That $3 power strip from Goodwill nearly burned down my garage

Picked up a beat-up power strip at a St. Vinnies in Billings for three bucks. Looked fine, worked for two months powering my shop radio and a charger. Then one night I smelled something hot and found the plastic casing actually melting near the plug. Grabbed a new one from Home Depot for $12 and popped it open to compare - the cheap one had aluminum wire inside instead of copper. Anyone else have bargain electronics turn sketchy on them?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_ward801d ago

Hell yeah, I've seen that exact crap. Those cheap aluminum wires are a straight up fire hazard. They heat up way more than copper under load and the connections get loose over time. I gutted a similar power strip once and found the wire was basically aluminum foil wrapped around the prongs. Best advice is to stick with name brands like Tripp Lite or Belkin, even the cheap ones at Walmart are safer than Goodwill finds. Check the cord gauge too - anything thinner than 14 gauge for a garage setup is asking for trouble. Save yourself the headache and spend the $15-20 upfront.

lindaw121d ago

Did you read that wirecutter article about power strip safety? Scary stuff.