[General Accessories] vectron:
This is a review of Choetech 40W Smart desktop USB/AC surge protector and charger.

http://www.choetech.com/CHOETECH-Surge-Protector-USB-Power-Strip-Smart-Charger/ , also available on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/CHOETECH-Protector-USB-Ports-Electrical-Smartphones/dp/B00UUS78IY/

With all the smartphones, tablets, mp3 players, and Bluetooth devices in our household, multi-port usb charger is one of our most used gadgets in the house. I have reviewed a few of them already, and at some point noticed that every other charger started to look almost the same … until I came across Choetech latest 40W smart desktop charger with 2-1 surge protector where they also included two AC power sockets. What a great idea to combine both applications together in one compact design! Here is what I found while looking at this cool new gadget from Choetech.

The product arrived in a nice compact all carton packaging, always a plus in my book when manufacturer is environmentally conscious and uses a recyclable packaging material. I guess cover image just speaks for itself where the unit has a familiar 5-port usb charging front end like you find in a lot of other usb chargers and the back has 2x AC power sockets typically found in surge protectors. I do have to admit, I’ve seen other bulky surge protectors with a few usb power ports, but it always felt like an after-thought add on. Here, I find these two AC sockets as more of add on to usb charger. Typically, in the house AC wall power plugs come in pairs and once you use one socket to plug in your multi-usb port charger – only one other AC socket is remaining. I don’t know about you, but it's a big deal to me because I like to keep my electronic gadgets in one place and often run out of room for my camera battery charger. Now, problem is solved since I have access to both!

This smart charging unit has a nice compact footprint with dimensions of about 235mm x 65mm x 45mm, and a durable ABS shell. The front has 5 full size USB ports with blue led power indicator. Each port has smart sensing capability of up to 2.4A of charging current, depending on your devices. You just have to keep in mind that a combined current draw can’t exceed 8A for a total of 40W maximum power rating of this charger. Following usb charger, you have two standard 3-prong (grounded) AC power sockets. On the back by the chord, you also have a switch to turn power on/off. Surge protection is very comprehensive with 1700 Joules / 1500 A tolerance and 1 ns response time. Also keep in mind, surge protection is not only applicable to AC power sockets but also to usb charging ports since DC is derived from AC through conversion and AC is already under surge protection.

Overall, I can’t speak for everybody, but this is exactly a missing link in my home charging I have been looking for. I already have a few 5-port usb chargers at home covering all my smartphones, tablets, wireless chargers, external batteries, portable audio players, and wireless devices. What I was missing is a way to integrate a charging of my camera battery and my rechargeable flashlight batteries. Now, everything is in one compact spot and with a bonus of surge protection. Plus, it will be convenient to keep it on the nightstand in our bedroom since I can charge my devices at night and still have enough AC power sockets for night light, alarm clock, and one to spare. Also, for $26.99 it’s a great value!

Here are the pictures.