Power Conditioner & Surge Protector

[1911]

I'm looking for a good, used power conditioner and surge protector. I would like a quality unit and I have seen many models on flea-bay from the likes of Furman, Panamax, WattBox and Monster, as well as a few others. Many are priced well under $100.00, but I really don't know which models are best. I have read about the Panamax MR 4300 (about $70.00, used, on flea-bay) and it seems to be a quality unit. Does anyone have any other recommendation on a quality unit? Thanks.

 

[TLS Guy]

I'm looking for a good, used power conditioner and surge protector. I would like a quality unit and I have seen many models on flea-bay from the likes of Furman, Panamax, WattBox and Monster, as well as a few others. Many are priced well under $100.00, but I really don't know which models are best. I have read about the Panamax MR 4300 (about $70.00, used, on flea-bay) and it seems to be a quality unit. Does anyone have any other recommendation on a quality unit? Thanks.

We have been over this many times. The answer is whole house surge protection at the entry point of electric service. This is by far the most important. Then you can consider a UPS unit. I protect my gear with units from APC.

 

[Mikado463]

I agree with TLS but if one is a 'renter' then the last sentence probably makes the most sense

 

[Eppie]

A whole home surge protector should be under $200 but you will need a licensed electrician to install it. The advantage is that it protects all of the electronics in the house. A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) has advantages over a power "conditioner". A UPS has a built in battery and in the event of a power failure or brown out (low voltage) will convert the DC battery voltage to AC as backup power. This happens instantaneously and the attached equipment will not notice the switch. A UPS also provides surge protection. You need to select a unit with the correct output rating. Power conditioners typically just have banks of capacitors for smoothing voltage, but the electricity in modern cities is so stable that these devices don't really make a difference. Only in rural areas or cities prone to brown outs would one need to worry about it.

What the Furman and Panamax units offer is good looks. Most UPS units are utilitarian and are best out of sight. If you want something to bolt into an AV rack, then looks likely matter. I would stick to Furman or Panamax but on the used market I would be concerned whether the unit has taken any voltage spikes. Those units can also provide a central location to connect power cables which will look better than a power strip lying on the floor, so they can have their uses.

 

[1911]

A whole home surge protector is not going to happen right now. I have used APC surge protectors as well as their battery back ups in the past and I used them in my business years ago. I'll probably just stick with an APC surge protector for now and maybe a battery backup if the forum consensus believes it's necessary. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[TLS Guy]

A whole home surge protector is not going to happen right now. I have used APC surge protectors as well as their battery back ups in the past and I used them in my business years ago. I'll probably just stick with an APC surge protector for now and maybe a battery backup if the forum consensus believes it's necessary. Thanks for the suggestions.

Skipping whole house surge protection is a bad move. Weather is getting more severe, and all your appliances are stuffed with ICs. A lightening surge can cost you thousands outside of AV. Your home has literally thousands of ICs in it now. Whole house protection is code where I live and rightly so.

 

[1911]

@TLS Guy: I'll look into it.

 

[highfigh]

I'm looking for a good, used power conditioner and surge protector. I would like a quality unit and I have seen many models on flea-bay from the likes of Furman, Panamax, WattBox and Monster, as well as a few others. Many are priced well under $100.00, but I really don't know which models are best. I have read about the Panamax MR 4300 (about $70.00, used, on flea-bay) and it seems to be a quality unit. Does anyone have any other recommendation on a quality unit? Thanks.

They don't last forever (depending on the devices implemented)- buying a used one could mean that it fails when you need it.

 

[Verdinut]

This is an APC H10 Power Conditioner. It's a reliable product and it has a continuous rated watt capacity limited to 1000 watts.
There is one available from a reliable seller on eBay for US$89. You can easily find a copy of the user's manual on the web:

APC (H10) Surge Suppressor for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for APC (H10) Surge Suppressor at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

APC products are reliable and I use several of them. I never had a problem with any over the last 20 years.

 

[Eppie]

The UPS batteries only last about 5 years but they are usually user replaceable and fairly easy to cross-reference.

 

[1911]

@Eppie: I'm not really interested in looks and I've seen plenty of battery backups for sale that need new batteries.

@Verdinut: Thanks, I'll take a look at the APC H10.