Review on 🔌 Ultimate USB C Surge Protector with Power Delivery: Nekteck Power Strip Pad, 45W USB C Port, 4 Outlet & 2 USB-A Ports, 5Ft Power Cord – Ideal for Travel and Office Use (Excludes Note10/S10/10+PPS) by Prentice Martin

My goal: I was looking for a compact surge protector for my desk with 3+ outlets and an integrated USB-C power supply port and 2+ standard USB port for charging. I wanted something that lays flat on the table and doesn't move around much. In terms of outlets I wanted to plug in a lamp, fan, laptop charger and would like at least one other outlet to have as a backup should I need to plug in something else at some point. In terms of USB ports, I wanted to use a charger for my portable battery, a lighting cable for my girlfriend's iPhone, and then (biggest goal) use the USB-C port to power my Pixel Stand. I also wanted a powered USB-C port in case I upgrade my laptop to one that charges via USB-C. Form Factor: The plug lies nice and flat against the wall, allowing it to easily fit behind furniture, leaving another outlet unobstructed. The cable is quite thick and feels solid, yet flexible enough to move easily without being intimidated by me. It's not the longest cord, but it was enough to get from the outlet next to my desk to the top of my desk, leaving a bit of slack. The surge protector itself is larger for compact surge protectors, about the same length as my Pixel 3 XL and about an inch wider. It has a certain weight so it fits easily on my desk and doesn't move unintentionally. It seems very durable and well built. While I don't intend to use it that way, I'm glad there are holes on the back for wall mounting. It seems designed to be easily mounted horizontally or vertically depending on your needs. For those of you looking for something to throw in your holdall, this probably won't do. But it works well for something that just stays on your desk. Ease of use: This surge protector has 4 sockets, but actually only 2-3 of them can be used at the same time. They're all very close together, and if you plan on plugging in something with a bulky plug, it's most likely blocking the socket(s) next to it. It would be nice if all of the sockets were a little further apart, or even just one of them offset, giving extra room on the side for the inevitable bulky plug. It's not the most comfortable experience if you find yourself wanting to plug and unplug things frequently, but it's not terrible either. The power button has a nice feel (although it doesn't seem like it's turned on and off every day. It does feel a bit dim) and is paired with a very small green light to indicate if it's on or off is . I like that it's noticeable enough to know when it's on, but dim enough not to bother you at night. The 3 USB ports are easily accessible and I was thrilled to see that they don't have separate power controls. As I browsed the market, I noticed that many compact surge protectors have USB ports and you have to press a button to activate them, and they turn themselves off when you unplug the device. So it seems like every time you want to charge your phone, you have to press a button to start charging. It sounded tiring. The USB ports on this surge protector are always active, which is perfect for me. However. On USB ports, this surge protector didn't achieve my goal. The standard USB ports seem to charge reasonably well and I have no complaints. On the other hand, the USB-C port does not charge reliably. If I plug my Pixel in directly, it immediately starts charging at 3 amps (measured by the amp app). However, after a few minutes it drops to 1.5 amps and sometimes to 1 amp. My Pixel still shows fast charging and charges fast enough for my needs, but it's noticeably slower than my other dedicated USB-C adapters. When I plug in one of my USB-C powered portable batteries (Anker PowerCore 26000), it charges even slower, and I often wake up after a long night with a portable battery that hasn't been charged yet. The part that's killing me is that the USB-C port isn't powering my Pixel Stand due to the output power mismatch. It wakes up and charges heavily for the first few minutes, but then its output drops and the stand shuts off, giving me an LED indicator signaling insufficient power. I don't currently have a laptop that charges via USB-C so I can't test it yet, but I expect there will likely be a similar inconsistent charging experience. Bottom line: My main goal in all of this was the USB-C port, and the USB-C port on this surge protector missed the mark for me. Maybe I was unlucky and got a defective block. It's also possible that just my specific devices aren't working properly (I know Google devices can be very picky about what you connect them to). But this is my only Nekteck product that I own and I had not heard of this company before purchasing so I cannot speak to their track record of quality. I bought it for $20 6 months ago (it seems to have gone up to $30 at the time of writing) and still use it regularly. At $20 it was definitely a good buy and I probably would have bought it at $30 anyway. However, in the end it didn't achieve my goal and I'm still looking for something that does. Good buy or goodbye? I would say this is a good buy.