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on May 30, 2015
Probably worth 3.5 stars, but in the moment as I write this, I'm not inclined to round it up.
The single biggest drawback is that the button that needs to be pushed to rotate the unit is a major pain. It's difficult to push (and to know when it has been pushed deeply enough), and the rotation itself is not smooth at all.
Not surprisingly, once pushed into the socket, the rest of the unit is not close to the wall, which means that inserting and removing plugs must be done carefully -- preferably two-handed -- so as to minimize torque on the unit and thus prevent damage both to the unit itself and to the wall socket.
Oh, and on my unit, the bottom/right USB port is finicky; using it means fiddling with the cable to be sure it's charging. A bit of a pain, but it works.
It's very plasticky, but that shouldn't be a surprise (though maybe it should be, given the price).
Bottom line: it mostly works, and it's handy to have the extra outlets, but I'd probably suggest looking elsewhere. (I'm going to try the Bluelounge Portiko as well.)
The single biggest drawback is that the button that needs to be pushed to rotate the unit is a major pain. It's difficult to push (and to know when it has been pushed deeply enough), and the rotation itself is not smooth at all.
Not surprisingly, once pushed into the socket, the rest of the unit is not close to the wall, which means that inserting and removing plugs must be done carefully -- preferably two-handed -- so as to minimize torque on the unit and thus prevent damage both to the unit itself and to the wall socket.
Oh, and on my unit, the bottom/right USB port is finicky; using it means fiddling with the cable to be sure it's charging. A bit of a pain, but it works.
It's very plasticky, but that shouldn't be a surprise (though maybe it should be, given the price).
Bottom line: it mostly works, and it's handy to have the extra outlets, but I'd probably suggest looking elsewhere. (I'm going to try the Bluelounge Portiko as well.)
on July 17, 2010
Mini is definitely relative in this case. (I will be posting photos of the unit next to a soda can & an iPhone.) It works as described. When my husband & I travel together, we often have two laptops, two cell phones & two ipods. Sometimes, finding outlets for everything can be a PITA. This is helpful. I've had an iPhone & an iPod charging on the USB ports & a netbook & Kodak Zi8 pocket cam charging on the front ports. Contrary to what some reviews claim, you can indeed use both USB ports at the same time. Perhaps the reviewers were experiencing "slow trickle" charging using the USB ports for things like laptops & such. (Nothing new in the charging world.) But if you use the front outlets for items that need a lot of juice & the USB ports for things like cell phones, cameras, MP3 players, etc, you may be fine. (I certainly have not had a problem.)
Another key feature, IMO, is you can change the orientation of the plug, so it can go up, down, right or left (see my photos.)
I even use this at home, quite often.
Anyway, I highly recommend this unit, if you find yourself regularly hunting down power outlets.
PS - after publishing this review, I bought a second one. At under $11, this product is a great deal. I'll be able to keep one in my laptop bag & use another in my home office.
Another key feature, IMO, is you can change the orientation of the plug, so it can go up, down, right or left (see my photos.)
I even use this at home, quite often.
Anyway, I highly recommend this unit, if you find yourself regularly hunting down power outlets.
PS - after publishing this review, I bought a second one. At under $11, this product is a great deal. I'll be able to keep one in my laptop bag & use another in my home office.
on May 2, 2017
I thought this unit was just okay. The size is a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I was planning to take this on business travel. Typically hotels only have a couple of outlets available, and I have a ton of electronics I need to charge up (ie battery pack, camera, cellphone, ipad, computer, etc) so I I thought this would do great since it is a battery pack and can expand one outlet to 2. However I found this wouldn't work for me..
1. It only is rated for 120V so many foreign countries this thing would work
2. It has 3 prongs to plug in.. places like Japan has only 2 prongs available so I would have to break off the ground if I wanted to use it in those hotels.
3, It is HUGE. It is a lot larger that I expected.
4. The prongs on the plug makes the unit face downwards. Some hotels I go to have prongs just a little above desk, hence the plug couldn't even fit there since it would need to go below the desk's height.
5. Battery has lower capacity. I knew this was lower capacity, but figure it was enough for one full charge in a emergency. However due to the size, it's just better to carry a dedicated battery that would have 4 times the power capacity.
1. It only is rated for 120V so many foreign countries this thing would work
2. It has 3 prongs to plug in.. places like Japan has only 2 prongs available so I would have to break off the ground if I wanted to use it in those hotels.
3, It is HUGE. It is a lot larger that I expected.
