jps246's Full Review: Belkin SurgeMaster® Maximum (F9M800-08) Surge...
It’s funny how fate works out sometimes. I had been hemming and hawing over getting a new power surge strip for my computer, as I had a few new devices and I was going to need another surge protector for those. It was with that thought in mind that I received a gift from Epinions as a thank you for the year – and it turned out to be Belkin’s Surgemaster F9M800-08 Surge, Spike and Lightning Protector.
Now I take surge protectors seriously. When I lived with my parents, I had a computer fried from a nearby lightening strike and I’ve had several different pieces of equipment over the years die from surges.
Simply put, it’s just smart to have a surge protector on every single piece of electronic equipment that you have. Between power surges, spikes and lightning strikes, if you aren’t protecting your equipment, you’re just asking for trouble.
Protector Basics
The F9M800-08 eight different outlets and protects your equipment from spikes up to 135,000 amps. It also features sliding safety covers that allow you to ‘close off’ outlets that you aren’t using and an eight foot cord so that the protector can be quite some distance from the wall outlet. That cord also features a right-angle plug so it will sit smoothly against the wall and you won’t have the cord bunching up or twisting as much as a straight in plug and for the wires leaving the outlets, there’s a cord management bar that locks down the wires to keep them neat and organized.
The outlets are all the normal 3-prong outlets and one of the best features of this protector is the fact that there are two “block space” outlets that allow you to plug in the bulky AC adapter blocks without blocking off the other outlets (that annoys me to no end on normal strips).
The case is built quite tough – it’s impact resistant case resists scratching, dents and rust (though it’s mostly plastic so I’m not sure how it could rust).
There’s a main on/off switch that controls all of the outlets on the protector. There are two indicator lights that show whether the device is working properly. The surge protector indicator shows that the unit is able to protect against surges and the ground indicator indicates that all of the wiring is properly grounded.
How’s it work…
No matter where you live, the electricity that is powering everything in your home can be have spikes, drops and surges. Even something as simple as your refrigerator or other major appliance coming on can create a power surge throughout your home and effect your delicate electrical equipment.
The F9M800-08 works by ‘smoothing’ out the power supply and protecting from the major spikes created by other appliances, by power grid problems, or by lightning storms. There are various pieces of electronics equipment including capacitors that clean up the electricity and prevent massive surges of electricity from reaching your equipment.
If the worst happens and you have a lightning strike nearby or other massive power surge, the thermal fuses in the F9M800-08 will shut of all the power to anything connected to it and prevent those massive surges from reaching your equipment.
How do I know it’s going to work?
If all of your electronic equipment continues to work properly, then you know that your surge protector has been working properly! Really, this is the kind of device you have that just sits there and you don’t think about until the worst does happen, like a lightning strike near your house or something like that.
Belkin is sure enough that the F9M800-08 will protect your equipment that they offer a warranty that covers the equipment you have correctly connected to your surge protector. When you register your equipment, Belkin agrees that they will either repair or replace any equipment that was connected to the F9M800-08 that was damaged by a surge, spike or lightning strike. They’ll cover up to $250,000 dollars worth of equipment (yeah, like I have that much).
How’s it worked…
Well like I said, a surge protector is one of those pieces of equipment that you don’t really actively use. Your other devices are connected to it and as long as they continue to work properly, then the surge protector is doing its job.
In about the month I’ve been using the F9M800-08 I haven’t had any problems – and I’ve actually found it to be handier than the typical surge protector, especially because of the cord management bar. Now you might not think that that a simple bar would be that helpful – but it keeps all of your power cords that are connected to the protector moving out in one direction and keeps everything neat. We all know how cords can get very confusing behind a computer desk.
While I haven’t had any thunderstorms lately, the power in our neck of the woods isn’t all that great and the wiring in the house itself isn’t all that great – so the major concern I have is the ‘dirty power’ and the F9M800-08 has done a good job with it. I haven’t noticed any problems with the new equipment and the few times I’ve seen a surge in the house, I haven’t noticed it on the computer that’s connected to the surge protector.
It’s also handy in the event of a power failure – as you can quickly turn off all of your electronic devices simply by flipping the switch on the surge protector. That way when the power comes back on in a surge, you don’t need to worry about your equipment being fed that surge.
Final Thoughts
I’m really glad I got this surge protector from Epinions (thanks guys!) and it turned out to be just what I needed for the new electronics that I’ve gotten.
The F9M800-08 has an intelligent design, especially with the AC adapter outlets that help manage space and the cord management bar that helps keep all your electric cords neat.
All in all, I don’t think anyone who needs basic surge, spike and lightning protection could go wrong with Belkin’s Surgemaster Surge Protection.
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