A garage can be a tough environment, collecting dirt, moisture, insects, and rodents. It can be difficult to use power tools and work in such conditions, especially if your garage’s design is one that doesn’t have enough outlets in the right places, forcing people to use extension cords or power strips. If your garage floor is always wet, you may worry about running extension cords or power strips along the floor because wet electrical components can increase the chance of electrical shock.
Hiring an electrician to install new outlets to meet your needs can cost $100 to $450 per outlet. If you want to safely add more outlets in your garage without breaking the bank, Harbor Freight has a helpful product worth considering that can help you avoid any potential moisture problems. The U.S. General 5-Outlet Metal Housing Magnetic Power Strip ($34) is available both online and in stores.
The U.S. General power strip is highly rated on the Harbor Freight website, with 98% of customers recommending purchasing it. Only about 2% of the more than 3,500 customer reviewers on the company website gave it one or two stars out of five. Many of the reviewers mentioned that the product has a rugged, heavy-duty design that they trust with specialized projects or valuable power tools. Reviewers also mentioned the strength of the magnet, which ensures that the power strip remains in place, even when it’s supporting the weight and stress of multiple electrical cords.
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Features customers love about the U.S. General power strip
Electrical cords plugged into a U.S. General power strip – Harbor Freight
You might know the U.S. General brand name from its inexpensive, colorful, and highly-rated mini toolboxes at Harbor Freight. While the toolbox is available in six eye-catching colors, the U.S. General power strip has nine color choices, including purple, red, bright green, yellow, and orange. Many reviewers say they picked a power strip color to match the toolbox they already owned. “It matches my red U.S. General toolbox perfectly,” one Harbor Freight reviewer says.
Beyond the distinctive colors, the U.S. General power strip offers desirable features, including five outlets, one of which has extra space around it to accommodate a large adapter. It also has two USB ports, a lighted power switch, and an eight-foot grounded power cord. The two magnets on the back of the power strip provide 19 pounds of pull force, or you can use the screw holes built into the unit’s housing to permanently mount it to a workbench or wall, keeping it away from a damp floor.
You can save money at Harbor Freight with this power strip. Snap-On offers a power strip with five outlets and other similar features for more than $160. The primary differences between these two products are that the Snap-On power strip has a lifetime warranty and is made in the United States. Harbor Freight only offers a 90-day warranty, and most U.S. General products are assembled in China.
What Harbor Freight customers say about this power strip
Battery chargers plugged into a U.S. General power strip – Harbor Freight
Many of the Harbor Freight customers who wrote reviews on the website say the U.S. General power strip works especially well in harsh environments. The metal housing used in the power strip’s design protects the device from impacts and reduces the risk of damage that could lead to a fire. “This power strip is perfect for any garage,” one Harbor Freight reviewer says. “The magnets on it make it great to attach to any toolbox or workbench.” Other reviewers use the magnet to attach it to a refrigerator in the garage, a metal tool chest, or a garage cabinet.
Several reviewers say the U.S. General power strip can handle a heavy-duty workload, too. One reviewer used it to run three 1,500-watt electric heaters in the garage, and the unit continued operating without tripping the built-in integrated circuit breaker. Another reviewer says the unit solved the problem of transforming a garage without enough working outlets into a woodworking shop. After trying to run multiple extension cords for power tools and increasing the trip hazard, the reviewer installed the U.S. General power strip to increase the number of available outlets near the workbench.
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