Smart Strip LCG3 Energy Saving Surge Protector with Autoswitching Technology, 10-Outlet
by Smart Strip
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List Price: Our Price: $28.42 You Save: $23.30 (45%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $27.00 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Smart Strip LCG3 Energy Saving Surge Protector with Autoswitching Technology, 10-Outlet
Customer Review: Clap On, Clap Off!
Summary: 4 Stars
I work at home as an IT Consultant, so I have lots of electronic equipment running all of the time. I have been investigating options to save energy and thought I would give this a try. I think the concept is great for most items (lamps, printers, chargers, other computer peripherals); however, I really haven't figured out a way to use it with energy hogs like plasma TV's and DVD players. If you have a surge protectors or power strip that just has "dummy" devices plugged in, this unit works great. I have a central outlet I use with laptops, a printer and lamps on my desk and it's nice to just turn off the printer and have it turn off all the other devices.
As for energy hogs like a plasma TV and DVR, if you are smart and have a central power management unit, there is no way to use this without killing the power to everything. The DVR has to stay on all the time to record programs, so you either have to separate the TV from the central power management unit defeating the purpose of conditioning the circuit or kill the entire center. I don't really care about the clocks on the DVD player (why do they still put a clock on these things all they do is burn out the LED's on the little screen?), but I don't want to separate anything from the central power unit. Maybe Belkin and Monster will come up with something that works for those devices, since they can still draw up to 30% power even when they are off.
One caveat for computer devices...if you have laser printers, make sure you use it as the main power source on this. You should not kill the power to a laser printer without turning off the power button first. You will use up a considerable amount of toner and add extra wear to the drum unit as the printer will have to recharge the drum using extra toner. Most printers are have a pretty decent power save mode and most manufacturers don't really recommend turning them off anyway.
Overall, I think the concept of these power saving strips can create some significant savings; however, $25-30 for each strip means you need to have a considerable amount of power draw from the devices that are plugged in to justify the cost vs. return. If you use it for a few flourescent lamps, it's a waste of money, but for the right combination of devices, you may get your money back. You can buy a regular surge protector and just hit the power button on it as easily as you can turn the power off of one device to get the same results. These are first generation and have great potential, just don't buy one to avoid bending down to turn off a surge protector.
Customer Review: A REAL Simple Energy Saving Tool
Summary: 5 Stars
If you want something to help you save a few buck on your energy bill while also prolonging the life of Equipment, this is the tool for you.
I had an idea what this SmartStrip could do but i really wanted to see it for myself. This guy is as simple as it sounds and just as convient.
You have 1 outlet that you plug your switching device in. The switching device is the device that when you turn on or off turns everything else on or off. You also have 2 Always ON outlets (for DVR boxes or Broadband Modem, etc). And 4 "Controlled" outlets, 1 of which is an extra wide one. Now, the 1 outlet for the switching device is an Always ON outlet.
There is a little knob on the side for helping you tweek the switching setting that power off everything else when you put the main device into a low power state or off. Because some things draw power even when turned off so you may need to tweek it.
I bought this to try it out at work. If you want something to definitely help at home or at the office, this is perfect. At work, i had my Laptop at the switching port. I plugged the Monitor, the Speakers, the Desk Lamp, my cell chargers, any and all accessories into the controlled ports. I tweeked the knob on the side so that when I put my laptop into Standby, that it will also shut off everything else as well. To tweek it, you must put the computer into Standby mode and adjusted the knob until all the devices turn off.
This is great because the moment i shutdown the computer at night, it turns everything off and i don't have to forget about turning anything off. All that littles of electricity its saving is great.
You could easily use it at home. You can have it setup where your TV is the switch, your DVR is in the Always ON, your DVD, VCR, Game Consoles, Stereo, Home Theater, etc are all plugged into the Controlled Ports, So that the moment you turn the TV off, everything else turns off. No more nagging the kids to make sure they turned everything else, no need to round through remotes to make sure everything else is off.
The price is right as well, you are going to pay about the same price for something that also does about the same amount of Surge Protection, so why not get something that will save you in long running cost as well. It could pay for itself in the first year alone.
Customer Review: Great money saving device
Summary: 5 Stars
Saves my PC from using 50watts all of the time. Purchased two of them, both work great.
