Accell Power Cutie Review – Yes, It’s called that

Unique Yet Ingenious Design

I’ve covered a lot of Accell products in the past, but this one is a bit more unique than the others.  On paper, seeing a three AC outlet, 4 USB port surge protector doesn’t stand out much.  That changes quickly however when you see how Accell designed and built the Power Cutie.

Unlike traditional surge protectors, the Power Cutie is more like a 4 inch sphere(ish) with a heavy duty power cord.  To be this compact and have as many plug/port options as it does, Accell placed AC outlets on the sides and rear, with USB ports on the top and front.  They also offer this in white, red, and a baby blue color (our review sample).  Regardless of color, the 6 foot long UL rated heavy duty cord comes in white only.

Safety

I’m honestly surprised that a huge and important feature was left off of their product webpage, but was present on the unit itself.  For $35.99, the Power Cutie comes with Tamper Resistant Receptacles (TRRs)!  For those who don’t know, TRRs have these tiny little plastic plates that cover the live/hot AC prongs on the outlet.  They only pull back and out of the way with a decent amount of even pressure from an actual plug.  This means that kids sticking something metallic like a paper clip into one of the outlets won’t get electrocuted or injured.  This is a MASSIVE feature and makes me feel much better about leaving one in a room with a young child.  There are not many surge protectors out there in the affordable segment that come with this feature, so it’s worth calling out.  If you want to learn more about TRRs, there’s a great little write-up on them here: https://www.esfi.org/program/tamper-resistant-receptacles-trrs-205

In addition to having TRRs, the Accell Power Cutie features something they call X3 MOV.  MOV stands for Metal Oxide Varistor.  This allows the surge protector to detect an incoming surge and quickly divert the power through the electrical grounding system (the third/round prong going into your wall).  Taking things even further, the MOV’s are covered in fireproof material which means no sparks/flames shooting out of your surge protector when something big hits it.  The power cord itself is 14AWG which is amazing for something so tiny.  A heavy duty power cord means it will not heat up under situations with high current devices such as a vacuum cleaner.  The fact that there is so much to be said about the safety features of this surge protector should show how much Accell has invested into creating a safe and high quality product.

Features

It’s a surge protector so let’s face it, this isn’t going to be a huge list. With that being said, each of the three outlets is rated with 540J of protection. The four USB ports provide a total of 24 watts of power, allowing you to charge multiple devices quickly. They are not rated with QuickCharge, so don’t expect to see those miraculous 20 minute charge cycles on a smart phone.

If you really need QuickCharge, you can still plug your quick charge AC adapter into one of the three outlets located on the unit. The unit itself is fairly light, but the heavy duty six-foot-long power cord has enough weight to pull the unit around a little. There aren’t any rubber pads on the bottom so the unit may slide around a bit on hard surfaces. Adding some cheap stick on pads from 3M would make it much easier to keep still on a table top if it becomes an issue. Accell does give the option to mount the Power Cutie however, by providing two screw holes on the bottom of the unit.

Final Thoughts

For $35.99, it is not the cheapest surge protector out there. When you consider the design and aesthetics of the unit, plus Accell’s huge focus on safety and quality, the price makes sense. This is a unique and quirky product (design wise) but without any considerable shortcuts or cheapness. If you need a surge protector with this kind of form factor, you will not get a better built unit out there. When you consider the value of your electronics and safety of your family and home, this is an amazing little surge protector and comes with a strong recommendation by us.