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| Date Reviewed: 11/25/2007 |
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 Promissing UPS with manufacturing design defects. Strengths: - Reputable UPS manufacturer.
- Protection warranty on connected equipment.
- LCD Display with energy usage meter.
- 3 year warranty.
- Replacement battery.
Weaknesses: - Manufacturing defect results in APC UPS displaying wrong enegy usage on built-in LCD when UPS is connected to computer with the USB data cable provided
Summary: 2007-12-09 18:15:15 Visually appealing UPS from one of the leading brands in this product class. The built-in LCD is a very nice feature which separates this product from the competition. Unfortunately a design error prevents the UPS from displaying correct energy usage when the UPS is connected to a PC using the USB cable that comes with the unit. It took me several months of working with APC to get them to understand and solve the issue. Not sure if they have issued a recall on all previously sold units or if they fixed design specs only on future production units, but with units made prior to Sep 2007 the energy usage shown will be about 3 times hugher than actual when the UPS is connected with USB cable to the PC. Not sure if it happens with all PCs, but it does happen with HP Pavillion notebook computers. Good service though. Company is attentive and willing to get issues solved. Unit has been replaced 3 times as a result of testing and troubleshooting this issue.
UPDATE - After 9 months of using this product I have experienced yet ANOTHER problem. The RJ-11 ports seems to act strangly when there is a power surge. Something happends with th RJ-11 ports during a power surge which makes an ADSL modem (which I have connected to the APC UPS) to disconnect. That should NOT happen. So I have had to return the product once again to APC, and the replacement I received is experiencing the same problem that I experienced from March until September 2007. Basically the LCD Load (watts used) shows the WRONG information when the data cable is used. So basically APC is not incorporating learnings into their new manufacturing processes, and I am back to square 1. Therefore I have had to adjust my rating from Satisfactory to Completely Unsatisfactory. It is unacceptable to have to return 4 or 5 units in a period of 9 months and still not have a solution!
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| Date Reviewed: 10/04/2007 |
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Strengths: *Front panel display.
*Good battery life.
*Easy to install.
*Comes with alot of accessories.
Weaknesses: *Bulky and heavy.
*Did not come with Vista software on the disc (during this review).
Summary: I am using this UPS on my PC that can take up close to 500W of power when at load. The power mostly created 8800GTX video card. While idling this UPS will last about 18 minutes.
It was very simple to install, just connect a connector to the battery. Don't be scared if you see a spark, it is normal first time connecting to it. The UPS is very heavy so be careful when handling it.
It was missing Vista software that is used to monitor the UPS, I was able to find it on APC's website so it was no biggie. I am assuming it will be included in the future. It will run fine even without the software, but you will need it to disable the alarm when power goes out.
Overall, I am very happy with this UPS and hopefully it will save me from these nasty short power outages in California lately!
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| Date Reviewed: 11/09/2007 |
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Strengths: * LCD panel with status indicator: load, bat life, minutes
* Auto Voltage Regulation to protect against brownouts
* Coax, phone surge protection as well
Weaknesses: * heavy, prior generations batterylife was disappointing.
* much greater electricity draw compared to just a surge protector (obvious after you think about it)
Summary: This is the second APC UPS i have purchased. They are simply one of the best UPS manufacturers on the market. The BX1300 has a very useful LCD panel. though it does draw additional power (~0.5amps unloaded), it gives the user real time info on what the load on the UPS is and how much battery charge is left.
my previous UPS battery needed to be replaced after 4 years of service. i hope this one lasts longer.
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| Date Reviewed: 12/31/2007 |
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Strengths: 1300 VA is enough for most applications, LCD readout of incoming signal, not too bad looking.
Weaknesses: Heavy, past APC UPS's had marginal battery life (maybe 2-3 years tops).
Summary: This UPS provides reliable power backup at 1300VA which realistically should be more than enough for for most users needs. Additionally it has a compact footprint and a LCD that can be turned on or off indicating status. My only possible complaint is that from past experience, UPS backups from APC don't have the longest life, maybe 2 to 3 years from initial use.
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| Date Reviewed: 12/17/2007 |
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Strengths: Good display
Weaknesses: Does not keep PDP TV on
Summary: This is a solid performance UPS if yo buy it to use with a computer - it keeps my Vaio and two LCD monitors going for about 6 minutes. On the other hand, I tried to use it on the home theater and it could not keep a 50" plasma TV - although the wattage was within the specs, the TV shuts itself down every time the power goes out.
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| Date Reviewed: 12/17/2007 |
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Strengths: Long battery life, LCD display, 8 outlets
Weaknesses: large, heavy
Summary: My old APC unit began acting up lately so I bought this unit. It has a much longer battery life than my old unit. I have not had to test it but hopefully it'll perform as indicated. This was large and very heavy but I guess the battery has to be large to be able to have a long back-up life. So far, everything has been running without problems.
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| Date Reviewed: 08/11/2007 |
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Strengths: LCD Display; relatively compact form-factor
Weaknesses: Lame software; misleading runtime numbers
Summary: I have been a user of APC products for many years. Recently I tried a Belkin product, as it was cheaper. The product was comparable in build and quality, and even had better software. However, I liked that this had a LCD display, so I gave it a shot. APC has still not improved their software. They include the PowerChute personal addition, which provides just the basic. The Belkin Bulldog software has power meters, charting and better statistics. The APC software is designed for an individual computer, and doesn't seem to work over a network. They have a business version that will broadcast messages and send emails, but it is harder to configure and messes with my firewall.
I do like the form-factor of this product. I also have a tower-sized BX1500, and it doesn't fit under my desk very well. This one works just fine.
Take note that the maximum runtime advertised on the box-top is quite misleading! They state 136 minutes, but the little asterix (*) drops it considerably once you put a tower computer and LCD display on it. At least they do state this, but it is misleading nevertheless.
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| Date Reviewed: 08/10/2007 |
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Strengths: Good power handling
Weaknesses: none at present
Summary: APC power supplies have always been good quality and this one is no exception. The housing is durable and the display gives all needed information and then some. The unit has plenty of power and well worth the price.
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| Date Reviewed: 10/19/2007 |
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Strengths: Great features and reasonable price.
Weaknesses: None
Summary: I love the lcd interface. It replaces a much older but reliable Apc Ups. I was surprised at its compact size compared to my older 325 unit. The added protection was well worth the cost.
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| Date Reviewed: 09/29/2007 |
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Strengths: Convenient size, good software, long runtime when power out
Weaknesses: None
Summary: The APC 1300VA provides me about 24 minutes of backup supply, and I'm running a desktop, scanner, printer, modem, router, telephone through backup supply. Setup was easy, and the software works with Windows Vista. I've had no problems with this system, and it's been tested through some pretty frequent storm outages this summer. It has a customized shutdown so you won't lose any of your computer work. It's kind of expensive ($158 at Office Depot), but it will save your valuable information. Highly recommended.
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| Date Reviewed: 09/19/2007 |
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Strengths: 6 battery backed and 2 surge protected ports
cable, phone line protection as well
Shutdown feature for PC is nice. lets me conserve power for DSL, wireless router and VOIP phone
LCD display
Weaknesses: Fan is noisy but I am first time UPS buyer so this may be normal but noise for home.
Summary: APC 1300VA UPS has nice looking LCD display which provides all useful information like time remaining and load.
Battery runtime varies by load so be sure to know how much load does your equipment generate and how much actual battery time you may have.
I have close to 300W load and as soon as power goes out, my PC is configured to shutdown after 4 mins on battery and that leaves almost 2:30 for my DSL modem, wireless router, 2 Phones.. so I know my data line and VOIP will still be available (if ATT doesn't loose DSL line power)
Nice investment for your equipment protection.
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| Date Reviewed: 09/07/2007 |
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Strengths: 6 battery backed up outlets, (2 of which are transformer block spaced) plus 2 surge protected outlets.
Protection for a variety of other device connectors.
Automatic voltage regulation
Audible warning indicators
3 year parts and labor warranty (includ
Weaknesses: None noted.
Summary: APC is well known for the quality of their products and the BX1300LCD battery backup is no exception. For those wanting more than just basic battery backup and willing to pay extra for it, the this product will not disappoint. As noted above it has six surge protected and and battery backed up outlets two of which are spaced to accept transformer blocks, as well as two outlets which are surge protected only, for such devices as printers which would draw too much power and reduce the amount of backup time needed for the computer and monitor in the event of a power failure. In addition there is also surge protection for devices connected by phone lines such as modems and fax machines, cable modems, CATV and DSS receivers (included are cables for connecting these devices to the unit). An added feature is automatic voltage regulation, which will be appreciated by users is areas where voltage may vary depending on demand by utility customers for air conditioning during heat waves. Of course the ability to display via the LCD readout, whether on line or on battery, the status of the power being provided to the units being protected (in addition to audible warnings) is a feature of the unit which will be appreciated by the user.
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