The gadgeteer review: SuperDanny Spin Tower review – The lazy Susan of power strips

REVIEW – We all have them: those surge protectors that either have a mile of extra cord to manage, or that are just short of reaching the outlet you want to plug into. Aracky’s SuperDanny Spin Tower solves both of these problems worth a neat, elegant solution. Let’s dive in!

What is it?

Vertical power strip/surge protector with an internally coiled cable.

What’s in the box?

Just the power tower.

Hardware specs

• 10W Wireless Charger in Qi Standard
• Smart USB Charging
• Large Compatibility
• Space Saving and Cord Retractable
• All-Round Protection Technology
• Package Dimensions: 10.7 x 6.5 x 6.3 inches

Design and features

The Aracky SuperDanny is a 10.7” high tower of outlets. The base is about 6.5” square, and there is a coiled cord inside that is 6.5 feet long. There are ten regular AC outlets stacked three to a side on two faces and two on each of the remaining faces. On the lowest section of those two faces, there are two USB-A ports, for a total of four. On the top, there is a Qi charging pad with a rubberized ring to grip your device.

On each “tier,” there is a circuit breaker. The bottom one controls the Qi charger as well.The tower itself is only about 4 inches square, and the Qi charging pad is only slightly indented from that dimension. Recessed into the center on the bottom is a circuit breaker for the whole unit. If the breaker trips, unplug items, flip it over, and press the red button.

Coiling and uncoiling the long cord is done by spinning the tower around the base. This is not too bad when first setting things up, but if you have a few items already plugged in and want to change where it’s plugged in, it could get a bit messy.

Regarding the fit and finish, the unit is very tightly built, and the circuit breaker buttons engage as expected with “just enough” force. Although there is a dent around each tier, it doesn’t appear to be an actual seam between the lower two sections. I think the top one is added on, since there is a two-tier model available. The only real qualm I have with the appearance is the woodgrain finish: it’s painted on, and even though it looks fine from a few feet away, when it’s on your desk, under task lighting, it really looks fake. (Or, as in the photo above, it’s sitting on real wood. Also notice the bright red LED for the Qi charger.)

The other issue I have is with the Qi charger. Putting a phone up on a 4” square pillar means having an inch or so hanging off each end. While I never had any incidents during testing, the Dad in me was always worried about the possibility of accidentally flipping the phone off the tower when tapping a notification or something. I want my devices closer to the desk. Charging my AirPods via Qi, however, wasn’t nearly as nerve-wracking an experience.

What I like

• There are a LOT of outlets available in a small footprint
• Tower layout means wall warts get the space they need
• Only one bright LED

What I’d change

• Wireless charger on top is a balancing act for phones
• When cables are connected, it’s difficult to pull out or retract the cable
• The bright LED is at eye level, on the Qi charger

Final thoughts

I have used many surge protectors over the years. Most have simply disappeared into the background, the terminus of a snake’s nest of cables. The SuperDanny tower means the outlets are lifted up from the desktop, making them a bit more visible. If you have chargers for laptops that plug directly into the outlet, this means they are hovering about, several inches above your work surface. Not a bad thing, just more unusual and, therefore, more noticeable. I wound up using it on a standing height desk with my iPads. They mostly hid the cables from me, and I can now move some of my oddly-shaped wall warts to this area.

Price: $35.99
Where to buy: Aracky or Amazon

This article is written by Smythe Richbourg, view original site: The Gadgeteer