Extension cord w/ compact outlet pod, USB-C, and good surge protection?

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d00df00d

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Been using this for a while when on-the-go: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083XRJXSD

It's a 5' extension cord with two well-spaced outlets on a 3.3" x 1.8" pod with an integrated two-port USB-A charger. Very handy. I just wish it had surge protection and USB-C.

Anyone aware of a similar device from a reputable company that has meaningful surge protection, USB-C charging, and a pod that isn't much bigger?

Closest I've found so far is this, which has USB-C but no surge protection: https://www.anker.com/products/a9129-charging-station-67w

Or this, which has weak surge protection (300J) and no USB-C: https://www.anker.com/products/a91c2

Or this, which has the same weak surge protection and USB-C, and a significantly bigger pod: https://www.anker.com/products/a9139

I know good surge protection is hard to find even when compactness isn't an issue, so I suspect I have to give that up, but I figured I'd ask in case someone here knows something I don't.
 
Use Tripp Lite Isotel 6 w/ isolated filter banks of 50 (2) , 75 (2) 100 (2) dbs.. Used for MAGNAVOX 32" T.V. ( 15 years old ) , HARMAN KARDON AVR25 II ( 5 channel ) receiver , YAMAHA dual cassette player , DISH receiver , AMC Dac 8 (18 Bit ) and TECHNICS SL-BD20D belt drive turntable .
 
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odie said:
Use Tripp Lite Isotel 6 w/ isolated filter banks of 50 (2) , 75 (2) 100 (2) dbs.. Used for MAGNAVOX 32" T.V. ( 15 years old ) , K/K AVR25 II ( 5 channel ) receiver , YAMAHA dual cassette player , DISH receiver , AMC Dac 8 (18 Bit ) and TECHNICS SL-BD20D belt drive turntable .
Click to expand...
This isn't what I'm looking for here, but I might buy one (or something like it) for another application. Thanks!
 
Yeah - the Anker 321 Power Strip has that. However, I bought one in early 2023 and the USB-C power failed. It failed before the 18 month warranty was up, but I didn't file a warranty claim before the warranty period was over.

That being said, it depends on how compact the outlet housing needs to be. Anker actually has some newer versions than the 321 - with either 6 or 8 outlets.

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Protector-Outlets-Delivery-Compact/dp/B0CFV3ZTHT/

615hrk+5G1L._AC_SL1500_.jpg


https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Protector-Delivery-Extender-Extension/dp/B0B8SHPS5B/

51Et5Gcm+AL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
 
y_p_w said:
Yeah - the Anker 321 Power Strip has that. However, I bought one in early 2023 and the USB-C power failed. It failed before the 18 month warranty was up, but I didn't file a warranty claim before the warranty period was over.

That being said, it depends on how compact the outlet housing needs to be. Anker actually has some newer versions than the 321 - with either 6 or 8 outlets.
Click to expand...
I have the second one you posted a pic of. I like it but it's quite a bit bigger than the one I'm looking to replace, so it's a no-go for this application.

Mentioned in the OP that my current one is 3.3" x 1.8" (not sure the thickness but it's less than the other two dimensions). I can take one that's bigger but not much bigger.
 
d00df00d said:
I have the second one you posted a pic of. I like it but it's quite a bit bigger than the one I'm looking to replace, so it's a no-go for this application.

Mentioned in the OP that my current one is 3.3" x 1.8" (not sure the thickness but it's less than the other two dimensions). I can take one that's bigger but not much bigger.
Click to expand...

The 321 is pretty nice because the size is small and the 3 outlets on different faces of the cube makes it almost impossible for wall warts to interfere with each other. I really hate when all these devices can't fit next to each other on a power strip. But it's really nice for taking on the road. Also - I got curious and checked the USB-C port, and it seem to be working now. But then again it could be intermittent. I've had electronic devices work on and off for reasons I can't really figure out.

I've certainly bought quite a few Anker products over the years. Everything from a water-resistant pouch for a mobile phone to any number of different USB power supplies - USB-A, USB-C, or even combo and that 321, which I think means 3 AC outlets, 2 USB-A, and 1 USB-C. I suppose the one criticism is that they don't have any of the typical North American safety certifications like from UL, CSA, or ETL/Intertek, although I see TUV, which is a German testing agency.

The 6 AC outlet one has a body maybe twice the volume of the 321. Seems to be basically a larger version of the 321.

Belkin had a small surge protector, but it plugged directly into a wall outlet without a cable and had some pretty basic USB-A only with a combined output of 0.5A. They have something that's more a power cube, but no USB-C. It sort of mentions powerline surge protection, but says nothing about any energy rating.

https://www.belkin.com/p/3-outlet-power-cube-with-5-foot-cord-and-usb-a-ports/SRA006p3tt5.html

74a4d2aa3ed03e2_SRA006p_AMZSRG2_3OutletPowerCube_Shot1_WEB.png
 
DriveHard said:
I use this in my office. You could put it on the end of an extension cord. 1680J protection, USBC, 5 outlets, and 3 normal USB.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R6S1M1K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Click to expand...

It's not an extension though. It's meant for plugging directly into a receptacle, although it only uses one outlet. And it also has a dummy peg (molded from the case plastic) that inserts into the ground pin of the lower plug. I've had issues with that where different plugs were spaced differently. Worked in a standard (round) 5-15 receptacle or regular Leviton Decora, but wouldn't fit in a Decora style GFCI outlet that had the outlet spaced slightly further apart.

The other issue is of trusting a no-name brand where it's good luck if anything goes wrong with it. It does claim ETL certification though.
 
Just get a Tripp lite single outlet surge protection and plug it to the device you have. No not usb c but it gets you protection.
 
JHZR2 said:
Just get a Tripp lite single outlet surge protection and plug it to the device you have. No not usb c but it gets you protection.
Click to expand...
Thought about that. It definitely seems like the best combo of compactness and surge suppression performance. And then I could get whatever extension cord / charging gadget I want.

Part of my motivation here is to reduce the number of things I carry with me when I'm on-the-go, and ideally also their weight and volume. I wanted to replace two items – this thing and an Apple 20W USB-C charger – with one item, both to simplify my on-the-go kit and to liberate a charger for use at home. I figured that might also be an opportunity to upgrade some aspect of the setup while I was at it.

The thing is, I'm not sure I've experienced a noticeable power surge – let alone had any equipment damaged by one – in many years at this point. So, for my on-the-go setup, I don't think it's worth having an extra thing to carry around and plug in every time. That's why I was looking for something with surge suppression integrated into the outlet pod (along with the other specs I want).

Doesn't seem like a big ask to me. But I guess it is, given that it doesn't seem to exist... :ROFLMAO:
 
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