UPDATE: After reading several negative reviews, I wanted to add a few things.
1. I now have 3 of these, the newest is 6 months old and they are all working great.
2. On calibration: The power usage in the on state for the control device needs to be significantly different than the off power usage for the control device to work properly. For example, a cable box that draws 40watts on and 35watts off will make a very poor control device. A computer that draw 12watts off and 100watts on will make a great control device. Consider that when choosing a control device. (Kill-a-watt is very helpful in determining this)
3. On failures: Power strips fail, often from surges. If your strip failed, contact the manufacture. It should last a year at minimum. However, it does contain a switch and and power reading circuit, so it may fail at some point.
4. Always on devices: The strip is designed for computers. You turn your computer off, the speakers and other items go off too. There are many other uses, but keep in mind that it does not work for power hungry always-on devices like a cable box, DVRs, Roku or DirecTV control box. Those devices are always on, they take several minutes to boot up when power is restored. Same goes for a large number of TVs. If your device is an always on device, you can't use it as a control device or hook it to one of the switched outlets without some frustration. That simply will not work well. Using a switched power strip on those types of devices will GREATLY increase time-to-on and in the case of a DVR, will result in missed recordings. This can be a big negative when you need to turn things on and let them boot up for 10 minutes before you watch TV.
Make sure that the way you plan to use the device is how the device is designed to be used. Get a Kill-A-Watt and look at power usage when you are planning to use a power strip like this. The Kill-A-Watt is a great tool and helps in other areas as well.
Customer Review: Great item for entertainment system / stereo, minor flaws for computer room
Summary: 4 Stars
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A SPECIFIC-FUNCTION SURGE PROTECTOR!!
When a "Master" control device is powered on (the blue socket in the picture), other peripheral devices also power on (the white or uncolored sockets in the picture). There are also 3 always-on sockets (the red ones in the picture). This is designed to power off an entire system of devices as a group, thus saving money and button-pushing (in theory).
As the title of this review states, this surge protector is superior for use in a home stereo / entertainment system, where having a master component control all the others is generally very linear; e.g., your amplifier / receiver used as the master, and cd / dvd / tv / cable / powered speakers / etc. are slave powered. As noted, however, it may be slightly awkward for use in a home office unless your master device and peripherals are set up in a likewise fashion--for example, I don't have the need for my backup hard drive or printer to be on every time my desktop is, so I tend to power them off & on using their individual controls.
The quality of the surge protector rates a 4.5 out of 5; it is solid, sturdy and has securely-seated outlets. The sensitivity control for adjusting the slave outlet activation is accurate and simple to use. The spacing of the sockets leaves a bit to be desired; only the 4 outermost sockets are spaced to allow for larger plugs ("wall warts"). The remaining 6, including the master and 3 always-on outlets, are rather tightly spaced.
Overall a 4-star item for quality of material and workmanship, excellent warranty and equipment insurance, and the power-saving functionality. The main detractor is the less-than-ideal outlet spacing.
The price savings and delivery time on Amazon were far superior to local outlets.
Customer Review: Nice, Easy Way to Save A Bit of Energy
Summary: 5 Stars
Hey, saving every bit of energy helps, right? The Smart Strip is one tool to help your household become more energy efficient! I purchased mine for my computer after reading about it in Money Magazine. Set up is easy, basically just plug your computer into the control plug and then plug any peripherals into the auto-switching plugs. Doing this allows you to use your computer to control power on/off of all devices. Very nice, simple and convenient. Cost is about $30 and, from what I've read in various media, it should pay for itself in a year. Not a bad investment to help save the environment.
I should mention that we thought the strip wasn't working when we first set it up. Do note that there is a sensitivity adjustment dial on the strip. You have to fiddle with that to ensure that all of the devices power on/off with your main device. Thing to do is just turn off the main device and then turn the dial until all other devices shut off.
Now, I will say that my boyfriend refuses to use one of these on his home theater system. It has to do with the memory functions on his receiver and the fact that he uses his Playstation 3 to add processing power to the cancer research effort (Folding @ Home). So, that may be something to think about. If you're going to lose all of your presets when you turn off your TV, using this device may not be worth the frustration.