Customer Reviews

Belkin Concealed Surge Protector

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I like the idea, but my two year old broke the thing 2 seconds out of the box. The tiny (and I mean tiny) little plastic hinges holding the door on don't stand a chance. On top of that, the plastic hinge that's supposed to hold the door closed doesn't have any strength, and my bundle of cords kept popping it open. I bought two of them so had an extra. Needless to say I'm keeping the thing now that I have it. It's a good idea, and mostly works, but could definitely use some stronger binding pieces.

I love the concept of this product, but in practice it's proven to be wanting in a few ways.

First, as others have noted, the construction is rather flimsy. So far, for me, this hasn't proven to be a deal breaker, but I could see it being a problem in the future.

Second, and to me, the larger issue, is the length of the cord on the unit itself. As the model number indicates (BZ111234-10) if you know what to look for, there is a 10 FOOT CORD meant to connect the unit to the wall outlet. I don't know who needs a 10 foot cord for their surge protector, but apparently none of the people whose setups appear in Belkin's product photographs. From the promotional photos, you'd get the impression that a short, 3 foot cord connects the surge protector to the wall. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. And since the entire purpose of this product is to CONCEAL the cords, it is decidedly inconvenient to have a huge 10 foot cord hanging off the unit when all you want to do is put it under your desk next to a power outlet.

At the least, Belkin could redesign the product to allow you to spool up the power cord to keep it neatly out of the way. They also seem to have recognized the error of their ways, as the model of the Concealed Surge Protector advertised on their site is BZ111200-06 and has only a 6 foot cord. (Interestingly, they also now have a Small Concealed Surge Protector which is a bit smaller than this model.)

With a bit sturdier construction, and a spool allowing the excess power cord to be stored neatly, this would be a great little product. As it stands, I must give it a qualified recommendation.

This item has done a number on the mess I had around my entertainment center; it does conceal the electrical cords (as advertised), but the tabs are a bit on the weak side. I also wish they would have made the cover a little bit deeper; I have some pressure on my plug from the TV set (Toshiba), though it does manage to close OK. My replacement plug from my original XBox also does not fit in the large capacity area due to the small area allowed to plug in the larger plugs (xbox plug is too long to fit properly), however it does plug into the 11th outlet (outside the concealed area) just fine. It did the job I wanted, but not in a lavish style. Oh, also I'm a bit bummed that it didn't included surge protection for 2 separate coaxial cables (have TIVO, uses 2 tuners, this only has 1 so I am still using the old surge protector this was supposed to replace just to ground the cables out). It is a good product, just not "outstanding".

In general this is a really good product; I'll explain the four stars under cons. We bought one and I am buying another.

Pros: (in order of importance to me)
-Really helps with cable clutter near the power strip
-Flat plug (mounts flat to wall, and reasonable length cord)
-Reasonable size 12"X5"X5" approximately
-Flexible mounting (floor, wall, etc)

Notes:
-Has on off switch, saw a question about this in another post.

-Construction is typical plastic, not what I would call sturdy but fine for the purpose

-Not rated for use near water (common on many surge protectors)

Cons:

-BlockSpace are ONLY rated for 4 amps TOTAL. This means if you run out of
normal plugs and use the mini plugs you should not plug in a heater, laser
printer, etc. This is why I take off one star, it wouldn't have been hard
to pull wiring to the mini block that would have given it the same rating as
the rest of the product.

-Mini blocks don't take fold out plugs (at least not my Motorola charger)

-No online manuals, I like to download the manual with each product I buy
yes, it is only a surge protector but that 4 amp limit is important to remember.

So, if you want to reduce clutter and remember not to plug high power devices into the BlockSpace outlets this is an excellent product. In fact, I am not aware of any really good alternatives to this product.

First, it's a great idea. I'm sick of the wall of my living room looking like a set from a bad science fiction movie. The problem is, as bulky as it is, there still isn't enough room to hide all the excess wire you might want to hide in there.

So, pros: excellent idea, solid execution. Cons: bulky, and it still can't tuck away all the power wires I need to hide.

I purchased this surge protector for my home office.
It helps to organize and hide all the wiring neatly in a small package.
I was wary of buying it at first due to all the reviews about the poor design of the door hinges. I bought it anyway.
Well, i'm very satisfied with the unit and I recommend it to anyone that is looking to have concealed surge protection in a neat package.
I avoided the broken door hinge problem by gently removing the door from the unit, installing and arranging all the wiring, setting the unit in position and then put the door back on.
I realize that consumers should not have to do this but, until Belkin makes stronger hinges, this is the way to set it up without breaking them.
Hope this helps someone.

This is such a really neat piece of electronic equipment. It has given me a neat look along the wall now instead of the cord clutter that I have had to put up with. I will recommend this product with no hesitation. The difference in the looks of things is amazing and it does a great job too.

I liked this concept, but the tiny plastic hinge broke almost immediately, rendering this rather bulky surge suppressor pretty conspicuous. Still, I'll probably get another and just be very careful of the hinge.

This is must have for people who tend to have a lot of gadgets that need power; it really looks cool and organized. I bought two because I have a ton of of those gadgets with all sorts of power inputs. However, some of newer power adapters have sideways prongs which can not be fitted.

I bought this to clean up the space under the computer desk. It was easy to hang on the wall and easy to feed all of the cables through. I have only opened and closed the lid once or twice, so I cannot comment on its durability, although it seems to function just fine. I would definitely buy another one from Amazon for this price (they are $75 at Target) should the need arise. I didn't offer 5 stars because the lightning protection has yet to be tested.