As the number of electronic appliances in our living rooms and home offices grows, seemingly, without a bound it becomes increasingly hard to keep all the power cords under control. This 8-plug/ 4 USB ports power outlet is a great and compact way of connecting a dozen or so devices. The two outer outlets can accommodate most brick-shaped power supplies, while the inner ones are best suited for regular power cords. All the plugs are very tight, which is a good thing if you are concerned with accidentally unplugging any of your devices. 18outlets is a decent number to have that will future proof your home office or entertainment center as add more devices down the line.

One of the best features of this power strip is the inclusion of separate USB power outlets. As more and more of the small electronic devices use USB for charging, an inclusion of dedicated USB ports is a very smart design decision. It greatly declutters my power strip from all the extra separate USB chargers. Unfortunately, the “regular” USB ports are very tiny and suffer from the lack of symmetry, so it’s sometimes tricky to plug in your USB cable, especially if you are fumbling with it under your desk. This is, of course not the fault of this charger, but the inherent defect of the USB standard.

In terms of surge protection, I haven’t had any major issues with it. However, for my computers I prefer using a surge protector with a temporary power supply, such as APC Back-UPS ES 8 Outlet. These provide you with enough time that you can safely turn off your computer and save all the necessary work.

This outlet is also very well made, and so far I have not had any issues with it. Solid choice for most homes or offices.

**** Product provided for review purposes. ****