Skip to main content

APC Back-UPS ES 350G from CSN Stores

Power fluctuations both brown outs and blackouts are the biggest culprit in damaging your computers. Frankly brown outs are more insidious since you may be blithely unaware of their occurrence. CSN
approached me and asked if I would pick out a product to review from one of their stores. Since I had 4 short blackouts that very day, I decided to order a battery backup unit. These units are often referred to as UPSs. (uninterruptible power supplies) The unit I ordered was from American Power Conversion. (APC) I wanted one strong enough to keep the computer running when a blackout occurs. My intent is not to continue running during a blackout but to protect the computer from a crash when the power goes out. When a blackout occurs, a UPS gives you time to orderly close up your computer and thusly maintain your data integrity. I hate when I lose a file that I spent any time on, let alone any appreciable time.

I’ve copied the specs of the unit from the APC site and listed them below. Simply it has 6 outlets, 3 are battery and surge and three are just surge. Keep in mind we are talking two different things. The battery part allows you to shut down, the alarm will drive you nuts until you do shut down. The surge part is on all 6 outlets and that protects your from the dreaded power spikes. Believe it or not, we were struck by lightning once and lost a bunch of household electronics. At the time I only had my computers on surge suppressors. I lost a well pump, fridge, stereo, TV ect. I did not lose either computer. Both surge suppressors were fried but I didn’t lose either computer. So the surge part is very important. BTW I now have surges on practically every electronic device in the house and I put a whole house surge on the breaker panel. I am a true believer!

This unit was only $62.99 including shipping. Note due to the battery they are heavy so if you are price shopping you should make sure you are getting free shipping if you find a better price.

I ordered the UPS from CSN on Thursday and got it on Monday. I plugged it in overnight to charge the battery. I tested it this afternoon by plugging a 150 watt light bulb into one of the battery outlets. I got 4 minutes and 31 seconds of protection before the unit shut off the light. That may not seem like a lot but keep in mind your average laptop doesn’t draw more than 35 or 40 watts and my desktop uses 120 watts. (I used Microsoft Joulemeter to figure that out.)
This unit will give you adequate time to shut your system down. I want to thank CSN stores for giving me the unit to test. They did not make any attempt to influence the review. One caveat on their web description of the BE350G, they indicate it has AVR (automatic voltage regulation). I could not find that feature mentioned in any of APC’s documentation.

Conclusion:  If you want battery backup protection and surge supression for slightly more than you  will pay for just surge supression, this  is a good choice, a good bang for the buck.  

BE350G Features :

Battery failure notification
Provides early-warning fault analysis on batteries enabling timely preventive maintenance
Battery-protected and surge-only outlets
Reserves power capacity and run time for connected equipment that require battery back-up while providing surge only protection for less critical equipment
Cold-start capable
Provides temporary battery power when the utility power is out.
Hot-swappable batteries
Ensures clean, uninterrupted power to protected equipment while batteries are being replaced
Disconnected battery notification
Warns when a battery is not available to provide backup power.
Dataline Surge Protection
Provides protection of connected equipment from power surges on the data lines.
Automatic self-test
Periodic battery self-test ensures early detection of a battery that needs to be replaced.
Audible alarms
Provides notification of changing utility power and UPS conditions.
User-replaceable batteries
Increases availability by allowing a trained user to perform upgrades and replacements of the batteries reducing Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)
Transformer-block spaced outlets
Protect equipment with input transformer blocks without blocking access to other receptacles.
Intelligent battery management
Maximizes battery performance, life, and reliability through intelligent, precision charging.
Safety-agency approved
Ensures the product has been tested and approved to work safely with the connected service provider equipment and within the specified environment.
Lifetime data recovery warranty
Provides peace of mind by providing professional data recovery services in the event data is lost due to the failure of the unit.
Battery replacement without tools
Allows quick, easy battery replacement.
LED status indicators
Quickly understand unit and power status with visual indicators.

Comments

Unknown said…
The Back-UPS ES offers the best value for protecting your home and home office computer systems. Completely redesigned to use less power during normal operation, the Back-UPS ES provides enough backup power for you to work through short and medium length power outages..

ups systems

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Hallowee;n!

Remington RM2510 Rustler 17-Inch 25cc 2-Cycle Curved Shaft Gas Trimmer with QuickStart Technology

I haven't had a gas powered weed wacker for several years.   I still find the mixing of gas and oil a pain in the butt.   Since all my gas cans are in use and I didn't want to empty one to test this, I bought a new one gallon can.   The Remington includes a starter can of oil, 3.2oz which you mix with one gallon of gas.   I'm a direction reader so after reading them several times I began.  I installed the shield and repositioned the handle.   Pretty simple and wing nuts are not just goofy people, these wing nuts worked just fine.   It has a primer bulb which you depress ten times and then adjust the choke and pull away.   It is a very light pull and it started after the third sequence  of five pulls.   You leave it warm up and then you are ready to go.   The bump head that is supposed to release the cutting line works but not smoothly.  I was unable to get it to release line on the grass.  I had to "bump" it on the driveway to get it to release.   I

FREE Kindle Books in Halloween Book Blitz Oct. 3-7, 2023

Links are Active Oct.3-7,2023 Alden and the Trash Truck Dizzy’s Diary The Mighty Pranksters of Bright Lives Academy A Parent’s Struggle: Helping Kids Understand Alcoholism This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned