Our power frequently goes out so a UPS is a must, but worse than the blackouts are the flickering of power on and off. I've lost two expensive items (Roland MC505 and a 120GB external Hard Drive) simply due to the power fluctuating rapidly for several seconds causing the UPS to 'give up' and switch off.

I had a Belkin UPS connected to my main PC but it clearly wasn't up to the job despite it being more than rated for the PC's consumption. Sometimes it would cover the outage, others it would simply power down. I needed a good replacement and so opted for the APC Back-UPS XS 1500.

Firstly, we have yet to lose power since its installation so I can't really know for sure if the unit will perform when needed, but I'm happy to comment on the unit and software. Now this is a BIG unit, slightly smaller than a PC case and half the width. I'd say it weighs somewhere in the region of 25-30lbs so should be placed on a sturdy desk or the floor. It stands upright, although can be laid flat, and looks well made and solid. On the back are the usual separate surge protected and powered surge protected outlets, but this unit has the most number of battery powered outlets (6) I've seen on a consumer model.

Set up was easy and connecting the battery for the first time a breeze. Software installed without a hitch and is extremely comprehenive - something that gives me great confidence in the unit is being able to see recent activity - dealing with brownouts or completely taking over from outages are logged as well as a realtime estimate of how long the unit would cover you for the outage, based on your current load. Also shown is the power consumption allowing you to make an informed decision as to how many more peripherals you can hook up before you overload the unit. Alarms can be toggled through the software and tailored to your specific situation. Currently I have a powerful Alienware PC, external HD, 21" monitor and some sundry peripherals connected to the unit and yet I'm only using about 33% of the allowable capacity - nice to know should I intend adding more hard drives etc.

All in all, I've bought several APC UPS products and I feel this is one of the best they've produced - it's going to do the job very well and recommend the unit to those needing a little more power than normal.

I don't own this specific APC product, but I do own other APC products.

My home was hit by lightning on July 2, 2004 during a severe lightning storm. Both of my garage door openers were destroyed during the strike and they were on separate NET3 power line surge protectors made by APC.

NET3 surge protectors offer the best ($50,000) damaged equipment warranty that APC offers. APC refuses to pay for replacement garage door openers since in their determination, the surge protectors are functioning properly (I had to send the surge protectors at my expense for analysis at their labs).

I will never contend that a surge protector can protect any device from a direct lightning strike, but the APC warranty contends that they will replace your equipment in the event this unfortunate event occurs.

I now do not recommend APC equipment, since their warranty is worthless.

Works well with my set up. 1pc is a dual xeon p4 with 6 hd drives and 2 burners, dual 17in lcd's. other pc is a 3.2p4 with a radeon 9800 pro and a fast lcd. i also have my cable modem and router hooked up to it. power kept flickering on and off and my other ups couldn't handle 2 pc's. this one can easily handle it and you can add a battery for longer outages but i kept getting tired of a flicker causing my pc's to reset.
I dont even bother with the software so i cant rate that but it works great for my needs. so it can drive 2 pcs 3 lcds 1 router and 1 cable modem for over 4 minutes which is enough for most quick outages. it also protects against overvoltages which is nice. if my power went out for longer times i would get the extra battery but i live in seattle and the power rarely goes out for even a full minute.

I own a couple of APC UPS and surge protection products. So far this is the most functional. The features:

1. The unit can be positioned vertically (best for saving space) or horizontally (lay flat or mounted to a server rack).
2. It has a very excellent boxy design that gives an elegant and modern feel.
3. There are 8 outlets in total (6 outlets are battery protected and voltage regulated, which means less dependency on the battery and longer replacement life; 2 outlets are surge-protected for printers and office machines).
4. The included PowerChute Personal Edition is to be combined with the data cable that, when connected to your computer via USB, provides excellent control and communication between the UPS, computer and user/administrator.
a. You will know exactly how much load is taxing the UPS in real-time; Turn on/off equipment to check.
b. Shut-down function to preserve data or battery.
c. Audible and visual alarm indication on current condition.
5. Hot-swap battery without turning off the UPS.

The cons? Heavy! But then of course it only needs to be set and forget. Expensive! Not for a typcial user. Although the features should be made available for everyone.

This particular model is a little overkill. I connected a P4 3GHz (with 3 internal SATA HDD, DVDROM, DVD-RW), 21" CRT, Apple PBG4 laptop, 2 external LaCie HDD and 1 external CD-R and I still haven't reached half of the available power. Buy this only if they offer a special price/rebate. Otherwise, go with the lower model XS/RS1000 and it will suite an power user just perfectly.