps in the lightest duty scenarios, and for the very wary buyers who will replace these within a reasonable few years, they could be practical. But I would suggest passing on these, and many Aduro electronics.
Why do all the recent write-ups sound like meh-rathon write-ups? Are these leftovers and they are just just re-using the write-ups while the staff goes on a pre-summer vacation?
@bfg9000 They gotta stay in practice.
No mention anywhere of surge rating. I think it’s safe to assume that this would be next to useless in a power surge
@thechilipepper0 Rated at 300 Joules
@heartny @thechilipepper0 Not many
@heartny @thechilipepper0 @werehatrack Nearly nothing. Should be thousands.
Specs
Product Name: 2-Pack: Aduro Surge Swivel Wall Charging Tower w/ 9 Outlets & Dual USB Ports
Model: SRG-WT9O2U-01S-2PK or SRG-WT9O2U-08S-2PK
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Price Comparison
$49.98 at Amazon for 2-Pack
Warranty
Limited 1 year Warranty with Registration
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Aug 8 - Wednesday, Aug 10
So, I can swivel the power strip instead of the USB plug? These could save me two turns every time.
Yes please!
/giphy versatile-treacherous-way
What amuses me is the third photo, in which the hot/cold blade position is reversed. At least there aren’t any electric grapes.
@werehatrack party sure they just flipped that portion in Photoshop so they could add it to the picture. Not sure why they couldn’t just take a picture with it in use. Guess the marketing dept is afraid of fires.
@werehatrack
yeah, that’s really weird. Even the wall outlet is reversed!
Safety shutdown technology means a fuse that blows when a surge shorts out the voltage-sensing varistor. A lower rating means less surge is required to cause the shutdown. When it quits working, you throw it away. The plug on the back swivels to allow the usb outlets to be up, down, right or left.
Does it actually swivel? It doesn’t look like it.
/giphy swivel
@katbyter It swivels at the plug - you can mount it so it is vertical or horizontal.
If you’re using USB ports on power strips, you may be in for an unhappy surprise. They can provide dangerously errant voltage to your $1000+ phone, and often don’t work at all. (Experience with several brands.)
Is this the deadly miswired one? The one bank of outlets oriented the opposite way doesn’t give me the warm fuzzies.
The problem with the previous one was hot & neutral were swapped on the odd bank. Ask an electrician about it, and watch them start twitching.
UL listing?
I use this in my bedroom for my “hair appliances”. Because of the way it’s laid out, I can plug several more things into it than a regular power strip. It had been very reliable. However, I must admit that there’s never more than two things running at a time off of it. A Roku that’s always on, and one of two dryers or the TV.
I was all in on these until I read they couldn’t make margaritas. No margs, no sale.
The side outlets all have a reversed hot and neutral. Only the front outlets are wired correctly. Check it with an outlet tester, if doubtful.