4. The prongs on the plug makes the unit face downwards. Some hotels I go to have prongs just a little above desk, hence the plug couldn't even fit there since it would need to go below the desk's height.
5. Battery has lower capacity. I knew this was lower capacity, but figure it was enough for one full charge in a emergency. However due to the size, it's just better to carry a dedicated battery that would have 4 times the power capacity.
on January 6, 2016
The Belkin 3-Outlet Wall Mounted Cradle Surge Protector has proven to be a great solution to a lack of wall outlets and/or USB ports. This particular model was designed with phone and tablet charging in mind, and it does an excellent job of cradling my iPhone 6S while its charging. It not only frees up USB ports on other devices (desktop, laptop, printer, router, cable box, etc), it also keeps my phone off the floor whiles its being charged; a much-appreciated feature. The cradle along the top is lined with a very subtle rubberized material, which does a great job of keeping your device in place. Be aware that this surge protector takes up TWO outlets once its been screwed and plugged into the wall. It plugs directly into the bottom outlet, and it has a plastic prong that inserts into the bottom hole of the top outlet. I assume it was included in the design as a way to help keep the top-heavy surge protector upright while its plugged into the wall in situations where the owner doesn't screw the unit down.
VINE VOICEon November 30, 2016
Very pleased with this. Belkin is a very good name for this type of product. We have many other types by them. We live in the mountains, so power 'events' are fairly routine. All of our big stuff is on either APCs or other Belkin larger strips, but those are just too bulky to try to put on every little thing. Stumbled over this and was tickled. I didn't even know real surge suppressors had gotten this small. It's fantastic and we haven't lost a coffee pot since we got this.
The size makes it ever so much more practical to use for smaller things. With 6 outlets, you can leave all your various counter top things plugged in, but it's so much smaller that it doesn't get in the way. You can screw it right into the socket. It's good looking enough so it won't be an eyesore wherever you put it. Clear indicators of whether the protection is working. And the warranty is a great plus. I'm going to be getting a few 3 outlet ones for other parts of the house.
As with our other Belkin things, there are no performance issues with this. I'm good about updating, though, if something does pop up. Any questions, feel free to comment or email and I'll try to help.
The size makes it ever so much more practical to use for smaller things. With 6 outlets, you can leave all your various counter top things plugged in, but it's so much smaller that it doesn't get in the way. You can screw it right into the socket. It's good looking enough so it won't be an eyesore wherever you put it. Clear indicators of whether the protection is working. And the warranty is a great plus. I'm going to be getting a few 3 outlet ones for other parts of the house.
As with our other Belkin things, there are no performance issues with this. I'm good about updating, though, if something does pop up. Any questions, feel free to comment or email and I'll try to help.
on December 14, 2012
I wanted to buy a small surge protector for my computer monitor and docking station; this one looked perfect. It appears so much more compact than the giant 6 outlet version, but since it has 2 USB outlets, and only occupies one wall outlet, I would still be able to connect 6 devices to a single wall location. Or so I thought.
First of all, the USB outlets are not able to power my Blackberry. I don't know whether this is the fault of the Belkin or of the Blackberry, but everything else that I plug the Blackberry into is able to charge it just fine -- even the $3 AC-to-USB plug that I bought from some generic vendor.
Second, it's actually much, much larger than it appears. It's huge, and wouldn't be something that you would throw in a laptop bag, in the way that they show (it would be about twice the volume of a laptop travel mouse, for reference). Additionally, the AC plug protrudes significantly from the unit. So the unit as a whole sticks far out from the wall. But even worse, because it doesn't rest against the wall it's highly unstable when you try to plug in or unplug any devices from it. I find that I need to hold the unit with my free hand just to get a device in or out, and I fear I'm going to snap the unit apart at the base of the AC plug. I think that I'm going to go back to a plain old powerstrip style surge protector.
First of all, the USB outlets are not able to power my Blackberry. I don't know whether this is the fault of the Belkin or of the Blackberry, but everything else that I plug the Blackberry into is able to charge it just fine -- even the $3 AC-to-USB plug that I bought from some generic vendor.
