The 10 Best Power Strip Towers
Editor's Notes
September 10, 2020:
Power strip towers serve two fundamental purposes: provide extra outlets, and protect electronics.
The first is easy to manage, although we recommend buying more outlets than you think you'll need — devices have a habit of multiplying, and it's always useful to be able to share. Products like the Jackyled Charging Station and Aukey PowerHub XL will have enough flexibility for most desktops.
Surge protection is a trickier topic. Products are rated in joules, providing a cumulative total of how much energy they can absorb before passing spikes through to electronics. That rating applies to a single large surge, or to a series of small ones. That means that power strips will deteriorate over time, and that towers with higher ratings will last longer. Unfortunately, outside of a lab there's no way to test how much protection remains.
Surges due to lightning strikes are relatively infrequent, but power supplies are rarely uniform, and some grids are better than others. If you live in an area with frequent blackouts or brownouts, we recommend replacing surge protectors every few years to mitigate some risk. If long-lasting surge protection is your top priority, a traditional surge protector or smart power strip will still outperform most towers.
For buyers who plan on charging their phones and tablets through a tower, it's worth checking the amperage of the USB ports. Most modern products will provide at least 2 amps, and many offer 2.4. The higher the number, the faster your devices will be able to charge. If you charge multiple devices simultaneously, pay attention to the total amperage — rows of USB ports usually draw from the same well, and plugging in many devices can dilute the current. The Bestek 8-Outlet provides up to 8A total, which is enough to quickly charge several gadgets.
Finally, make sure that you don't exceed the recommended Watts of your chosen tower. This will likely only be a problem in garages, kitchens, or tool benches, but plugging in too many high-Watt appliances can overload a strip and require a reset.