CyberPower EC750G ECO 750 VA 450W UPS

Pros: Solid battery backup Handy LED display Cons: Tripped the integrated circuit breaker running both my space heater and the startup of a 1U rackmount server, which is a pretty huge load so less of a con and more of an FYI. Overall Review: The LED display is nice, and I had the opportunity to test the battery backup when I blew the circuit breaker on the UPS by trying to start the server it’s protecting while I was running a space heater through one of the non-battery backed outlets. That’s a pretty massive load and way above the rated capacity so I don’t consider it a real flaw, but I wanted to mention it. Resetting the breaker was as simple as pushing the button back in, so this was not a big deal at all. And as I said, the battery backup worked perfectly and maintained power to the server. I’m very happy with my purchase and wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one if/when I have need of another UPS.

Pros: Eco mode is a nice idea, although the time between turning off and on should be increased. The power flickers on and off during boot up. Cons: There was a lightning strike near my house and everything connected to the battery powered plugs on this UPS got fried. The surge protected plugs did their job, but the battery power plugs did not. I sent the UPS back to CyberPower and they claimed they couldn’t find any damage and would not honor the warranty. I know for certain the UPS was damaged. I hooked it up to my laptop after the lightning strike and the CyberPower software kept popping up saying the UPS battery was low, even though it showed it was charged to 100%. It had never done that prior to the lightning strike. There was clearly some kind of damage. Overall Review: I will not be buying CyberPower again.

Pros: I’m using this UPS to provide backup power to the following: “Cable Gateway” (computer modem/IP phone) network router primary desktop computer 1 display/monitor cordless phone base unit. When the UPS is in standby (on AC power) mode the Power Panel software shows the “battery capacity” @ 100% and the “remaining battery runtime” to be 37 minutes at the load level created by the equipment listed above. I’ve been present for two power outages since installing the UPS. Here are my observations: The first outage was just a 2-3 second dip and when I opened the (previously downloaded/installed) Power Panel software the power had already returned. The software indicated that the “battery capacity” was 91% and the “remaining battery runtime” was 31 minutes. The 2nd outage lasted about 4 to 5 minutes. This time I opened the Power Panel software while the power was out and was observing the “current status” screen when the power came back on. When the power was restored the software indicated that the “battery capacity” was 73% and the “remaining battery runtime” was 21 minutes. These readings indicate that the battery discharges faster than one would expect based on the information shown when the UPS is “fully charged ” and receiving AC power. While based on a VERY small information sample, I think the “remaining battery runtime” figures are probably skewed to the “charitable” side and one should not expect to keep on working for very long if the power goes out but rather should save their work and shut things down in an orderly fashion. Additionally the software is designed to automatically do a controlled shut down of the computer where the Power Panel software is installed either: a … after 5 minutes of no AC (to preserve the backup battery for subsequent outages). or b … when the battery is 5 minutes from depletion (to keep the protected equipment working as long as possible). In summary, I’m pleased with my purchase and here’s why: Typically, in my neighborhood, power outages are more like the first one I described above … just seconds long, rather than minutes or hours. With the most recent equipment upgrade, Comcast (my internet provider) no longer provides a backup battery for the Cable Gateway unit. As a result, whenever there was even the smallest flicker in the AC the modem/phone/desktop/router would crash and reboot (a rather time consuming evolution). Installing the UPS made more sense to me than buying a $40.00 backup battery for the rented Gateway equipment. Now, instead of the modem and router and desktop and phone crashing when the AC hiccups, things just “keep on keeping on” … a very good thing in my opinion. And, it was on sale as well. So, this purchase gets a smile from me along with a 4 or 5 star rating. Cons: None to date.

Pros: I’ve had excellent luck with Cyberpower products but… Cons: …I just found out that through Cyberpower’s chat that there is no replacement battery available for it even though the battery is replaceable and the UPS comes with battery replacement instructions. The Cyberpower chat rep said there was no ETA for a replacement battery but suggested that it would be covered under warranty. The voltage readings are 1-2v low. This was verified with my DVOM and another UPS. Also, directions are a bit vague about what some of the features are and how to use them. Overall Review: While the warranty notice that came with the UPS doesn’t specifically exclude batteries, I’ll be surprised if the batteries are included in the three year warranty and if the batteries even last that long. Also, it would be a shame to have to throw away the UPS after the warranty runs out just because replacement batteries were not available. If that happens, I’m switching to APC.