Second, it's actually much, much larger than it appears. It's huge, and wouldn't be something that you would throw in a laptop bag, in the way that they show (it would be about twice the volume of a laptop travel mouse, for reference). Additionally, the AC plug protrudes significantly from the unit. So the unit as a whole sticks far out from the wall. But even worse, because it doesn't rest against the wall it's highly unstable when you try to plug in or unplug any devices from it. I find that I need to hold the unit with my free hand just to get a device in or out, and I fear I'm going to snap the unit apart at the base of the AC plug. I think that I'm going to go back to a plain old powerstrip style surge protector.
on March 2, 2016
Great Outlet plug, has two convenient USB ports. There is a newer version that I recommend you check out, because this older version sits in the plug in such a way that it can block the other outlet (since it has multiple outlets, this wasn't really a big issue); however, the newer versions can 'turn' so it doesn't block the other wall outlet AND you get the additoonal outlets it offers.
This was a grsat buy when I bought it long ago (long before USB data cords were on the horizon to being the "norm"), and I still use it today!! It's sturdy construction, generally useful design and techology concept has made it a product whose usefulness keeps on going, so I passed to my mum after I upgraded to a more powerful surge protection strip. With only one cell phone to plug-in, it is ideal for her needs, and I like knowing that she has a basic level of protection to help keep her cell phone from frying due to random current surges.
I definitely would recommend this product to anyone interested, with the caveate that there are newer more advanced models now offered by Belkin, so check those out too! If you want to save a few dollars and don't mind the older (out dated version -- except since this is still as usable today as when I bought it years ago, it's hard to call this "out dated"), then definitely buy:use this version, you won't be disappointed and it will still be worth using for some time to come!
This was the 1at Belkin brand product I ever owned & used, and I was so impressed with it, that I became a Belkin brand fan, and now own a variety of their products.
This was a grsat buy when I bought it long ago (long before USB data cords were on the horizon to being the "norm"), and I still use it today!! It's sturdy construction, generally useful design and techology concept has made it a product whose usefulness keeps on going, so I passed to my mum after I upgraded to a more powerful surge protection strip. With only one cell phone to plug-in, it is ideal for her needs, and I like knowing that she has a basic level of protection to help keep her cell phone from frying due to random current surges.
I definitely would recommend this product to anyone interested, with the caveate that there are newer more advanced models now offered by Belkin, so check those out too! If you want to save a few dollars and don't mind the older (out dated version -- except since this is still as usable today as when I bought it years ago, it's hard to call this "out dated"), then definitely buy:use this version, you won't be disappointed and it will still be worth using for some time to come!
This was the 1at Belkin brand product I ever owned & used, and I was so impressed with it, that I became a Belkin brand fan, and now own a variety of their products.
on December 29, 2015
Pro: It works. Used it in Nepal at the airport after the April 2015 earthquake to help spread the outlet charging love. Of course, this other girl's corded all-outlet-type strip that made it's appearance later in the night was the real savior (I need to get one for use on any future international travel!), but the Belkin did it's share of charging 4-5 devices at a time.
Cons: grounded outlet attachment. My house right now is full of two-prongs so I have to use an adapter and that makes it unwieldy. USB charging is slower than using a good quality brick. Swivel function is difficult to operate. I usually forget it's there. It also sags magnificently. I've become so annoyed with it I'm ready to give it away. Not great for travel unless you're plugging it into an outlet on the ground.
Overall, the cons make it worth only 2 stars to me, but if you don't encounter two-prongs very often it's a solid 4 for good construction, so I'll give it a 4 publicly out of fondness for the usefulness it is to me.
Cons: grounded outlet attachment. My house right now is full of two-prongs so I have to use an adapter and that makes it unwieldy. USB charging is slower than using a good quality brick. Swivel function is difficult to operate. I usually forget it's there. It also sags magnificently. I've become so annoyed with it I'm ready to give it away. Not great for travel unless you're plugging it into an outlet on the ground.
Overall, the cons make it worth only 2 stars to me, but if you don't encounter two-prongs very often it's a solid 4 for good construction, so I'll give it a 4 publicly out of fondness for the usefulness it is to me.
on August 11, 2014
I brought this on a trip to Ireland and Italy, plugged it into a single adaptor, and was able to use it to charge several devices at once. This isn't a teeny-tiny device -- you have to recognize that having 3 separate 3-prong plugs will inevitably require a certain number of square inches. However, it has some additional features I appreciated - specifically the 2 USB ports, plus the fact that it swivels so you can use the plugs horizontally or vertically. I've stayed in hotels that have appallingly few available outlets (at one hotel I had to unplug a lamp so I could use an outlet), and then sometimes it requires contortionist abilities to get behind whatever piece of furniture is hiding the outlet and plug in your electronics. This is particularly frustrating if you have multiple items to charge. I'll be bringing this with me for all my trips from now on. Then, if there is at least ONE outlet, I can use it for my phone, iPad, and any other device I have.
