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Introduction
At the CES show in Las Vegas months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting the Newpoint staff at their booth. In one of the more original testing demonstrations I've ever seen the company literally demonstrated how different types of surges can easily fry (and I did say literally) some surge protectors and how others stop the short. An overvoltage surge was equally sent into a generic power strip, the kind that you see in 90% of homes with computers, as well as the Newpoint device. What happened is the generic blew out and literally started smoking before my eyes. The newpoint surge protector shut itself (and whatever was plugged into it) totally off.
When we opened up both protectors, the generic was totally fried - the insides were black. With the Newpoint protector, the unit looked in perfect condition, was reset, and worked just fine. Needless to say they had my attention ... and with that we take a look at the Newpoint Power Blocker 2 Surge Protector.
Specs & Info
Here's a nice long list of specs to check out ...
- Telephone protection with 2-line splitter including 6ft phone cord
- Dual coaxial outlet protection with gold connectors including 6ft coaxial cable
- 4 adapter-spaced outlets
- EMI/RFI noise filtration
- 100% Lightning Protection Warranty
- Power Blocker2 circuit breaker with 130v switch actuation
- Instant Reset switch eliminates downtime
- 8 child-safe outlets
- 6ft power cord with 45° right angle plug
- Protection, power and ground indicator lights
- Cord management system
The protector takes care of your telephone line, your television cable, as well has some really interesting features in the circuit breaker (a brilliant idea), and the child-safe outlets.
installation
 If your brain is functioning and you aren't asleep, then installing the Power Blocker 2 unit is extremely easy. Just plug it into the wall, hit the circuit breaker switch to provide power, and plug in your devices. Every plug inside the unit is child-proof, meaning you have to move a small tab for the plugs to become exposed - a very smart thing for parents to consider! Once that is completed, you are ready to roll.
One thing to say about the unit is the very intelligent layout of the plugs. It's extremely easy to navigate cords and plug in big giant "bricks" that would take up 2 spaces on other surge protectors. Kudos to Newpoint for an intelligent design.
Performance
Living and working in California doesn't really expose us to many of the power surge causes that others face in other parts of the country - namely electrical storms. However, with Santa Ana winds causing havoc on the power lines in my neighborhood, all sorts of power surges occasionally occur. In fact, once I had a video card blow out on me because of this exact reason.
There's some interesting advanced technologies at work here that really impressed us while using the unit and seeing it occasionally abused. First, the built in power conditioner is an absolute MUST if you are using this for either your PC and Monitor or your Home Theater. Why on Earth would you spend thousands of dollars on either and then spend $10 protecting that equipment? It's a wise investment to receive purified power from the surge protector - and yes, it totally matters. In addition, the patented circuit breaker technology is a stroke of genius. It senses damaging overvoltage surges and completely disconnects to protect your equipment. This is an almost practical guarantee that your electrical devices will stay safe.
Finally, there's a $1,000,000 connected equipment warranty. I don't care if you're Donald Trump, this is going to cover you computer system or home theater.
Overall Impressions
If you're the person that spent $3,000 on your home theater and $10 on your surge protector, please slap yourself on the back of the head and immediately purchase the Newpoint Power Blocker 2 surge protector. The price is a fraction of what you spent on your electrical products and comes with the features that virtually guarantee that the products will never blow out - and if they do, it's backed by the best warranty we've seen to date.
The performance of the unit has been stellar in the couple of months we've used the product. There's been plenty of surges in the neighborhood and nothing has failed us yet. The coolness factor of such a fantastic product is very high, and the relatively inexpensive price-point makes the purchase a no brainer for the smart consumer.
Overall, the Newpoint Power Blocker 2 surge protector is one of the few "must haves" that NextGen Electronics can recommend to consumers. Don't be one of the fools that protects thousands of dollars worth of equipment with garbage. Do yourself and your electronic devices a favor and wisely invest in this product - it sure impressed us.
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10 / 10 |
OVERALL SCORE
96%
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9 / 10 |
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9 / 10 |
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10 / 10 |
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10 / 10 |
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9.6 /
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