Published By: Marc Edwards | Last updated on June 2, 2024 and reviewed by Editorial Team
Most people are at a loss when it comes to buying surge protectors for their prized electrical appliances at home. Only a selected handful actually knows what they need.
In this modern world that we live in, power surges and transients are everywhere. Transients are previously-stored energy when we switched off electrical appliances at home.
The next time when we turn those electrical appliances on, high-voltage transients are released. Chances are, our precious electrical devices along the same power line may get a ‘hit’.
This is where choosing the right types of appliance surge protectors comes into good use. In this post, you will learn about surge protection devices for various types of household appliances. In addition, we will also provide a list of our best picks for surge protectors too.
Okay, we know most people will not want to wait for the list of our best picks. We have listed them in a comparison table, followed by a brief review of each of them.
Comparison Table of Our Best Picks of Appliance Surge Protectors
Top 10 Editorial Picks | Product Name | Recommended Use | No. of Outlets | Joules Rating | Power Cord Length | No of USB Ports | Our Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Exceline Voltage & Electronic Surge Protector | Front and Top Load Washers Gas Dryer LED/LCD/Plasma TVs | 1 | Not required | N.A. | None | Read Review |
 | Tripp Lite 1 Outlet Surge Protector TravelCube | Treadmills Laptops Portable electronic devices | 1 | Not required | N.A. | None | Read Review |
 | Belkin 12 Outlet Pivot Plug Surge Protector - BP112230-08 | Home Theater Office Equipment Computers Printers Broadband Modems | 12 | 4320 | 8 ft | None | Read Review |
 | APC 8 Outlet Surge Arrest P8VT3 | LCD/LED/Plasma TV Computer Electronic devices Telephone and Data Lines | 8 | 2770 | 6 ft | None | Read Review |
 | Appliance Shield Surge Protector | Large Appliance Refrigerators Freezers Dryers | 1 | Not required | N.A. | None | Read Review |
 | Supco APP120 Surge Protector | Air Conditioner Washing Machine Dryer Refrigerators | 1 | 448 | N.A. | None | Read Review |
 | Bestek 10 Outlet Surge Protector | Computer Workstations Phone/Fax/Modem Printers Electronic Devices | 10 | 4000 | 6 ft | 2 | Read Review |
 | JACKYLED 14 Outlets Surge Protector | Laptops Mobile Devices Digital Cameras iPad/MP3s | 14 | Not Indicated | 6.5 ft | 4 | Read Review |
Review of Our 8 Best Picks for 2023
#1. Exceline Voltage & Electronic Surge Protector
If you are looking for a specialized surge protection device for small appliances at home, this surge protector from Exceline could be what you need. We are truly impressed with both the High and Low Voltage detection features.
When the detected voltage is higher than 135 V-, the High Voltage indicator light will turn on and the connected appliance will be switched off. Similarly, when the detected voltage is lower than 90 V-, the Low Voltage indicator light will turn on and the connected appliance will be switched off.
It also comes with protection against Blackouts. It has a failure detection time of 0.5 seconds which is pretty good in our opinion.
- Voltage Monitor
- 30s Time Delay to ensure the voltage is back to normal before power “comes back on”
- Compact and portable
- Surge Suppression
- Auto disconnection upon detection of voltage abnormalities
- Protection against Blackouts
- Indicator lights for Normal, High, Low voltages and Time Delay
- Have to buy a separate model for protection against other appliances like refrigerators and TVs.
- Takes up 2 plug space due to its wide footprint
Our Thoughts
This voltage and electronic surge protector from Exceline is your best bet if you want dedicated surge protection for your precious kitchen and household appliances. It may be costly to some people since you can only protect one appliance at a time. But when you really think about the cost vs the long-term benefits, it is a small price to pay to protect appliances that are worth thousands.
Check Price#2. Tripp Lite 1 Outlet SPIKECUBE
Just by looking at the reviews, we know this portable 1 outlet surge protector from Tripp Lite has what it takes to protect things like treadmills and small electrical devices. What’s amazing is the fact that this compact surge protector has the capability to protect treadmills against power surges. We love direct plug-in surge protectors as they are highly suitable for traveling light.
- NEMA 5-15R (commercial grade receptacle) AC Outlet
- Lightweight and portable
- Direct Plug-in design
- EMI/RFI noise filtering
- High Impact Housing
- Conforms to UL 1449 Safety Standards
- Suitable for protecting treadmills against surges
- At 1080 joules, expect to replace it once a power surge strikes
Our Thoughts
This affordable single outlet surge protection device is definitely more suitable for people on the move. Especially great for students and businessmen. And obviously, if you have treadmills at home, this might be the more affordable alternative for you compared to the more expensive ones.
