Gear Review: Accell Powramid Air Power Center and USB Charging Station
Matt Litten
– November 9, 2017Posted in: Accessories, Hardware, Reviews
Anyone who owns a computer and/or high-end entertainment center for gaming and media consumption likely has at least one, if not two or three, power strips, to keep all devices plugged into one spot while also maintaining protection from potentially damaging electrical surges. The most common surge protector style comes in a bar shape with around half a dozen outlets, which is great for placing on the floor or under a desk because the shape allows it to flush up against a wall and take up less space. However, the power strip isn't always such a great solution for placing on top of a desk or table, because the long, skinny form factor eats up a lot of real estate and is easier to topple over with the dead weight of the wires hanging over the edge pulling on it.
Accell's Powramid Air is a better mousetrap, if you will. The flying saucer shaped surge protector offers six outlets, as well as two front-facing USB charging ports. The streamlined profile, round base (roughly 7 inches in diameter), and solid heft (I don't know the exact weight but it feels like it has to be somewhere in the ballpark of a pound) keep the unit conveniently and sturdily in place on a desktop, three rubber foot strips configured in a circular pattern on the bottom providing a skid-resistant grip that also won't mark up whatever surface it's placed on. The 6-ft power cable is also of fantastic quality, thick and durable and heavy duty.
Unlike the typical power strip, which often cramps outlets so close together that larger block or brick style adapters tend to cover up adjacent plugs and reduce how many can be used at a given time, the rounded design of the Powramid Air spaces the outlets far enough apart to prevent overlapping. You get six outlets, and you can actually use all six outlets. Imagine that.
The surge protection is rated to 1080 Joules, Power Stop technology installed to stop conducting power when the device reaches max capacity so that your pricey hardware is always safe. If the total power drawn exceeds 1875 Watts or a plugged-in device malfunctions, the unit will automatically turn off until you remove the problem device and reset the 15 Amp circuit breaker using a small red button discreetly placed on the side. Fortunately there haven't been many power issues around these parts lately, except for one day of a surprise power outage, maybe another instance where there was some power flicker, and a thunderstorm or two. So I haven't had to rely upon the surge protection too much, but so far, after about two months of testing, the Powramid Air has done its job protecting my devices through any voltage spikes that have occurred.
The disc-shaped center plate on top of the unit serves as a button that is pushed down to manually turn on and off power to the surge protector itself. When plugged in, a thin LED strip glows shades of blue and green so you always know that power is being supplied and that any attached equipment is protected. If the light should ever go off, you've either manually switched off the power or there is a malfunction.
The two USB charging ports, which are also surge protected, share a total charging output of 5 Volts at 2.4 Amps. Connecting two devices simultaneously means the charge will be split between the two, so if you need a particular device to charge more quickly it's better to plug it in by itself and recharge one at a time. For smaller things like phones and MP3 players, there's plenty of juice to connect both at the same time and still get solid recharge speed.
Beyond the high quality performance and functionality, the Powramid Air has a sleek style better suited to fit in with your office or entertainment décor so you can feel more confident about having it visible on a desk or table without worrying about it being an eyesore of messy wires and adapters. Accell offers this particular model in two color options, either black or white as the base color with a ring of silver trim around the outer edge, as well as another smaller ring of silver around the central power button. I'm not sure how either color pairs with a woodgrain aesthetic, but for me, the black and silver unit blends in discreetly with a similarly black and silver entertainment center I have for one of my main TV and gaming console setups (see the photos at page bottom).
The Powramid Air is a fantastic desktop solution for organizing and protecting of all your devices and hardware. I can't think of an area where it doesn't perform with high marks. The six primary outlets plus the addition of a pair of USB ports make this surge protector a reliable central power hub for home or office. It's relatively small yet feels sturdy and well made. The outlets are angled and spaced out for improved accessibility of multiple connected devices at the same time. Most importantly, you can feel secure knowing that your expensive gadgetry is always safeguarded thanks to the high surge-protection capacity and the soft glow of the blue-green LED providing a constant indicator of security.
Buy From: Powramid Air is available from Amazon and Accell for $35.99.
Disclosure: Powramid Air product sample was provided to VGBlogger.com for review purposes by Accell.
Tags: Accell, Gear, Gear Review, hardware, Powramid, Powramid Air, review, Reviews, Surge Protector, Tech, Tech Review
Matt Litten is the full-time editor and owner of VGBlogger.com. He is responsible for maintaining the day to day operation of the site, editing all staff content before it is published, and contributing regular news, reviews, previews and other articles. Matt landed his first gig in the video game review business writing for the now-defunct website BonusStage.com. After the sad and untimely close of BonusStage, the former staff went on to found VGBlogger.com. After a short stint as US Site Manager for AceGamez, Matt assumed full ownership over VGBlogger, and to this day he is dedicated to making it one of the top video game blogs in all the blogosphere. Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary!