Radial Engineering: Power-1 Surge Suppressor & Conditioner

The Power-1 is the first in a series of power distribution and conditioning/surge suppressor units from Radial Engineering. Why was I excited about swapping this one space “glorified power strip” into some of my studio racks? Mostly because there are three power outlets on the front for all those stompboxes and keyboard power supplies (especially when using my adjacent Radial Engineering EXTC [Tape Op #100] for pedal processing). I’ve never seen a rack power unit with more than one or two outlets on the front, and I always seem to end up needing more. The rear has the fairly usual eight outlets, but four are thankfully spaced wide apart for wall wart action. But the biggest draw might actually be the built-in USB outlet on the front, so I can keep my phone powered and out of the way of my clients as I work without having to use some annoying little charger sticking out of the rack (and probably contaminating adjacent power with EMI). I’ve long been a fan of Radial Engineering’s heavy-duty metalwork, and this device is no exception to their quality builds. And thank you; there’s a 12-foot power cable! Most of the rest of this unit will be familiar, with a 15 amp rating and decent RF interference filtering, but they up the game with a high quality, US-made metal oxide varistor that takes the hit for your gear in cases of extreme power surges. Note that the Power-1 doesn’t have any of the pull-out lamps (that I never use) like some rack power units do. However, Radial Engineering also makes the Power-2, featuring a multicolor/dimmable LED pull-out tray lamp, but with only one front power outlet due to the limited real estate. All my gear at Jackpot! runs off of larger isolation transformers and uses surge-protected distribution, but the convenience of these front outlets and a USB port makes me want to get a few more in critical spots to improve workflow in the studio. An excellent addition to the Radial Engineering line of products.