How To Choose The Best Power Strip For Workbench or Workshop 2024
Powering up your workbench can be quite tricky as they are usually equipped with multiple electronics and requires AC outlets for drawing energy. Whether it’s home, office, or enclosed garages, electricians, and workstations need a reliable power source to function correctly. However, the challenge is to get a single wall mount socket that can provide numerous distant outlets for multiple connected devices to draw power from.
Then we have electrical power surges, which can be quite harmful to your valuable workbench equipment. This is where modern power strips step in with their best surge protector to save your expensive equipment from getting fired by an electrical surge suppressor. Simple, safe, and easy to install in your workbench, these power strips will make your life easier, more reliable, and more productive.
With so many power strips available out there, many of them lack quality and safety measures. The number of power sockets also does matter as you will be wanting to power up multiple appliances, keeping the power distribution stable for each one. Between price and quality, you should always go for quality as it will go a long way in providing safer and a long-lasting power source.
With so many options available out there, many of them lack quality and protection measures. The number of power sockets also does matter as you will be wanting to activate multiple appliances, keeping the power distribution stable for each one. Between price and quality, you should always go for quality as it will go a long way in providing a safer and long-lasting electricity source. Today, in this guide we will give you a review so that you can choose the very best power strip for your workbench.
While considering buying a power strip for your workbench, firstly look for the surge protector. This will keep you from worrying too much about overload and the protection of your gears. Stand Desk, Tripp Light and Bestten are some honorable mentions in terms of protection, premium quality, and flexibility.
Tripp Lite 24 Outlet Bench & Cabinet Power Strip
Tripp Lite has made a monster of a power strip. This particular model boasts 24 outlets for the support of a large number of electrical devices. For increased protection, Tripp Lite installed a 15-amp circuit breaker that automatically shuts down the power strip should the equipment draw too much electricity.
The body of this gadget is made from metal. The center-to-center spacing between each outlet is 2.795 inches, which makes sure that neighboring plugs won’t overlap with each other.
Tripp Lite includes all the necessary hardware necessary for either vertical or horizontal installation of the power strip. Once set up, just connect the cord to an electricity source with the mounting brackets of a 15-feet extension cord!
A nice feature of this power tool is the lit and covered power switch. Illumination will allow you to identify whether or not the device is on while the cover of the power switch makes sure that you won’t accidentally switch it off.
Tripp Lite protect also offers a lifetime warranty!
Stand Desk 12 Port Plug Power Strip – Best Multi Plug Extension
If you don’t really need 24 outlets, take a look at a 12-outlet strip by StandDesk. While it has fewer USB ports than Tripp Lite’s model, it has the same 15-amp/1800-watt capacity! Regardless of whether you need a heavy duty power strip or just one for home, the StandDesk 12-port desktop power strip has enough in it to support a wide range of electric devices.
The durability of this power strip is also ensured by the body made from heavy-duty metal.
StandDesk made their power strip quite compact as well: it measures 35.4 x 1.6 x 1.4 inches. This means that you can easily install this power strip behind countertops, under cabinets, and in other confined out-of-view areas. You can install the power strip either vertically or horizontally.
It also features an illuminated and covered on/off button as well as better surge protection with a maximum surge rating of 1800 joule.
StandDesk is rather confident in the quality of their product and offers a 3-year limited warranty.
Bestten 9 Outlet Heavy Duty Metal -Best Garage Power Strip
The next model in our reviews of the best power strip for the garage. It’s a heavy duty device coming with 9 power outlets. Bestten made sure that their 9-port power strip supports 15 amps/1875 watts of maximum current. Once your equipment breaks the limit, the included circuit breaker will make sure to power switch the device off to protect your devices and reduce fire risk. Bestten also had this strip certified by ETL and a surge protector.
The fewer power outlets also mean that the Bestten power strip is more compact, measuring 25.75 x 1.75 x 1.5 inches. This will make it easier for you to conceal the gadget behind furniture. On the other hand, the shorter 9-feet extension cord might mean that you will just barely be able to connect it with AC adapters. Plus, Bestten offers improved protection levels for their devices by surge protection.
