Few will argue that the flow of electrons in the open spaces of domestic power grids often does not behave too predictably. Almost everyone had cases when the equipment burned out, because it could not endure the constant power surges, which happen even in big cities.
In rural areas, the situation is even worse. Depending on the time of year and other unknown factors, the voltage can jump from 150 to 250V (in the vastness of the network you can easily find the corresponding negative reviews). A voltage stabilizer under these conditions can be a real salvation not only for electrical engineering, but also for your own nerves.
Today we will talk about the intricacies of choice, as well as the reviews of happy (and not so) owners of various models from different manufacturers.
What do negative reviews depend on?
What do negative or positive reviews depend on? The voltage stabilizer is a rather complicated thing, and therefore, in many respects everything depends on the correct choice when buying. To bring you up to date, we’ll tell you about the basic principles and standard mistakes of buyers, which lead to dissatisfaction with the acquired equipment.
All power tools (with the exception of cordless ones) operate from a regular household 220V network. Therefore, do not forget to worry about the state of your wiring. In particular, do this if you intend to use appliances in the country or in an old village house, the wiring in which the USSR still remembers. Even the inclusion of a standard 2kW electric saw may well lead to a short circuit. And if “bugs” are screwed in the counter instead of the normal fuses, then in this case, great troubles can hardly be avoided.
In this case, no voltage stabilizers for the home will help. Reviews indicate that many consumers consider this device almost a panacea. Alas, most household stabilizers are designed to repay only short-term power surges. If you use bugs, then everything will burn.
What manufacturers are present in our market?
In recent years, a lot of products from the famous companies EKF, Powerman, Calm and other "masters" have appeared on the domestic market. However, there are much more of their Chinese protagonists, who not only sometimes up to a millimeter copy the appearance of their more eminent "colleagues", but also bribe our consumers with simply fabulous prices.
I must say that almost all types of electric tools have finally learned how to produce our industry. And it pleases, because most recently, products of this type were perhaps stabilizers for welding machines (bulky and inconvenient). The NPP Inteps company is very famous, which was based on the remains of VNIISMI, and subsequently worked with the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant. This company produces a voltage stabilizer "Leader". Reviews about this technique are ambiguous: on the one hand, many are pleased with the low cost and domestic origin. But on the other ...
Unfortunately, in recent years, this very worthy company has often been assembling tools from Chinese components, and therefore the quality is appropriate. But no matter what the biased consultants say, a domestic instrument can sometimes give odds to its "pompous" Western counterparts!
Is it worth buying domestic products?
In a word, domestic developments should not disdain. For example, Era voltage regulators are very good. Reviews indicate that the manufacturer is worthy. This company produces the widest range of popular power tools, the quality of which is no worse than its Western counterparts.
What do consumers say in both of the above cases? Most of the buyers are very satisfied with the low prices (up to two thousand rubles). Claims are caused by workmanship, which is rarely deplorable. In addition, according to the same "Leader" there are claims of the property that stabilizers sometimes miss sharp surges of voltage.
Do not rush to blame indifferently domestic equipment: practice shows that consumers themselves are often to blame. Chasing "savings", they do not so rarely acquire equipment not in specialized stores, but in rather dubious retail outlets.
The only advice to potential buyers: do not try to buy such a tool on the ruins! There is almost a 100% chance that another Chinese fake will be slipped to you. Of course, you will have to pay more, but you will be provided with a power tool with a normal guarantee from the company center and in which case you can repair it for free or exchange it for a new one.
Inconsistency of needs with characteristics
Someone prefers to buy products from exactly one manufacturer, and someone acquires a tool based on their needs and value for money. For example, if you live in a city where power surges are rare, it is better to take a cheaper model. Having tried it in practice, you can make a choice more specifically. So you can save a lot, and also not buy a powerful and expensive stabilizer, which will be "dead weight" somewhere in the pantry.
On the contrary, for completely opposite reasons, people often write very angry reviews. A voltage regulator, bought for a couple of thousand, for some reason burns out after a couple of months when using it for a whole "brood" of tools and home appliances! Amazing right?
