This has a big warning on the top:
NOT TO EXCEED 10A PER CHANNEL TOTAL
AMPERAGE ON POWER STRIP IS 15A TOTAL
If I ignore how the poor wording, punctuation, and newlines in the above statement create additional ambiguity, there is still a serious flaw. This is highlighted by the fact that the device is NOT certified by Underwriter Laboratories (UL rated). There's even a review which claims the device set itself on fire. I'm pretty sure, but not certain I know why these things are all true, and I believe they're all related.
So I took it apart.
The device starts with a 3x14ga heavy duty power cable. It enters the chassis, and the ground line is immedately bolted to the larger half of the chassis. There is a 2nd bolt near-by on the chassis which connects to a pair of 18ga wires, one of which goes to the top half of the chassis, and the other daisy-chains down the line of outlets.
the 14-ga neutral line dumps into the 1st switch and is bused down the row of switches. Similarly the hot line passes through the fuse then into the row of switches. Both hot and neutral buses are 14ga the entire length.
Switches are DPST, made by Lyadz, pn LY606, are rated for 20amp@125VAC, 16amp@250VAC. Sockets are rated 15a, 125VAC. Connections from the switch are 16ga. THIS IS THE FLAW!
Now I'm not an electrician or electrical engineer; I'm a software engineer, but It's my understanding that 16ga is sufficient for 15amp only over short distances, or 10amp over longer distances. This is a short distance, but because it's part of a longer run, I'm assuming that the problem is that the length of the entire path, times the gauge of the smallest current define the rating of the device. Therefore, this device cannot be certified at 15amp through a single channel, but it's probably safe to do so. So in reality you'll have a long circuit from your breaker panel, through this device, and back. It might easily be over 100ft, all in 14ga copper, except for two 1.5 inch segments that are 16ga. This was a really stupid decision that saved them a few cents per unit, but cost them certification.
But, at the end of the day, this device isn't intended to power a single circuit at full strength. Don't do it. You might overheat the 16 ga hot wire, melting the insulation, and short it to the chassis, causing a fire like that one guy did.
The real problem with this is that it depends on the user not being stupid. From an engineering point of view, that's not allowed.
Other than the big glaring problem above, I'd like a master power switch. Construction appears to be painted steel, and seems solid. All electrical connections except the ground bolts to the chassis are spade-type, crimped. There's a few spots where they've added extra insulation. Overall construction and workmanship is good. I would buy again, but I would be hesitant to recommend it. If you use it because you have a handful of light-load devices you like to control from one location, great. If you're using it because your devices can't all be on at the same time, you might get yourself in trouble.
Recommendation to manufacturer: discontinue product. Replace it with PC-100B, which has 14ga wiring from switch to socket. Seriously, it's like $0.10 more.... Don't make a Ford Pinto.
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