This power strip also comes with a lighted power button, but it doesn’t have a cover, meaning that you could accidentally switch the power strip off during work.
Tripp Lite 12 Outlet Bench & Cabinet Power Strip
Yet another heavy duty 12-outlet power strip by Tripp Lite is on our list of the best power strips for a Workshop! This model essentially has the same capabilities as the 24-port strip we examined earlier, apart from the number of outlets. This particular device comes with the already familiar 15-amp circuit breaker.
Tripp Lite power strips are slightly wider and thicker compared to the models of other manufacturers, so they might not be as convenient for positioning behind furniture. Apart from that, the power cord length of 6 feet pales in comparison with all other models.
The center-to-center distance between the outlets is 2.64 inches, quite a bit less than with the 24-port model, though this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have issues with bigger USB devices or AC outlets.
Among other features of this power strip are the lighted and covered power switch, and an all-metal housing. Lastly, Tripp Lite backs this strip with a lifetime warranty.
Bestten 8 Outlet Metal Power Strip
The last model we will be examining our reviews of the best power strip for the power tools is rather interesting, but we think that it isn’t the most convenient model we reviewed.
Bestten 8-outlet power strip supports up to 15 amps/1875 of current. In case the strip is overloaded, the built-in circuit breaker makes sure that your equipment stays safe. This device is also ETL-certified. Plus, it comes with surge protectors that provide improved surge protection.
While this power strip has 8 outlets, they may be positioned not in the best way for you. 5 of the ports are right next to each other with almost no space between while the rest 3 outlets have some distance between each other. This won’t be an issue if your equipment has compact power plugs, but otherwise, one of the previous power strips would be a better option.
This strip comes with a lighted power button, but it doesn’t have any cover to prevent accidental shutoff.
Lastly, Bestten offers a 3-year warranty on this model.
Best Power Strip For Workbench: Buying Guidelines
Now, let’s see which features of power strips you need to account for when looking for the right model.
Number of Outlets
For the majority of the people, the most important feature to account for is the number of ac outlets. The choice between a 24- and a 12-port power strip will mainly depend on how many devices you will be using at once. You could buy a larger strip anyway just in case, but be mindful that it would occupy more area. And there you may need to use wall outlets as well.
Amperage/Wattage
Amperage/wattage indicates how much current a power strip can handle at most, in other words, how many electronic devices it can support without overload. The majority of power strips support up to 15 maps/1800 watts, and some come with circuit breakers for overload protection. You could ignore the limit of a device, but be ready to deal with overheating and increased fire risk.
Surge Protection
Usually, a surge protector transmits the electricity along with the outlet to the connected equipment of a device. So, surge protection is another key aspect here.
Some power strips ensure the protection of plugged electronic devices from power surges. A power surge is typically measured in Joules. Manufacturers use this unit of energy to denote the protection level of their devices. If you want better protection with the surge protector, look for higher numbers, but avoid going lower than 700 joules in an outlet surge protector.
Also, keep in mind that devices and surge protectors aren’t the same things. The two are often confused with each other and considered interchangeable because modern power strips frequently come with a surge protector. If you want the best output from surge protectors, make sure that you buy the right outlet surge protector. And check the maximum surge rating in joule.
The Distance Between The Outlets
This feature may be unimportant for some, but if your equipment has a large flag plug, you will need to account for it as well. Most of the power strips will provide you with quite enough distance between the AC outlets, but in some special cases, you may want to go for more. If you want as much inter-outlet space as possible, avoid models such as Bestten 8- the best outlet power strip.
Cord Length
Another important feature is the power cord length and extension cord length. If your equipment or the workbench stands far from the closest power outlet, you would want to consider buying a power strip with a long extension cord.
Dimensions
Believe it or not, size is of concern for some people. You may want to hide the power board extension device behind a piece of furniture, and a long/thick power cord could be overkill in that regard. Or maybe you don’t have too much free space. In case you want to cover your strip, make sure that its length/thickness doesn’t exceed the length of the furniture/the distance between the furniture and the gladiator wall systems. And if you want to get as many compact strips as possible, consider buying a Bestten power strip.
Thus, you have to keep some factors in mind while bringing new equipment to your tool caddies.
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