Remember that voltage stabilizers for the home (the reviews of which we are considering) must be bought with a margin of at least 30%. Simply put, if the power of consumers, which will be constantly connected to it, is 1000 watts, then you need a stabilizer for 1300 watts, or better for all 1500. In addition, in such cases, you should forget about cheap models that are simply not suitable for so serious loads.
Consider some of the "aristocrats" of this market, whose products are in steady demand by professional builders and other specialists.
Rucelf
The first will be the famous Rucelf company, widely known in Europe, but just starting to deliver products to our country. The British market two types of instruments: blue and green. If we get away from allegory, then this is a professional and household voltage stabilizer Rucelf. Reviews indicate that the quality of both categories does not cause any complaints. The disadvantage is the cost of the tool itself and its maintenance: even simple maintenance will fly you a penny.
In addition, domestic buyers often say that it can be very difficult to find a service center. It is by no means in every major city, and waiting until the flimsy stabilizer will be sent to the other end of the country is not a good idea. And therefore, the purchase of a device from this company is extremely irrational in those cases when you need to power a computer from it at home or some kind of tool in the country.
The rest of the voltage stabilizer Rucelf, reviews about which are completely positive, is an excellent choice. Users say that they perfectly protect against power surges and short circuits, do not heat up and do not make noise.
Upower
Antagonist of the previous company. The brand is registered in Russia, but, according to the old tradition, hard-working Chinese are engaged in the direct release of technology. The quality is not bad, but again, everything is not always smooth with the build quality.
In particular, many buyers complain about the buttons: it happens that they are loose, and sometimes fly off. But there are no complaints about the "insides". Professional electricians say that the Upower voltage stabilizers, which we are now reviewing, are on the level of the best foreign analogues in terms of build quality: there are no traces of manual soldering, there are no overlaps in the winding conductors. So for your money (within four thousand) - this is an excellent choice.
Ekf
Let's move on to EKF. Indeed, a domestic company produces almost the same gamut of instruments as a "domestic-Chinese" competitor. The quality of their products is about the same (which gives an additional reason to rejoice for Russian brands). However, exactly the same situation with the cost of the equipment itself and its maintenance, so the recommendations for its purchase are the same. But! Given that the production is located in Russia, the company has much more territorial representations.
Grateful customers say that in almost any more or less large city there is a service center where you can repair the EKF voltage regulator. The reviews also indicate that the availability of components for self-repair is also higher, and the cost of maintenance is much lower.
Powerman
The company comes from Taiwan, but is very famous in our area. The quality of products is the highest, but the price did not disappoint. Each Powerman voltage regulator (reviews of which we will consider) undergoes strict quality control, and therefore there are practically no complaints from buyers. The peculiarity of the company is that it puts on our market a large number of compact and very high-quality stabilizers, which are very popular with IT companies that use them in server rooms and other critical areas.
Among the advantages, buyers include high build quality (but there are not too high-quality edges of metal cases), convenient and ergonomic devices for carrying.
If we talk about the shortcomings, then the reviews indicate not too high quality plastic parts of the cases: in the first days of operation, plastic can smell unpleasant. Dents and chips are possible. In addition, many potential buyers do not like having only one outlet on the case: the power of the device is enough to power several consumers, but for this you will have to use tees and splitters, which is not very welcomed by fire departments.
IEK
Next on our list will be IEK. This company from Russia has proven itself in the field of production of not only stabilizers, but also other electrical equipment. The company produces more than five hundred items of the highest class instruments that are able to meet the needs of professionals of any level of "flight".
In particular, the IEK voltage regulator, which is very positive, has earned the recognition of domestic builders for its high quality and a large number of service centers throughout the country. Especially our customers like the extremely moderate cost of production: for example, an electronic stabilizer can be bought for only 800-900 rubles, and its quality will be quite “at the level”.
Consumers say that these voltage stabilizers for the home are especially good: reviews say that they are very light, they are convenient to transport to the cottage. Despite the cheapness and compactness, these devices perfectly straighten rather hard surges and protect your equipment from short circuits.
Uniel
Another domestic company. The assembly is also mixed: product housings and part of the electronic filling are made in China, while all other work is most often carried out by factories located in our country.
What can Uniel voltage regulator boast of? The reviews indicate the same: low price (about two to three thousand) for the base models, high-quality assembly and functionality. Consumers note that the stabilizers of this company have a very informative display on which it is convenient to monitor voltage fluctuations.
