If you own a component entertainment system or a home office, you must be familiar with surge protectors and power strips. You must use them to get a few extra outlets there. Both of these units look alike, but they don’t provide the same protection. Well, to know the difference, you must have profound knowledge about surge protectors and power strips.
For some people, power strips and surge protectors are like a mystery as they look alike. Many people wonder, do all power strips work as surge protectors? What is better; a power strip or a surge protector? We are here to serve you some critical information about surge protectors and power strips to solve your queries. You can check out Crst to get the best deals on a power strip and surge protectors.
Table of Contents
What is a surge protector?
Surge protectors are a type of device that helps control the frequency of the electrical current flow to your home’s electrical equipment. Therefore, this device is a must-to-have for every household, office, or lab. However critical, but surge protectors come with ratings, and these ratings help to dictate the absorption of energy. Therefore, we recommend you to choose surge protectors with a rating of 2500 and above.
When you connect the surge protector to a power source, you can insert the computer charger into the outlets on the device. Also, when the electric flow increases, the surge protector directs the extra voltage to the grounding wire. Inside a power surge protector, a metal oxide varistor diverts the extra voltage into the grounding wire.
What is a power strip?
It is a long strip that includes a bunch of outlets. It consists of a cable on one end, and the other is blank. You need to plug the cable into an outlet of your wall, and the power strip will give many outlets to power your device. The plugged outlet into the wall will power everything you plug on the power strip. Power strip helps to provide extra outlets where you can plug in other things. It works as a kind of an extension cord.
Difference between a power strip and a surge protector
The level of protection- surge protectors and power strips have a different level of protection. A power strip doesn’t provide any extra protection. So, if there is a power surge, your electric devices can get fried or destroyed. On the other hand, the power strip provides extra sockets to plug into an easy on/off switch. A surge protector will be an effective option if you want proper protection. It is specifically designed to provide a protective barrier around the equipment plugged into the protector.
Cost- If you consider the price, a surge protector is more expensive than a power strip. It is evident as surge protectors offer a level of protection. However, there is not a huge difference in the pricing, and hardly it would be a difference of 5 to 10 bucks.
Why choose a power strip?
If you have multiple electronics within close proximity, power strips will be a suitable option. Usually, commercial areas and residentials include two sockets. However, it is not sufficient. Therefore, you must have an extra power strip that will give maximum convenience. These units include a circuit breaker, several outlets, and some on/off switches. Therefore power strips are always beneficial for business industries that want to conserve power.
Why choose a surge protector?
If you have so many electronics in your home, surge protectors will be more convenient. Surge protectors not only let you plug in the cords of your electrical devices but also protect the device from sudden power surges. However, these are modest in price. So, if you want to safeguard your devices, you must use a surge protector at your home. But the commercial power surge protectors can be a bit costly. So if you want to get rid of those servicing costs of the damaged equipment again and again then, a power surge protector will be your best choice.
Conclusion
So, both surge protectors and power strips work efficiently in their respective fields. Hope now you know all the required information about these units. You can choose a power strip or a surge protector according to your requirement. Whatever you prefer, you can consider Crst to get the best deals.
