Austere Power VII Series Review: Premium Surge Protection With a Nice Design

We all have power surges from time to time. They may be caused by a faulty transformer or even a lightning strike. However they happen, they can wreak havoc on your electronic devices. This is why it’s highly recommended that you use surge protection on devices such as computers, TVs, and even smartphones. The Austere Power VII Series is the latest entrant into the surge protection market, and it’s certainly a handsome device.

There are plenty of choices out there when it comes to surge protection, but Austere believes their combination of premium build quality, sustainable packaging, and minimal design is a winner. Read on for the full review of the Austere Power VII Series.

SPECIFICATIONS

The Austere Power VII Series has the following features and specifications:

  • Rated at 4,000 joules
  • Purefiltration
  • Isolated Outlet Filtration
  • Flameless MOV
  • Overcurrent Protection
  • SmartFit Outlet
  • OmniPort USB
  • 45W Power Delivery
  • WovenArmor Cable
  • 3 USB Type-C ports
  • 2 USB Type-A ports
  • 6 or 8-outlets with ground

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

  • Austere Power VII Series
  • Documentation and Warranty
  • Quick Start Guide

DESIGN

If there is one thing Austere wants you to notice about its products, it is the design. The company is positioning itself as the Apple of cables and power, and it’s not hard to notice. Its cable designs are clean and use high-quality materials throughout really causing the Austere Power VII Series to feel substantial.

The first thing I noticed was the WovenArmor cable. This isn’t some cheap rubber-covered wire. Instead, it is a woven and rugged material that looks and feels like it will stand up to some abuse. The connector at the end of that cable is also well built and substantial. It appears that Austere has its build quality game going on.

The bottom of the Austere Power VII Series has mounting holes, making it possible to mount the power strip on a wall or wherever else you’d like. It also has non-slip rubber feet which make it great for hardwood floors and other surfaces.

On one side you have the on/off button along with the entry point for the WovenArmor cable. Along the other side is where you’ll find the two USB-A ports and 3 USB-C ports, one of which has 45W power delivery. On the top, you’ll find six grounded outlets, eight if you choose the bigger brother.

There are also three LED indicators on top which show the following:

  • Power LED: Will illuminate blue when lit. This indicates the power strip is plugged in and receiving power.
  • Ground LED: Will illuminate blue when lit. This indicates that the unit is plugged into a properly ground circuit.
  • Protected LED: Will illuminate blue when lit. This indicates that the power strips surge suppression components are intact and providing full protection against surges.

Here’s a bit of what Austere has to say about its new power strip:

Austere Power innovation begins with our Isolated PureFiltration. This advanced EMI/RFI filtration will insulate the power signal from external disturbances to deliver video and audio clarity to your HDTV and sound system. In addition, Austere’s Omniport USB provides rapid charge and protection for low-voltage devices. And because your laptop is part of your entertainment system, Austere Power has a 45W USB-C PD port, that, unlike other power options, can uniquely charge it through a single cable.

We want you to be safe. Always. That’s why Austere Power harnesses state-of-the-art fire protection technology. We are redefining how power should perform and protect with flameless MOV circuits and thermal protected outlets, keeping you safe from a home electrical fire. And if anything were to happen, our Component Guarantee promises to protect your equipment from damage, regardless of its value, whenever your devices are plugged into an Austere Power product.

Austere

The Austere Power VII Series has pretty ample space so you can fill it with some bulkier wall worts or other odd-sized power cords. I do feel like space at the top is a bit wasted, but that could be because the enclosure needed to be that size to fit the internals.

One point that’s worth mentioning about the design is that the packaging is made of recycled materials which can be reused. Austere points out that their competitors mostly use plastic clamshell packaging that is single-use, not made from recycled materials and bad for the environment.

Overall, this is a really well designed and good looking power strip. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a power strip look this pretty.

EASE OF USE

The Austere Power VII Series is pretty straight forward to use. Just plug it in, verify the LED’s are lit and plug in your components. This model can take six devices with power cables, two devices through USB-A and three devices through USB-C. One of those USB-C ports is 45W power delivery so you can plug in a laptop like the ThinkPad X1 Carbon that has a USB-C 45W power supply.

Overall, this is super simple to use. If you’ve used a power strip before then you can handle this.

PERFORMANCE

As for performance, the Austere Power VII Series was able to handle everything I plugged into it, including through USB. Unfortunately, but also thankfully, I haven’t experienced any power surges while testing so I can’t report on that.

However, I can say that the 45W USB-C power delivery port handled my 13″ Dell XPS 2-in-1 just fine and that has a 45W USB-C charger. Overall, the performance was just as expected, but we couldn’t test the power surge protection features.

PRICE/VALUE

The Austere Power VII Series is fairly pricey with the 6-outlet version going for US$179.99 and the 8-outlet version US$199.99. That is an awful lot for a power strip with surge protection. While I don’t think everyone is prepared to pay that price, I do think some will. There is some value here in the added USB-A ports, the USB-C ports, the 45W power delivery, and the technology built-in to help protect your devices and peripherals.

WRAP UP

The Austere Power VII Series is probably not for everyone. It’s higher price tag might scare some away, but I think those with higher-end entertainment systems are probably going to want to check this out.

FULL REVIEW 

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