The Anker Power Strip with 300J Surge Protector is one of those upgrades that you notice immediately when you’re used to your devices competing for outlet space. This unit has 10 total ports: 6 AC ports and 2 USB-A and 2 USB-C ports. Plus, it has a flat plug that lies flat on the wall, so there’s no issue with pushing furniture up against the strip, as the prongs will not bend. Its five-foot cord also gives you plenty of flexibility in where you place it.
A simple way to protect your appliances and devices from electrical surges
The most important specification of your surge protector will be the 300 joules. This means it can absorb voltage surges, such as those caused by lightning storms, coming into your home through the wall outlet. It protects everyday small electronic devices, including phones, laptop computers, lamps, computer monitors, and game consoles. However, if you plan to connect a heavy-duty power appliance, such as a large gaming PC tower or a powered subwoofer, you may want to consider a power strip with more protection.
The two USB-C ports deliver 20 watts of power, enough to charge an iPhone 15 from dead to roughly 53 percent in 30 minutes. That matches what Apple’s official 20W charger pulls, so this strip can stand in for a wall brick when charging a phone or earbuds. The two USB-A ports handle older accessories that haven’t moved to USB-C yet, which is still a long list, including most wireless mice, keyboards, and Kindle e-readers.
Six AC outlets are located at the top of the strip. And they have adequate space to accommodate large plugs and oversized power bricks without blocking adjacent outlet spaces. Most low-cost extension strips pack outlets so that one wall wart occupies two available slots, leaving you with four working outlets from the six available. However, the Anker strip has sufficient spacing between its outlets, so you can use all of them.
Safety is a 7-point system that covers overvoltage, overcurrent, surge protection, overheat protection, fire-resistant casing, short-circuit protection, and stable internal voltage regulation. The strip is ETL certified, which is the US safety standard for electrical equipment. Anker also includes its $200,000 connected equipment warranty, meaning if a power surge somehow gets through and damages a connected device, the company covers up to that amount in repairs.
The Anker Power Strip with 300J Surge Protector typically runs $30, and at $20, it’s the kind of buy you make once and forget about. Ten ports of well-designed surge-protected charging at this price replace a tangle of cheap strips and wall warts in a single purchase.