Check Price#3. Belkin 12 Outlet Pivot Plug Surge Protector – BP112230-08
Belkin BP112230-08 appliance surge protector is the best candidate for people with everyday household and kitchen appliances, especially home theater systems. With it, large adapter plugs taking up the space of unused sockets on your surge protection device will be a thing of the past. Besides having 4 stationary sockets, this appliance surge protector from Belkin has 8 rotating outlets that cater to large adapters.
Equipped with a 4320 joule-energy rating and an 8-foot long power cord, you can be sure all your home entertainment systems and appliances are in good hands. Not to mention the lifetime warranty and $300k connected equipment warranty that comes with it.
- High Joule Rating of 4320
- 8 Rotational outlets
- 8 foot (2.4m) long power cord
- Coaxial protection /1-in, 2-out RJ11 telephone/fax protection
- Protected and Grounded LED Indicator lights
- Space-saving design
- Damage Resistant Housing
- EMI/RFI noise filtering up to 50dB (150k Hz to 100MHz)
- Most ideal for protection of Home theater system, Home desktop PC and Kitchen Appliances
- Lack of USB charging ports
Our Thoughts
If you do not need (or wish to add) USB charging ports into the mix of all your home entertainment and audio systems, this Belkin surge protector should be listed on the top of your shopping list. Its EMI/RFI power filtration feature ensures quiet operation and ambiance while you are watching movies at home with your loved ones.
Check Price#4. APC 8 Outlet Surge Arrest P8VT3
What immediately caught our attention is the 180-degree rotating cord that comes attached to APC P8VT3. This useful feature offers flexibility in positioning and also in routing the power cord.
However, we are most impressed with its Fail-safe mode feature – when surge protection is no longer available, AC power is no longer let in. This feature alone could potentially save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in electrical appliance replacement costs.
- High 2770 joule Rating
- Ideal protection for LCD/LED/Plasma TVs and Desktop PCs
- EMI/RFI line noise attenuation
- Resettable circuit breaker (allows fast overload recovery)
- Protection Working Indicator
- Building Wiring Fault Indicator
- Receptacle Safety Shutters
- Right-Angle Plug
- 4 x Transformer Block spacing outlets
Our Thoughts
We have to admit it was rather challenging to find fault with this surge protector from APC. Despite being without USB charging ports yet at its current price point, it is completely reasonable. Hence it does not surprising to see this model having such great reviews at Amazon.
If you need surge protection for LCD, LED or plasma TVs and PCs, we highly recommend this model.
And do note that this model does not come with surge protection for your network cables. If you need that, you will need to check out this model.
And if you absolutely need USB ports, this APC P11U2 model may be what you need. You may also want to read the full review of this P11U2 mode here.
Disclaimers: California residents please take note of California Proposition 65.
Check Price#5. Appliance Shield Surge Protector
This dedicated appliance surge protector is most ideal for appliances like Refrigerators, Freezers and Dryers. It offers 5 levels of protection (check out the PRO section for more info) ensuring that your appliances are safe from power spikes and surges. We really love about this surge protection device is that when stabilized power and voltage are detected, it will auto-reconnect power for appliances.
Refrigmatic WS-36300 is another dedicated surge protector for refrigerators that you should consider. It protects your fridge against damaging nightmares like voltage fluctuation, power spikes, brownout, and power failure. In addition to that, it also provides a high voltage (135VAC) and low voltage (90VAC) shutoff.
It is recommended for a fridge up to 27 cu. It also supports air-conditioners up to 5000 BTU. It also features a 3 minutes time delay to allow voltage stabilization during voltage fluctuation.
- Low Voltage Protection
- High Voltage Protection
- Lightning Protection
- Power Back Surge Protection
- Spike/Surge Protection
- Auto Disconnect of Power to Appliance when Unstable power is detected
- Auto Reconnect of Power to Appliance when Stable power is detected
- Only 1 appliance is protected with each Appliance Shield Surge Protector
Our Thoughts
Just like the Exceline appliance surge protector we listed above, it is definitely worth the money to get dedicated surge protection for all your pricey household and kitchen appliances. The price of this appliance surge protector is a small price to pay when you think about new appliance replacement costs. 🙂
Check Price#6. Supco APP120 Surge Protector
One look at this Supco APP120 appliance surge protector, I am sure you can easily tell it is designed for space-saving. Having the power outlet by the side, you can easily push back appliances like fridges or dryers as far back as it allows. Another excellent feature is the fact it has the ability to protect the air-conditioner. If you have done some research in places like Amazon, you will notice there is not many surge protector that is suitable for the protection of air-conditioner.
