Do you think you can even count the number of things in your home right now that are plugged into a wall outlet or power strip? The answer is likely in the dozens, but we often forget how important it is to get high-quality power strips to safeguard our electronics. The expert product reviewers at BGR have tested a whopping 93 different power strips of all shapes and sizes, and we found the best options depending on your preferences.
Our top picks
- Best overall: Belkin 12-outlet Surge Protector Power Strip
- Runner-up: Anker 351 Power Strip
- Best smart power strip: Kasa HS300 Smart Plug Power Strip
- Best outlet tap: GE 50759 6-outlet Power Strip
- Best heavy-duty option: Monster Workshop Heavy-Duty Power Strip
You absolutely can’t go wrong with any of those popular power strips. If you want to learn more about each model, you’ll find our review overviews down below.
Rating: 5 Stars
MULTI-OUTLET SURGE PROTECTOR LETS YOU CHARGE & POWER MULTIPLE DEVICES AT ONCE: Power everything on your desk with a single compact surge-protected extension cord. 12 AC outlets with surge protection charge your computer, laptop, phone, camera, and more.
SAFEGUARD YOUR DEVICES & APPLIANCES WITH 3,940 JOULES OF PROTECTION: Extensive testing ensures your expensive computers, monitors, hard drives, home theaters, and other appliances are protected by 3,940 joules of overcurrent and overload protection.
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Shop Now Pros: Great design, $300,000 connected equipment warranty, reliable, good build quality, inexpensive
Cons: None
Look, we’re going to make this very easy for you. If you just want the best power strip out there and you don’t really want to think about anything else, just get the Belkin 12-outlet Surge Protector Power Strip .
This Belkin power strip has a fantastic 12-outlet design with the perfect combination of vertically oriented outlets and horizontally oriented outlets. It can accommodate six straight plugs down the center, and then there are six outward-facing outlets that are spread out a bit more on the sides. That way, products with big power adapters can all fit easily.
We love the design of this model, but it also features solid build quality — especially for a power strip that costs under $30. Plus, there’s a $300,000 CEW (connected equipment warranty). That way, if the surge protector fails and your connected devices are damaged, Belkin will repair or replace them up to a value of $300,000. So many people forget about the CEW, but it’s a hugely important selling point that you should definitely keep in mind.
There are no cons with this Belkin model. Just get one, and you’ll be very happy you did.
Belkin – Shop Now Rating: 4.5 Stars
All the Power You Need: Features 12 AC outlets, 1 USB-C port, and 2 USB-A ports to give you everything you need to power up all of your appliances and mobile devices.
Fast Charge Your iPhone: Use the 20W USB-C port to give your iPhone 13 a high-speed charge from 0-53% in just 30 minutes.
8-Point Safety System: Combines surge protection, fire resistance, overload protection, temperature control, and more to protect you and your devices.
Optimized Layout: Designed with extra space between outlets to accommodate even the largest plugs.
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Shop Now Pros: $200,000 connected equipment warranty, reliable, good build quality, USB ports, inexpensive
Cons: None
The Anker 351 Power Strip is our runner-up pick. It’s very close to being on par with our top pick ( Belkin 12-outlet Surge Protector Power Strip ), but there are a few minor differences that pushed it back to the #2 slot.
First of all, anyone who knows Anker knows that it’s one of the best brands on the planet when it comes to anything related to charging, batteries, or electricity in general. That means you can rest assured that this power strip is a high-quality model that’s not going to let you down. If something does fail, however, Anker offers a $200,000 CEW for connected devices that are damaged.
The Anker 351 is a bit thicker than the Belkin model we recommended as our top pick, and the outlet layout is a bit different. It has four tightly packed outlets in the center for straight plugs, and then four outward-facing outlets on each side. We should note that the outward-facing outlets are a little closer together on this power strip, so huge power adapters might end up blocking the outlet next to them.
Another feature we love about this model is that there are three USB ports in addition to the 12 standard power outlets. You get two USB-A ports as well as one USB-C port.
Once again, there are really no downsides with this Anker power strip.
