100 MACWORLD APRIL 2020
WORKINGMAC REVIEW: AUSTERE VII SERIESmmmh
Austere VII Series
surge protector (8
outlets)
PROS- Elegant design, high-end
materials, premium quality. - Five USB charging ports,
including a USB-C PD port. - 15-amp circuit breaker; EMI/
RFI noise filtration; outlets
electronically isolated.
CONS - Price tag reflects aesthetics
over features/performance. - No smart features.
- Power cord only five feet.
PRICE
$249
COMPANY
Epson
don’t rotate or pivot, and
they’re not even staggered or
otherwise asymmetrically
oriented. Despite this
seemingly ordinary design, I
had no problem plugging in a
broad variety of wall warts and
oversized power plugs, as you
can see from the photo at
right. This was a pleasant
surprise. What you won’t get
from this surge protector is
protection for telephone,
coaxial, or ethernet pass-
through connections. But we
don’t consider those features to be worth
paying for anyway.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Is the Austere VII Series surge
protector worth $200 when our
current top pick in this
category—the Belkin BP112230-
08—offers four more outlets, a
cable that’s three feet longer,
and a price tag that’s $160 less?
To be perfectly honest, I don’t
know. Is a BMW 740i worth
$90,000 dollars when you can
buy a decked-out Toyota Avalon
for less than $45,000?
Ultimately, the answer lies in
the eye of the beholder. The
aluminum-clad Austere Series VII
is an elegant-looking piece of equipment,
where the plasticky Belkin BP112230-08
looks vaguely insectoid. Both
surge protectors are relatively
similar in their ability to withstand
power surges; but ultimately,
neither will look like a piece of art
once it’s delivering power to a
bunch of clients.
Sure, the Austere VII Series
offers USB charging ports where
the Belkin doesn’t, but is that
feature worth $160? Personally,
I’d find it difficult to part with
$200 to buy any surge protector,
but I’d also never look askance
at a reader smitten with the
Austere VII Series. It’s awfully
pretty, and it’s highly capable. ■Despite the seemingly conventional layout of its outlets,
I had no problem fitting a variety of oddly shaped power
adapters and oversized plugs into it.