PowerSquid – a simple innovative idea designed to make your life easier

A revolutionary design providing a unique means of power protection for the “gadget” Geek

I don’t know about you but I have too many devices! They all need power and most have those oversized power supplies that just make life difficult when you try to get them all attached. At one point in time it got so frustrating that I went out and got a new power strip that had a few “special” plugs that were meant to accommodate those bulky power supplies. That worked…for a while ... but I kept getting more devices that needed a place to be plugged into and because I didn’t have room on my existing power strip, I added a second power strip to the first one to deal with those devices.

Eventually, I started to make my own mini cords to plug in power supplies .... talk about bulk! Then one day I saw a news item of a rather unique power supply that had the bulky power pack problem solved! Rather than a box with fixed outlets that do not allow for ANY flexibility, the Flexity PowerSquid provides you with the opportunity to attach all of your power packs easily and provides you the flexibility to design how you will setup your power solution.

Take a minute and look under your desk ... do you have what I have? Under my desk is a myriad of different power cords, some with and some without power packs and of course, there are several power packs left unplugged because there is just no room. Oh, there is a free outlet but just no room to fit the power pack in ... very frustrating! It is almost as bad at my summer home where I have tried to limit what I use but still I have too many wires and most have an over-sized plug and several with large power packs.

 Having a better solution to arrange all of my power supplies had become an essential need for neatness, flexibility and peace of mind that I was going to have my power outlet needs satisfied. The PowerSquid has been designed to provide an effective means of power delivery to your devices using high quality circuitry and the latest technology for the ultimate protection of your devices.

When I got my PowerSquid, there were several things that impressed me immediately. I have always talked about packaging and even though it has NO effect on the function of a product, it does tell you a little bit about the company you are doing business with. In my opinion, a company that takes the time to package their product in a manner that “shows off” or embellishes the characteristics of their device is telling you that they have a device they are proud of, that it works well and you will be happy.

In fact, just holding the box containing the PowerSquid, I just knew that this was a first class device that would satisfy my need for device protection as well as my desire to be able to plug in any power pack at any time and have it work right away without having to fiddle with moving around power packs to get them all to work.

Opening the box you find three components: a telephone line cable (how many of those do you have?), a heavy duty coaxial cable with gold plated connectors for your cable connection and the PowerSquid neatly placed and tied together with wire “twists”. The PowerSquid is impressive at first glance sporting six “tentacles” with heavy duty female connectors, two of which are blue glowing female outlets ... a very cool feature! The “tentacles” are three different lengths allowing for easy connections and neat arrangement of your power supplies.

 

 

 

The “body” of the Squid has a power button, a bright blue power light that indicates when power is applied as well as two lights that show that the device is protecting (red light) and the wires are grounded (green light) properly.

The PowerSquid has some unique characteristics that make it a superior device for protection as well as power. Using Ultra-MOV (Metal Oxide Varistors) Technology as the heart of a surge protector, the Flexity PowerSquid provides the most current technology on the market for protection. Flexity indicates that the PowerSquid uses enhanced heat dissipation and 27% greater capacity for loads.

The PowerSquid incorporates a Purestream EMI/RFI Power Filter to protect your devices. In addition, the Purestream EMI/RFI Power Filter will enhance picture and sound quality. Not only does Flexity incorporate a Power Filter but you also have built into the device awesome circuit protection. The PowerSquid Tripwire Circuit will physically sever the electrical circuit in the event of a catastrophic event like a lightning strike. Having lost a television recently due to a lighting strike, this feature was a top priority for me to protect my equipment.

Flexity gave a lot of thought to protection when they designed this product. They clearly gave ultimate protection to devices that are plugged into the outlets but how are they protecting phone lines and cable connection? Flexity indicates that many damaging surges enter through information lines rather than power lines so they have incorporated two types of protection for phone and coaxial connections.

Phone line protection is provided by ultra-reliable and fast-acting sidactors with integral line splitter. Sidactors (bi-directional triggered thyristors) are the most commonly used surge protectors today. Sidactors were developed to handle large amounts of surge current typically induced by a lightning strike.

Coaxial cable protection is provided by a gas tube with gold plated connectors for better signal transmission. Using a gas tube to protect electrical equipment from lightning surges is now broadly used to protect a variety of devices against lightning. My belief is that the gas tube is an old technology but it is unrivaled by any other device for protection of lightning-prone circuits.

The back of the body has four rubber feet to give added anti-slip coverage and there are two mounting holes if you choose to wall-mount the PowerSquid (and NO, screws were NOT included).

In a nut shell:

The Calamari SQ3K is a Surge Protector with 6 transformer compatible outlets that has a Joule rating of 3240. The PowerSquid comes with a Connected Equipment Insurance of $500,000. It uses the Purestream™ EMI/RFI Filter, Tripwire™ circuit, has Phone line protection, a Phone line splitter, Cable/coax protection and Ultra-MOV™ technology. There is a 15-amp Breaker for protection.

The cord length is 8 feet (which I found impressive since most are 3-6 feet). You get a power indicator, surge status indicator, ground status indicator, and an audible alarm (which I have not heard yet … thank God).

I was very impressed with the Swivel Plug that rotates 360º and BTW, it has a flat profile. It sure makes it convenient for any situation. Of course, I mentioned the 4 rubber skid-feet and the keyhole mounting slots if you choose to mount it in a special way. The housing of the PowerSquid is a rugged ABS case and it comes with a lifetime warranty.

What did I think was cool? Well, the look is definitely cool….it does look like a squid! I also like the lighting. The “blue” lights are cool and the lighted female sockets are great to look and see that power is there.

 

Dimensions:
Width of body at widest point 3.75”
Length of body 7”
Length of longest tentacle 10"
Total length (without power cord) 17"

 

Does it do the job? You bet it does! For the first time I have a power strip that will accommodate any device I want to use. Am I still using my original power strip? Yes, because I have several power cords that work perfectly in a regular power strip and it just so happens that I have nine bulky power packs so the six on the PowerSquid and the three on the power strip give me the perfect solution. Now everything is plugged in ....finally!

A final comment on what is available.  There are three PowerSquid models available.  Priced from $12.95 to $79.95, you will have to look at the comparison chart to see which model will suit your needs.  My personal choice is the Calamari SQ3K because of the raft of features it has.  Check out the model comparison chart here.

 

Awards

CES Innovations 2006 Awards Honorees

Category: Mobile/Home Office

 

PROS

Compact

Unique Design

Lighted Sockets

Strong Surge Protection

 

CONS

None, this power strip has it all

 

Rating: 5 out of 5

 

Cost: $79.95

 

Visit Flexity here to find out more information about the PowerSquid

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