Anker – Shop Now Rating: 4.5 Stars
6 smart outlets: Independently control 6 smart outlets, and charge 3 devices with built in USB ports; Ideal for controlling electronics in your home, home office, or small business
Surge protection: ETL certified surge protection shields sensitive electronics and appliances from sudden power surges that can occur during weather storms and cause irreparable damage
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Shop Now Pros: App control, voice control, good design & quality, no hub needed, easy to set up & use
Cons: No CEW, expensive when it’s not discounted
There are tons of smart power strips out there, but the Kasa HS300 Smart Plug Power Strip is by far the best one we tested.
People love smart plugs because they let you control any “dumb” device from your smartphone, tablet, or with your voice. This Kasa smart power strip is just like a smart plug, but it has six smart outlets instead of just one. And yes, the outlets can be controlled individually, so it’s not as if you have to turn all six devices on and off at the same time.
It’s also nice to have three USB ports in addition to the six standard power outlets. They’re not “smart” ports, but why would they be? They’re really only for charging smartphones and other small electronics, so they don’t need to be smart.
The Kasa app is terrific, making it super simple to set up and control your devices. You can also create schedules, timers, and even connect with popular smart home platforms like SmartThings, which is the one we use. Plus, Kasa integrates with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, so you can use voice commands to control your connected gear.
As for downsides, Kasa makes no mention of a CEW for this model. Also, it’s quite expensive at $79.99, but you can often find it on sale for much less than that.
Kasa – Shop Now Rating: 4.5 Stars
More Outlets – Convert two grounded outlets into six to power lamps, laptops, tablets, iPhone and Android smartphones, or other electronic devices
Space-Saving Design – This white wall tap has three standard outlets and three adapter-spaced outlets to fit your bulky cell phone chargers or power adapters
Compatibility – The outlet extender works with grounded three-prong, duplex receptacles to create a charging station in your home, office, bedroom, kitchen, living room, dorm room or any indoor area
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Shop Now Pros: Compact, simple, no-frills design, works as it should, 1,875W maximum capacity
Cons: No surge protection, no CEW
If you want a “power strip” where all of the outlets occupy the same space as your regular wall outlet, it’s called an outlet tap, and the GE 50759 6-outlet Power Strip is the best one we’ve found.
Outlet taps plug into both of your grounded outlets, completely covering your wall plate. But instead of two power outlets, you get four, five, or even six without having to run a power cable to a separate power strip.
This design is great for your kitchen or other spaces where you need to plug in a bunch of stuff but you don’t want to overdo it. While this model is rated for a 1,875W maximum capacity, you definitely shouldn’t plug in any large appliances or other things that suck up lots of juice.
GE’s 50759 outlet tap gives you six individual outlets in place of your two normal ones. You get two on the front, plus another two on each side. It doesn’t stick out far from the wall since the design is so compact, and that’s a big advantage over other outlet taps we tested.
The only real downside is that this is purely an outlet tap, not a surge protector, so there’s also no CEW.
GE – Shop Now Rating: 4.5 Stars
1200 JOULES SURGE PROECTION RATING: Safeguard your expensive devices, power tools, and equipment from power surges and outages with the monster power strip advanced surge protection circuitry
FIREPROOF MOV & DUAL MODE TECHNOLOGY: Monster’s surge protector power strip automatically protects equipment from power overloads while also preventing MOV’s from igniting, thus saving your pricey tools from being damaged or ruined
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Shop Now Pros: Heavy-duty build quality, durable, mountable, USB ports, $250,000 CEW
Cons: Outlet spacing is tight for power adapters
Of all the heavy-duty surge protectors we tested, the Monster Workshop Heavy-Duty Power Strip was definitely the best.
This model has a terrific heavy-duty design that can withstand everything that comes along with being in a workshop or garage. It can take a licking and keep on ticking, plus you don’t have to worry about dust and debris causing problems.
We love that this Monster power strip is mountable, so you can put it on your wall or workbench with ease. Plus, it’s great that it has a pair of USB ports so you can charge your phone while you work.
As for a connected equipment warranty, Monster offers a $250,000 CEW with this model. We have personally made use of Monster’s CEW in the past, and it was very easy to get reimbursed for a TV that was fried due to a surge.
The only real downside with this model is that the outlet spacing is a bit tight for power adapters. That being said, this is a heavy-duty power strip that’s designed for a workshop or garage, and most power tools use standard plugs as opposed to oversized power adapters.
Monster – Shop Now The post Our experts tested 93 power strips to find the best of the best appeared first on BGR .
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