Surge protectors?

Question

Do surge protectors for expensive electronics, computers, sewing machines, etc loose their power after a while? I was told to replace them after a couple of years. Is a cheaper model just as good as an expensive one?

Answer 1

A surge protector just eliminates the possibility of frying out your tv and such in case of a power failure or lightning strike, they have ones with power backups but mainley for computers so you can shut it down properly. I wouldent buy a cheap one. They do have ones that come with 10,000 dollar warranties with them if anything is damaged while using it, thats what I bought for my 60 inch tv, about 40 bucks, works good!

Answer 2

Surge protectors do NOT loose their power after a while regardless of what you were told (probably a hopeful salesman trying to get you to come back and spend money again).  If you purchase a cheapie one, they can go bad which would mean no power.  Generally, if you spend more then $20 on the strip, it should be decent, especially if it offers an equipment warranty should your devices get damaged due to a power surge while using their surge protector.