Eaton Tripp Lite TLP118DBUC Surge Protector 11 Outlet with USB & USB-C | 4200 Joules, 8ft Braided Flat Plug Extension Cord, EMI/RFI Filtering, Under Desk & Wall Mountable, Lifetime Warranty

Why it's worth it

The Tripp Lite TLP118DBUC has eleven outlets, a 4,200-joule surge rating and an eight-foot braided cord with a flat plug. Six side-facing outlets swallow bulky transformers, and EMI/RFI filtering cleans up line noise that can creep into audio and networking gear.

Eight feet of cord is the quiet reason to buy this one. Most strips give you six, and those last two feet decide whether you reach the outlet behind the entertainment center or give up and move furniture. The cord is braided and flat, so it lies down behind a couch instead of kinking, and the plug sits flush to the wall.

The surge rating is the highest among our picks, and the certifications behind it are the right ones. Tripp Lite lists both UL 1363 and UL 1449, and the fourth edition of 1449 requires a thermal cutoff and caps residential clamping at 500 volts. The 4,200-joule rating leaves room for a home office full of gear. There's a resettable 15-amp breaker built into the switch, plus LEDs that confirm the outlet is grounded and the protection is still live.

From our review of 6 power strips with usb ports, by Ben Carter, Tech Editor

What we like

• +Eight feet of cord is the quiet reason to buy this one
• +The surge rating is the highest among our picks, and the certifications behind it are the right ones
• +Six of the eleven outlets face sideways, which sounds minor until you own three wall warts
• +EMI and RFI filtering is the other reason IT folks stick with this line

What to know

• –The USB is the weak spot
• –Owner feedback on this exact model is thin, so our read leans on the spec sheet and Tripp Lite's long track record with surge gear