Aluratek AUCS05F Dual USB Charging Station with Mini Surge

• Instantly Turn your AC Outlet into a Dual USB Charging Station with a built in 3 prong Surge
• Built in Surge protection for AC and USB - protects your devices while charging via USB
• Surge Indicator led light lets your know your devices are protected while charging
• AUCS05F Dual USB AC Charger for Ipad/Ipad2 Apple iPhone 4 4G 3Gs 3G (AT&T and verizon), iPod Touch (1G 2G 3G 4G), Motorola Droid, HTC Android EVO, Blackberry, Kindle DX, Samsung EPIC, Samsung Galaxy Tablet, Samsung Galaxy S and much more

As a college student without a vehicle, everything I need for the day has to fit into my backpack. Before I got this, I had the Belkin Mini Surge Protector Dual USB Charger, which isn't bad, but has it's flaws if you have a large adapter (Like my Laptop charger, a Targus Compact Laptop Charger (AC) for HP, Compaq, Acer, Asus, Gateway, and Fujitsu APA6911US (Piano Black)), it will block another outlet (two if you plug it in the middle); the plug also sticks out the back, taking up that much more room in a bag.

This has three AC outlets and two USB ports, just like the Belkin. But that's where the similarities stop. The plug on this folds up, meaning there's no room lost for it (it's also a very innovative folding design for a three-prong plug). The main outlet is on front, but there's one on each side (I didn't even realize they were their when I bought them!), with the bottom of the plug facing out, so many large adapters still work. With the three outlets spaced this way, you don't have to worry about one blocking the others; you may not be able to plug in three huge transformers at once, but you don't have to worry about a plug always being covered. The USB charging ports (USB outlets?) work well; I haven't used them extensively but they seem to do the job quite nicely.

As far as weight, I've seen no issue. It's got a bit of heft to it, like any good surge protector should, but it's well balanced and shouldn't be enough to pull it out of the outlet.

The Belkin adapter mentioned above definitely has some advantages compared to this one; it can handle higher joules, has a $75,000 equipment warranty, and includes a mini-USB charging cable (although honestly, it's been a couple years now since tech moved over to micro-USB). So, this may not protect if it's plugged into an outlet that's struck by lightning, but honestly you shouldn't have your stuff plugged in then anyhow. It's all about your needs compact and well-spaced or bulkier & warrantied.

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I haven't used it for long so I can't say how reliable it is but so far I like it. I have plugged in my and my wife's phones at the same time and it charged both (Samsung Intercept and LG Optimus).

I prefer it to the Belkin Mini Surge Protector Dual USB Charger. The Aluratek lacks the fancy guarantee that Belkin has, has a lower-rated surge protection (612 joules), and is more expensive--hence the 4 stars rather than 5. But the Aluratek is (a) smaller and lighter than the Belkin, (b) has the outlets arranged so all three can be used at once--the Belkin's are together in a line so one large plug will hog more than one outlet--and (c) its outlet prongs fold up completely out of the way, where the Belkin's not only stick out, but are on a base that sticks out from the main case, making the Belkin very awkward to pack in a small space.

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I have considered:

* The Belkin Mini 3 outlet with swivel plug.

Steered away from it because of too many complaints about low frequency humming.

Belkin Mini Surge Protector Dual USB Charger

* Belkin Travel Surge with Hidden Swivel Plug.

No USB ports, though the product picture shows a USB hub, not sure what that's about. Two outlets with no USB and protrudes a bit. It's priced right however.

Belkin F9H220-TVL Travel Surge Protector with Hidden Swivel Plug

* The Monster Outlets To Go.

They don't have surge protection.

Monster MP OTG400 BK Outlets To Go 4 Outlet Travel Power Strip (Black)

* Tripp Lite TRAVELER3USB Mobile Surge Protector 3 outlets 2 USB Charging Ports

I actually purchased this and decided against it due to it's less than ideal design. The plug is too shallow and narrow. I felt it posed an electrocution risk should I pull it out of the receptacle haphazardly. The materials did not invoke confidence in my opinion. I posted photos of the hallow/narrow plug on the product page.

Tripp Lite TRAVELER3USB Mobile Surge Protector 3 outlets 2 USB Charging Ports

* Simran SM-60.

110V-250V universal makes this a versatile surge suppressor. However, I don't need 220V support and it's a bit beastly looking. I didn't personally inspect a unit but seems to get good reviews. This was a runner up choice.

Simran SM-60 110V-250V Universal 3 Outlet Power Strip/Surge Protector for Worldwide Travel with Overload Protection, Black

You'd expect for what appears to be a simple device that there would be a lear winner from the big names. This hasn't been the case for me. However, the Aluratek AUCS05F fulfilled my requirements. It's well built, simple and considering the boundaries from which they had to operate it's a well thought out package.

Pros:

* Easy pull and grab design so you don't risk electrocuting yourself.

* Good surge protection rating (joules)

* 5V and 1.5A USB. Now I don't know if that's for each USB or combined but its sufficient for my needs. A little note accompanies the packaging notifying the owner that while the Ipad may not register itself as being charged that it is indeed being charged. I assume more slowly and the Ipad charging probably typically operates at 2A not 1.5A.

* Good design. This a matter of personal opinion. To keep it compact it occupies the top outlet of a dual outlet receptacle. Using it on the bottom outlet would block the top outlet of the receptacle. That's acceptable to me knowing it won't block the bottom outlet where you might have a transformer plugged in anyway. That's a considerate design in my opinion. It's not a rotating plug but that also means it stays upright. So if you had to choose between bottom and top it seems reasonable to me that they chose top.

Cons:

Nothing really here, except some may want a rotating plug like the belkin mini. Not necessary in my opinion.

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I bought this from a local seller, not Amazon. I immediately plugged it in and plugged in two Apple USB charging cables with an iPhone and iPad plugged in. Within 15-20 minutes, the iOS devices began to flash on and off, like they were being unplugged and plugged back in every second. The top of the Aluratek charger was hot and smelled like burnt electronics. I tested on another outlet with the same results. I tested at my office the next day with two completely different iPads with the same results after 15-20 minutes. Perhaps I just got a lemon but this thing overheats! I plan to return and exchange for another one to see if it was just a bad one because it seems like the perfect charger for what I need. One star because it doesn't work, but if it worked I'd give it 4 or 5.

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This product works great. I use it to charge my iphone, ipad, and e-book reader. For my ipad it says not charging but it definitely does charge it. I like the comfort of knowing that my devices are surge protected while charging as we get a lot of electrical storms in the summer months. Highly recommended!