POWER SAVING BACK-UPS XS 1500 Review

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(More customer reviews)On the surface, the units have seemed very nice. Love the LCD readouts. But I've now had two units die after 48 hours of operation (under 45% load for 12 hours/day).
The first unit failed spectacularly when I turned my PC on on the 3rd morning of ownership. Spastic flashing / beeping, an F05 error then death (and perhaps a whiff of ozone from something blown inside).
APC support is quick to cross-ship a new unit, without asking for any money on hold. This is a big plus in their favor.
The second unit did something a little different about 48 hours after purchase. It started double-chirping (which is not listed in the manual). There were no LCD error messages, and the voltages and load looked normal. The battery meter showed a full charge. The Building-Fault-Light on the back was not illuminated. I called APC and they had me unplug the unit to see if the battery would kick in. It did not, I lost power to my devices. Then it displayed the same F05 error (which in the manual is a charge fault). Luckily though it did not self-fry.
Called APC, and they'll be sending out a 3rd unit.
After this second one failed, I went and tested my Back-UPS XS 1300 that I bought at the same time as the first unit. It's in my downstairs laundry/server room. Pulled its plug, and it held up just fine.
So, I'll see how the 3rd unit goes and report back and update the rating if it holds up.
UPDATE: APC sent me a refurbished unit for my 3rd unit (2nd replacement). Generally I'd be upset, but felt that since it was refurbished that someone must have at least looked at it to verify it works properly before pushing it out the door. So far so good on this 3rd unit. It held up to both a simulated outage (50% load) and an actual outage (10% load). I've upped my rating from two stars to three (I still can't forgive for the hassle the two faulty devices put me through).


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APC BK350EI Back-UPS CS 350 (230 Volts Only) Review

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(More customer reviews)This item is for international 220 power. Not US power. Beware. I purchased this item and did not discover until too late. The product decription does not clearly state this.

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Today's global businesses demand uninterrupted and reliable flow of data. When electrical utility power is disrupted, the business costs can be astronomical -- some research suggest that American businesses lose as much as $50 billion each year by power disruption. The APC BK350 Back-UPS CS 350 provides professional-grade power protection for office and home office systems, ensuring that your data will be protected, and your business can continue uninterrupted.UPS systems, also known as "uninterruptible power supply" systems, are designed to provide computer systems and enterprise-wide networks with reliable, steady power. Today's sensitive devices require this in order to ensure data integrity, hardware stability, and maximum equipment life. With built-in phone/fax/modem line (DSL compatible) protection, safe-system shutdown software that features sophisticated power management options, and pro-active audio-visual status indicators, the APC BK350 Back-UPS CS 350 ensure office systems and their valuable data are protected from dangerous power surges, spikes and blackouts. With easy access to a hot-swappable, user-replaceable battery, this UPS is as hassle-free as it can get. Throw in its classic styling, and you've got yourself the perfect choice for protecting your important office and home office systems.Its many features include:
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
Dataline surge protection: Provides protection of connected equipment from power surges on the data lines
Power conditioning: Protects connected loads from surges, spikes, lightning, and other power disturbances
Safety-agency approved: Ensures that the product has been tested and approved to work safely with the connected loads and within the environment
The APC BK350 also offers several convenient, user-friendly features, making it a hassle-free way to keep your systems running. Audible alarms provide you with notification of changing utility power and UPS conditions. An automatic restart feature automatically starts up the connected equipment upon the return of utility power. With the system's automatic self-test, you can be ensured of any early detection of potential problems by periodic testing of UPS components. The APC BK350's battery can be installed quickly and conveniently, with no tools necessary, further reducing the risk of load disruption. Easy-to-read LED status indicators and resettable circuit breakers make this UPS the obvious choice for professionals.What's in the Box BK350 UPS, software CD, cord management straps, USB cable, and user's manual.

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APC BE550R 550VA Back-UPS ES 8-Outlet Battery Backup System Review

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(More customer reviews)At first, I thought this thing was the tops. It performed well in several power outages/fuse problems/spikes (I'm in a 1939 building & my office has mostly original wiring). After about 8 months, half of the plugs quit working altogether. I moved my important stuff to the other 3 plugs and took everything else off backup. We didn't have a power outage for a long time, so I don't know when the backup quit working on the rest, but it doesn't work anymore, although the alarm still sounds and the power light is still on. But anything plugged in will shut off with a power loss. Overall, I've owned it less than a year and a half. At this point, it's a very expensive extension cord. But the price has gone way down (it's less than half what I paid) from when I purchased mine. Either way, I'm paying more and going for a different brand for the replacement.

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ETAIL ONLY BACK-UPS XS 1300VA Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this unit in September '09 from a local store. I am only writing a review here to warn others away from it.
I have RMA'd this unit 4 times now. Every time I get a new device, within 2 weeks - 2 months later it always starts exhibiting the same error which is an F08 Fan Failure.
I'm only ever using up to ~50% - 60% of the maximum wattage load, so it's not that I'm abusing the device. It always happens after several hours of intensive CPU usage on my machine (still only ever going up to 60% utilization).
When the unit receives an F08, it simply shuts itself off immediately, losing whatever data you happened to be working with. That's the entirety of the reason why you get a battery backup, so that instant cuts of power don't happen. Well, after this happening over and over, I've been continually RMA'ing the device over the course of the last 7 months.
I kept getting promised that "This device will work, we swear" from APC. Granted, the entire time I've had this problem, the support received from APC has been cordial, efficient, and minimal of a hassle. The only reason I continued RMAing this for so long is that I'm extremely busy and could not be bothered to do anything other than attempt to keep the status quo.
After the last failure, I requested another model device, because it's apparent to me that after receiving 4 of these units that it is a fault with the device itself. APC obliged and I am now getting a BX1500G in the mail shortly. I'd suggest to stay as far away from the BX1300G as you possibly can. Four units, from different manufacturing lots, all failing within 2 months of purchase with the same error. In addition, every unit I received that has failed had passed APC's "stringent QA process."
Spend a little more and go with a SmartUPS (much less problems), go with another company, or at the very least try the BX1500G (it's the same price now as this device was when I bought it). Be forewarned, however, that I have no experience with the BX1500G and it may still exhibit the same F08 errors that the BX1300G has.

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