- Space-saving side outlet plugin design
- 3 Indicator lights – Protection/Ground/Delay
- 4 minutes delay for voltage stability detection
- Protect against damages from Blackouts (power spikes when power returns after a blackout), False start and Low voltage
- Does not protect against electrical frequency variation
- Foot print is big, will occupy the space of 2 AC sockets
Our Thoughts
Despite being able to protect many small appliances like small air-conditioners, microwaves from power surges, there are not a whole lot of great features. There are also not many great reviews from Amazon on this surge protector. I would give this a miss if you are using this to protect mission-critical appliances.
Check Price#7. Bestek 10 Outlet Surge Protector
With a 4000-joule rating worth of surge protection power and 2 USB 4.2A SMART IC fast-charging outlets to satisfy all your modern-day electronic device charging needs, we have to give this Bestek appliance surge protector with a sleek design a big thumbs up.
In addition to that, those 10 outlets are integrated with high-quality phosphor bronze material to ensure the durability of up 20000 times of insertion and extraction of plugs.
Besides that, the phosphor bronze material also helps with the improvement of electrical conductivity and better power conversion.
Get ready for lots of built-in features in the PRO section below.
- Overload, Over-current ad Short-circuit Protection
- Integrated phosphor bronze material
- 4000 joule rating
- 2 Indicator lights
- 15A Overload Protection Circuit Breaker Switch
- 90 degree flat plug keeps cord close to the wall
- Wall-mountable
- High-Temperature Resistant (up to 750°C)
- 2 x Widely space out sockets
- 2 x Smart IC fast-charging USB ports
- Safety shutters to protect curious little fingers at home
- Cable Box/Satelite Connection protection
- 1-in, 2-out RJ11 telephone/fax protection
- Oversized metal oxide varistors (MOVs) absorb excess electricity for increased protection
- UL Certified Heavy Duty Power Cord (6 ft)
- Flame-Retardant Material
- Power cord a little short at 6 foot (yeah, we are trying to find fault 🙂 )
Our Thoughts
At its current pricing point, this 10 outlets surge protector from Bestek is really one hell of a good buy. If you need reliable and robust surge protection for your computers, TV and household appliances, this Bestek model is the one for you.
Check Price#8. JACKYLED 14 Outlets Appliance Surge Protector
Do you have lots of electrical appliances around your working area or near your home entertainment systems? If so, you should probably give this 14 outlets surge protector from JACKYLED a shot. With 4 USB ports totally at 5V/2.1A, charging 2 mobile phones is not an issue, not to mention digital cameras, iPad and tablets, etc.
If you are a safety paranoia, you will find its certification for RoHS, CE and FCC great news for you. We really like the widely spaced-out vertical tower design. You will also love the adjustable (can extend and retract at will) 6.5-foot power cord.
- Built with Fireproof ABS plastic material
- Retractable 6.5 foot power cord
- 4 x USB fast charging ports
- Overload Protection Smart Protection
- RoHS/FCC/CE certificates
- Space-saving Vertical tower design
- 780 Joules overload protection seems too low for our liking
- Sockets are tight
Our Thoughts
In our opinion, this appliance surge protector from JACKYLED is most suitable for electronic appliances like mobile phones, digital cameras, speakers, tablets and so on. If you have lots of USB devices that need charging up at the end of the day, this 4 USB outlets surge protection device should be on your shopping list.
Check PriceHow to Choose the Appliance Surge Protector That Suits Your Needs?
Always be open-minded when choosing an appliance surge protector. This is because not all surge protection devices are created equal and some may not be the right fit for the appliance you are using it for.
For example, if you are looking for a dedicated surge protector for your refrigerator, you should not be buying a surge protector with more than 1 outlet. And most homeowners neglect to get a surge protector for their garage door opener which can be disastrous when a huge power spike comes about.
Likewise, if you are looking to protect most of your electrical possessions from power spikes and surges, you would not want to buy many units of single outlet surge protection units. You will want to get an 8 or 10 outlet surge protector power strip.
For large appliances like air-conditioner units, fridges, dryers and so on, we highly recommend that you get a dedicated single outlet surge protector.
Especially those which has the capability to detect the different level of power voltages and adjust the power to your appliances accordingly.
