List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $19.14
Today's Bonus: 4% Off
=== Background ===
Before I bought this, I purchased a Belkin Conserve Socket F7C009q Energy-Saving Outlet. The first Belkin I received was defective, it wouldn't shut off at the end of the time interval. The replacement worked fine.
The SimpleTouch I also bougth from Amazon worked fine from the start.
=== Comparison to the Belkin ===
Current Price (shipped free): SimpleTouch $15, Belkin $10
As an energy saver, both devices have promise. The SimpleTouch has a parasitic drain of it's own, I measured it consuming 1.1W in standby mode while plugged in. But you can turn the socket back off with a second press of the button. The Belkin does not consume any measurable power, however your device stays running until the time is up because there is not "OFF" feature on the Belkin. So I can't say one is better than the other, however I can say in theory the Belkin is better for energy savings on a low parasitic drain device (5W)
As safety devices, I cannot recommend the Belkin because my first one failed to turn off even though the LED status appeared normal. Keep in mind that adding a socket controller inserts another source of failure. Nothing works better than unplugging the device, but we are human and may forget, so that's where these devices help. For best safety, unplug the timer, not the device.
Functionally, the Belkin seems to offer more flexibity because it has three time settings. However, I have found that pressing the button does not reset the counter to zero. The only way to reset the timer is to unplug it, plug it back in, then restart the process. The only way to turn it off manually is unplug it. This is the worst thing about the Belkin. The SimpleTouch offers only one time setting, but it's perfect for situations where you only want an hour (for me, my morning countertop radio) and may want to turn it off earlier than the end of the timer cycle.
In order to avoid covering the second outlet, you must install the Belkin in the top receptacle, and for the SimpleTouch it must be installed in the bottom outlet. The SimpleTouch does a better job at staying out of the profile of the adjacent socket. However, when you plug in the device you must support the back of the SimpleTouch to counter the plugging force which is inconvenient becuase it requires two hands. The SimpleTouch has a rotating outlet, the Belkin is fixed; so the SimpleTouch might work better if you have a horizontal wall socket and a vertical adapter brick application.
The status LED is dim green on the Belkin, and bright red on the SimpleTouch. I prefer the SimpleTouch because the light from the Belkin can't be seen during the day. Some might not like the bright LED on the SimpleTouch at night.
The Belkin is a little nicer device to look at. The "hourglass" label around the SimpleTouch with a hole punched through it for the LED has a lower quality appearance.
Both devices disengage without coming back on when the power goes out or the unit is unplugged. Both are UL rated.
===Bottom Line===
The SimpleTouch is a better unit if you want the convenience of being able to turn the device off instead of unplugging it and you can live with one time setting. The plug configuration is better, but requires two hands while plugging.
Unfortunately, the SimpleTouch consumes a constant 1.1W of power when plugged in, and feels a little warm. What good is an energy saving device that wastes energy itself? Only on devices that are more wasteful.
My experience so far is that the SimpleTouch is more reliable as a safety shut-off device, my first Belkin downright failed to turn off on my twice, so I returned it for a replacement.
You may want to compare other features in the product description like warranty, etc. I was not trying to compare everything, just what's important to me in the way I use the products.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
This is perfect for us! My daughter likes to fall asleep with the light on and with our creaky floors, I would sometimes wake her when I went back in her room to turn the light off. This solves my problems! I have the light plugged into it and turned on. When I want the light on, I push the button on the timer. It counts down 60 minutes and shuts itself off. It's perfect. Also, I have it plugged into the lower outlet, so the upper one is accessible if I need to plug in a humidifier or something else.Best Deals for Simple Touch C30002 Auto Shut-Off Safety Outlet, Single Setting
Although it pains me to admit it, I had forgotten to turn my hair straightener off a couple times. It's almost unbearable to think how easily it could have fallen to the floor, ignited the carpet, and burned the house down with my beloved pets inside! Like many people, I'm a busy person and my mind is usually in several different places. So I try very hard not to be absentminded, but these things happen.Thank goodness this auto shut-off safety outlet is on the market. $14.99 is such a small price to pay for peace of mind. If you're thinking about buying this for similar reasons, don't hesitate. BUY IT!
No comments:
Post a Comment