Surge suppressor claims unlimited joules?

You are right to be skeptical, below are just comments and guesses, manuf does not provide sufficient information to do anything but speculate.

Interesting, I am unable to determine what they are using for over-voltage protection from the documentation. It appears to be another "engineer says this and marketing guy goes berserk" thing. Apparently it does not use the typical MOV (metal oxide varistor ) which have breakdown energy ratings typically expressed in Joules. I am guessing that it uses some other method (fast acting breaker /shrug) with a high current interruption capability and or high dielectric breakdown voltage rating not expressed in joules and marketing has run amok at the lack of a "Joules" number. Because something is not rated in joules does not mean it is impervious to arc over etc. So marketing it preying on the technically unsophisticated, or marketing are morons, or both.

For instance the "protects against lighting strikes 100% of the time". Impossible and I will bet everything I own or hope to ever make that a direct lightening strike would vaporize the the entire unit. An unlikely event but you get my point. Unless the unit had something like a #00AWG solid copper conductor to shunt (and likely that would be insufficient) the strike to a hard earth ground, I would, as you apparently have, take it all with a grain of salt.

MOVs do wear out after repeated "hits" so whatever this thing uses may be better and offer better protection but shoot 100,000 V with a little current tossed in across it and its going to arc over in a big blue-white hot ball of smoking plastic and exploding metal bits.

All that said, it does appear better made than most cheap ones and I have seen worse ones that cost more. Phillips, even if they just speced it out to be manuf in China, is usually of a higher quality than most, or used to be.

Here is the interesting bit from the manual. Highlight/bold are mine.

Philips products with Power Blocker™ protection are designed to
sacrifice themselves in order to save equipment connected to it. Their
circuitry is designed to cut off all power to AC outlets in the event of an
electrical or power surge that overwhelms their protection. If your surge
protector is not allowing current to pass and the protection working LED
is off, then your surge protector has performed its duty – protecting your
equipment – and you must purchase a new unit to replace the expired unit.


So its a fuse, basically, Fair enough so the breakdown voltage would mainly be dependent on component/electrical path spacing and the air gap and dielectric strength of materials used.


edut,
If anyone knows exactly what device they use for overvoltage protection I would love to know.
 
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Does anybody think this device truly is different from surge protectors that have three sets of MOVs and thermal fuses wrapped around them to open up if the MOVs overheat from a surge?

I want to know how Philips' "Power Multiplier" (# SPS2601WA/17) multiplies the amount of power going into it. ;) Should I buy one so I can later join in a class action lawsuit?
 
It probably is indeed a set of MOVs plus a disconnect mechanism. It should be the exact same as Panamax's "Protect or Disconnect" technology.

If you really want good protection from big surges, you'll want a service entrance protector (I installed a Panamax brand one, personally) and if you want to go further still, I recommend a Furman surge protector which has MOVs AND series-mode protection (series-mode is what Brickwall/Zerosurge use).
 
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