Daily Archive: March 4, 2014

Simple and Effective Power Switch, Great for Christmas

Nice little gadget to check how much all of your other gadgets is costing you on electric bill – your computer, laptops, toaster, microwave, desk lamps, desk fans, window acs, tv, clock radios, WiFi router, iPhone chargers… Good quality and is easier to use than energy watts monitor.

The battery needs a 3 hour recharge and this outlet can be set for different lengths of time. This prevents overcharging. This outlet works as promised.

It’s awesome. I use it in the kitchen for my lights and appliances and in my bedroom where the socket is handier to reach than my reading lamp.

I have often worried about my poor habits with regards to battery conditioning. For example, I nearly always have my laptop plugged in when it’s at the house, regardless of whether it’s running or not, and I generally leave my cell phone plugged in all night long–even though both of these things really only need a couple hours to charge, and then “best practices” say to remove the power source.

That’s where the Converse Socket comes in. No, it doesn’t do some fancy detection of the power draw from the plugged-in device(s) like some of the more expensive devices, but rather it has a simple timer switch that will turn off the power after the configured time. The design is easy to understand: on one side is a switch that you set for 1/2 hour, 3 hours or 6 hours; and on top is a button that you press as you are plugging in whatever device needs the charge; while the countdown is running, the little green light remains lit, and when the timer has expired the light goes off along with the power.

The simplicity of the design makes it mindlessly easy to use–it’s not like programming one of those awful plug-timers with the dial of 48 tiny buttons that divide the day into 30-minute segments of “on” or “off”… just plug in and push the button, then forget about it.

My only wish is that the Conserve Socket were a little cheaper, or they would sell it in packs of 3 or something to bring the price down–then I’d buy more for all around the house. Currently, I only have one that I sometimes move between different plugs and devices, but I’d love to get some more so that each device or wall socket could have its own dedicated power-conserving socket.

The power switch creates a gentle green glow when the device is powered on. As illustrated, two of these fit well into a standard wall outlet. The frustration free packaging made it easy to open and protected the product well in shipping. Overall not a bad purchase at a reasonable price point.