Customer Reviews

Belkin BZ103050vTVL Mini Surge Protector/Dual USB Charger

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I use this to plug in my MacBook Pro when I'm at home, although I occasionally take it with me to my local coffee shop. I have no trouble fitting it inside my bag. I hope people realize that to do what it does, this product really couldn't be any smaller. Yes, there are mini power strips that are smaller, but have no surge protection or USB charging. Besides, Amazon does provide the product's dimensions; take a moment to pull out a tape measure to get an idea of what you'll get. Unless you use a really tight fitting sleeve or bag to carry your laptop, I don't see why it would be such a problem to fit this unit inside the average laptop bag. A lot of power supply "bricks" are larger and heavier.
The rotating plug allows you to fit this unit in any position without covering other outlets. I have not tried the USB outlets yet, as I tend to use AC chargers for my portable gadgets, but the idea is great for road warriors that need all their laptop USB ports.
January 2, 2009
I wanted to add that I recently purchased an iPod Touch and it charges without a problem off of this device. It has continued to give me good service and now lives permanently attached to my laptop's power cord. I see that people still can't be bothered to use a tape measure. Really this is not that big for what it does.

I've been searching for a product that can extend the outlet on my bathroom for the electrical products that I use. I finally came across this Belkin mini surge protector and features:

- 3 AC power outlets
- 2 USB outlets ONLY for charging (not data transfer) at 5V / 500mA at each port
- Surge protection on all 5 outlets
- 918 Joules Energy Dissipation
- 125V / 15A / 1,875W Continuous Duty Electrical Rating
- 36,000A Maximum Spike Current
- Lifetime Warranty on product
- USD75,0000.00 connected equipment warranty
- 360 degree rotating plug lockable into 4 possible positions

Simple, elegant design in a smooth plastic casing of white and light grey colour. Once plugged, the green LED light will indicate if the power source is grounded.

The box comes with one USB to mini-USB cable to get you started in charging your USB devices as well.

DO NOT throw the prong cover that initially comes attached to the surge protector prong. As the manual states (for those who still care to read the User Manual these days), you can use this plastic prong cover to help further balance the device against any surface. You do this by inserting the plastic prong cover on the bottom of the surge device via a small notch. Also, the plastic cover is handy to use when traveling. Before dumping the surge protector along with your other devices, cover the prongs to prevent it from scratching other objects.

The prongs can be rotated 360 degrees loosely. However, there are 4 positions that enable you to lock it so it doesn't flail along clumsily in any direction. You do this by pressing into the rear a "release button". It's not a raised button, but a flat plastic portion that you have to press hard in order to release the lock. It's quite difficult (at least with the model I received) at first and feels like I'm going to break the plastic button. But I guess if this is normal then it can be construed as a safety measure so it doesn't easily rotate with a simple touch.

IMPROVEMENTS:

The term "mini" is subjective. It isn't really that compact as I would assume from seeing the photo. It is small, yes. However, as a surge protector that can take 3 AC and 2 USB outlets, I will give Belkin the benefit of naming it a mini device.

I would STRONGLY prefer the re-design of the spacing on the AC outlets by allowing larger plugs connected side-by-side. As it is right now, only normal AC plugs and not block-style plugs are allowed without loosing all three outlets. So my proposal is to delete the middle AC outlet and move it to the end-cap of the device (opposite to the 2 USB outlets). As of now, there is nothing there so rather than cramp the 3 AC plugs, then move the third at the end and thus allowing for block-style plugs to be used and still retaining the 3 AC functionality.

OVERALL:

I would not hesitate to recommend the purchase of this surge protection for compact spaces as well as travel purposes especially with the lifetime warranty and amount of protection is offers.

Take note of the selling price Amazon and the others are selling this at. It's ridiculous to see the selling price of this exact device can range anywhere from USD10 to USD30.

Lastly, BE AWARE of the SPECS so you know if the USB device you are plugging is capable of being charged.

This is a great surge protector for travelers... it is compact, lightweight, and best of all can charge two USB devices. If I could change anything about it, I'd wish it could be a little bit smaller... but considering everything else good about this device, why complain? The plug rotates, too, so you can plug it into an outlet facing in any of four directions. After I saw this previewed, I held off on buying other similar products... it was worth the wait and I carry it with me whenever I travel.

I purchased this item for home use. But, many people seem to want to use it for travel use and the previous reviewers are correct: it's entirely too large for travel. If I intended to use this for travel purposes, it'd return it immediately.

Also worth noting is that when I have a blackberry pearl and an iPhone 3GS (or, two iPhone 3GS) plugged into the USB charger, the iPhone constantly trips between charge/uncharge (making the annoying whistle sound). So, ** YOU CAN ONLY CHARGE ONE SMART PHONE AT A TIME ** using the USB charger.

The swivel is pretty easy to operate, and the device comes with a "charge-only" mini-usb cable which I wasn't expecting. It's pretty slim and lightweight compared to the charge/sync mini-usb cables.

PROS: works ok for home use, comes with usb charge cable, swivels, relatively cheap, works with iPhone 3GS.
CONS: rather large, won't allow more than one smart phone to charge using the USB ports.

This unit is about 30% larger than I thought it would be. But for what it is, it's great! Was able to use the unit to charge my Zune!

This would be great if it had better surge protection, though it is bulky. As an earlier reviewer said, 800V clamping is too high (the voltage level at which surge suppression takes place). UL 1449 best rating for transient voltage surge suppression is 330V. It's better than using nothing to connect an inexpensive device, but I won't use it for my laptop. Interestingly I had called Belkin sales (and the rep checked with tech dept) to ask why I should feel comfortable connecting my computer to this, and they said I should use 330V protection. So for my MacBook Pro I bought the APC P1T, which only has 1 elec outlet and doesn't have USB, but it's rated UL 1449 330V and is smaller.

Well this is not a compact item but for what it does it would be difficult to make it smaller. I have found that people at airports are more than willing to allow you to plug in for the chance to get surge protection.

Great idea, but not quite there. The USB charger is great -- charged my iPhone 3G, and the surge-protected outlets and swivel plug are just what is needed. However, it's anything but 'Mini' -- it's way too bulky and should be at least 30% smaller. Second, for world travelers it must support 240v (it doesn't). Third, why not throw in another USB port or two? I actually travel with at least three USB-chargeable devices.

The USB slots did not hold a consistent circuit and didn't allow my Kindle or Blackberry to charge properly.

Helped reduce my travel bag of AC extension, cables, chargers etc. Worked perfectly with my iPhone, iPOD and Garmin GPS. There's 3 AC adapter I could leave home! The plug turns 360 degrees which adapted to virtually any wall outlet I tried it with. Seems pretty sturdy - I'll let you know after it has traveled 50,000 miles - if it holds up as well as me - I'll give it another Thumbs Up.