Among the disadvantages are the fact that single-phase voltage stabilizers (the reviews of which we provide in the article) produced by this company are distinguished by low prices only in the case of basic models. If you need something more serious, get ready to lay out money: the cost in the middle range starts from ten or more thousand.
"Energy"
As the name implies, we are again facing a Russian company. She began work in the early 2000s, having since earned fame as a reliable manufacturer of electrical equipment. There, what is the use of the voltage regulator of Energia? Reviews say that the cost of the company's products is not particularly low.
So, when choosing a stabilizer with an active cooling system, which you plan to use in an area with constant problems in the power grid, get ready to pay 30-40 rubles. Of course, this is a definite drawback.
But what do you get for the money? Buyers testify that this price is more than justified. Despite the presence of a fan, the noise from the device is so insignificant that you can safely go to bed in the same room. In addition, these stabilizers can be installed even in unheated rooms: users from cold areas assure that these voltage stabilizers for summer cottages (reviews emphasize this) work fine even at temperatures below 30 degrees Celsius.
Calm
This brand definitely needs no introduction. A manufacturer of excellent saws, which are now used in almost every household, the German company also produces a variety of electrical equipment, which includes stabilizers.
Their products have many advantages. So, the “Shtil” voltage stabilizer, which we are going to review the reviews about, can easily compensate for drops from 100 to 260 V, it does not make noise, it heats up very slightly. As a rule, in their production only the highest quality materials are used. All this determines the highest quality and reliability of the brand. In addition, there are service centers throughout the country.
The list of shortcomings is very short. In principle, perhaps the only complaints from buyers are the cost of production: at least six to seven thousand rubles for a relatively simple stabilizer. But those who care about reliability, pay this money with pleasure.
Voltron
The brand is also Russian. Produced by the domestic company Energomir. In principle, if you read the description of reviews for similar companies, then you can imagine any Voltron voltage regulator. The reviews indicate that the company's products are of high quality, but with some Chinese “flavor”.
Since components from the Celestial Empire are used in the production, consumers most often note some roughness of the assembly, in some cases there is an unpleasant smell from the plastic elements of the case. However, all this is compensated by the excellent quality of the “tripe”: everything is neatly sealed, the transformers used are clearly factory assembled.
And for a couple of thousand rubles, you are unlikely to find something better, so our customers are quite satisfied with the purchase.
Luxeon
This is a company of Ukrainian origin, which began operations in 2000. The advantages of its products include comparative cheapness, quite decent quality and normal assembly of the case.
However, it is still better to buy these devices to the residents of Ukraine, as in Russia there may simply not be a service center that can repair them if necessary. In any case, numerous reviews speak of this. The voltage stabilizer from this company has established itself as a reliable and unpretentious device, with components to which certain problems may arise.
General recommendations for selection
Having discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the main players in the market of stabilizers (from the point of view of direct users), we will talk about some principles of choice. After all, many frustrated customers are largely to blame for the wrong purchase.
Today on the market there are the following types of stabilizers: servo, relay and electronic models. . «» .
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Thus, the most reliable and durable are purely electronic stabilizers. Reviews indicate that they can work around the clock for several years in a row. They are reliable, noiseless, they work instantly. That's just the cost of more or less powerful models can hardly be called democratic.
How to determine the power of the device?
Now let's decide on how to correctly calculate the power that you should focus on when buying a stabilizer. First, you need to find out the active (!) Power of your devices. What does it mean? If you are going to connect the same refrigerator to your stabilizer, then do not forget that at the time of starting its compressor motor will “eat” five to six times more current!
Once again, we remind you that in any case it is impossible to take the stabilizer “back to back”. What is the reason for this? Suppose the voltage drops by 20-25%. In this case, the maximum power that it can issue will also fall. The lack of power for the devices is fatal: they begin to heat up very much, which is fraught with fire.
It is best to connect the stabilizer immediately after the counter. Again we repeat: carefully check the condition of the wiring. If it is rotten, then no stabilizer will save your devices from major troubles. When you have such an opportunity, be sure to consult a professional electrician before buying! Do not trust sales consultants, many of whom (unfortunately) are poorly versed in the issue.