APC BR1500LCD 1500VA 865 Watts 8 Outlets BACK-UPS
See it at Amazon.com for $282.73Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(4 out of 5)Finally a real-time LCD display from APC
First a review on pricing...
There are two models - BR1500LCD (Back UPS RS 1500) and BX1500LCD (Back UPS XS 1500). The difference:
1. RS model has additional phone/fax/model/10/100base-T ethernet protection. The XS only has phone/fax/modem protection.
2. Auto Voltage Regulation is capable of BOOST (due from low voltage) and TRIM (from over voltage). Again, the XS model only has BOOST, and no TRIM feature.
The price difference between the two is USD50.00. So depending on whether you need the extra feature as well as the area on where you live to depend on the TRIM function, the better equipped model may be for you. Aside from the above they are the same in the rest of the features, battery and physical dimension.
In any case, if you plan to purchase the more expensive RS model, then Amazon is your best option - lowest price with free shipping and zero tax.
So on to the product review...
I actually owned the white APC Back-UPS XS 1500 in 2002. It was doing it's job for a good 4 years. I purchased it because it was offered on sale by a retail store. Four years later it suddenly gave up just like that. I thought the battery was dead so I ordered new batteries. In less than a day the unit went dead again. I then sent it in to a recognized APC repair shop with the new batteries I purchased and they diagnosed that the circuit board is busted. That's the reason why it was shutting down. It wasn't able to charge the battery. So it wasn't the battery that was the problem in the first place, but the circuitry of the unit itself. I threw a perfectly good battery and spent on a new one I didn't need. They said it was beyond repair as APC was not supplying those boards anymore and suggested I purchase a new unit.
In the meantime, APC's trade-up program is a joke. You are supposed to get a discount for turning in your old UPS and buying a new one from them. But the truth is they sell their units at full retail price in the first place so any discount they give you negates it and even turns out more expensive than buying online or at retail stores.
I swore off purchasing APC UPS after incurring so much expense and ending up with a note that there was no hope for a repair support for it after the warranty. This is the problem with APC and one which I told them numerous times that they offer too many product variations for the same line. New products are introduced in a year that they stop support for replacement parts on the old products.
I saw this new BLACK XS1500 with an LCD display at a brick and mortar store initially for USD199.99. For USD20.00, you're better off at Amazon for the better RS model.
Then just before the Memorial Day weekend they put it on sale at USD144.99. That's a no-brainer USD55.00 in savings for the low end model. On top of that, I would have to spend even more to get the RS model. I couldn't resist and purchased two of the XS models that day.
(NOTE: May 27 - The price is now back up to USD199.99 so it's not worth purchasing the XS model. Amazon's RS model is your best option at this point.)
The manual suggests charging the unit for 16 hours straight prior to use. It comes with the connectors disabled so the batteries remain fresh when purchased. Unlike the white version, this product is more compact due to it's smaller height being 6 inches less. Although it is 1.85 inches wider. It is also 5lbs heavier perhaps due to the new battery model.
Specs:
1. 865 Watts / 1500 VA (same as white)
2. 6 battery back up outlets and 2 surge outlets (same as white)
3. Surge energy rating is 340 Joules (white version is 420 Joules)
*The above specs I got directly from APC website.
The white version only needs 8 hours recharge time versus the black's 16 hours. However, unlike the white version, this black version comes with an LCD which makes it very convenient and informative. How?
1. It will tell you input voltage of the outlet. Now you'll know if there's something wrong with the supplied current.
2. It will tell you the output voltage it is giving to your equipment.
3. You are given the actual load in Watts as well as percentage and a bar graph to help you determine how much more you can connect. No more guessing how much your computer is taxing the UPS.
4. The most convenient of all features is the bar graph showing how much battery life is left. Manual states you can expect to replace battery within 3-6 years. Umm, okay. This time it will tell you how much battery life is left. A real life saver to help you determine if the battery is being charged properly and when it's time to start saving for that ubber expensive APC battery replacement part.
You have a choice of having the display shut off for stealth mode. In fact it comes with this feature enabled from the factory. I changed the setting to show me the real-time display of my computer load so I know how hard my processor is working.
By the way, I'm using an Apple Power Mac G5 2.0 DP (with a massive nVidia Geforce 6800 Ultra DDL graphics card, 4 internal - 3x250GB, 1x160GB SATA hard disks, an SATA PCI-X and FireWire 800 PCI-X controller. There is also a 23" monitor and HP scanner. All are idling at an averaging 215 Watts. That's only 24% of the capacity of the unit and a good 22 minutes of runtime. With five (5) more free outlets, it enables me to work the computer under heavy load, add more external peripheral and still get respectable runtime left.
The Cons...
1. APC makes too many models every year. Apart from that, they make sub-models and confusing branding within a model as you have seen in this case - RS is also known as the BR1500, XS is also known the BX1500. I've lost support for replacement parts on the white version by the time the unit gave in. I was hoping to be able to simply replace batteries and keep adding more UPS units. In my case, I needed to throw the old one with no hope for repair.
2. APC makes expensive products. There are a handful of other manufacturers that make similar LCD units for way less. I would have gone that route, but the current sale they are offering this brings the price at par with the less known brands.
3. APC battery prices are crazy expensive. They last around 3-6 years. You would need to replace them for continued functionality. Sadly my old APC UPS gave up first than the battery. Being out of warranty, my only choice was to buy a new unit.
If you actually dissect the APC battery, you'll know it's manufactured by some other company. If you're resourceful enough you can grab the very same model for way less. But make sure it's the same brand and model because there are a lot of cheaper battery replacements out there that don't last as long.
4. I wanted to state that APC is expensive because of reliability so that should offset the pricing. Well, in my case I get less than satisfactory product life.
5. Software version is very old. There are no 2007 updates especially for a Mac. In fact the CD that came with this NEW product is older than what is available at the APC website.
My suggestion - just like the LCD read out, they need to make this data possible to display on your computer screen so you don't have bend down and check runtime and load levels, if and when needed.
6. Furthermore, one more convenient LCD readout should report UPS temperature. I believe this may help reduce failure of units especially when heavily loaded.
Verdict...
Amazon's RS offering at less than retail is a great purchase. If you can find the lower XS model for USD150.00 and won't be needing the TRIM function from over voltate power supply, I would suggest grabbing it quick.
Either model you choose, the LCD display feature is a very convenient addition as it gives you real-time report. These current black models are more compact and able to fit in smaller spaces under your desk.
As for the life of the product, only time will tell if these choke right after warranty period.
So four (4) stars right now especially if you find them on sale at a brick and mortar store.
(4 out of 5)Overall nice, but with a few caveats
There are several nice features in this unit, including (1) 1500VA, 875W battery backup, (2) front LCD display, (3) 6x battery backup outlets, (4) 2x surge-only outlets, (5) Phone jack, coax cable, and user-replaceable battery. The front LCD is slick, and displays in/out voltage/freq, current load (in watts and percent of max), and estimated battery backup time left.
Beware the tech specs listed: (1)the surge suppression energy rating is only 340 joules! This is almost 1/3rd less than other brands at this VA rating. Second, and the biggest con, is that this unit only provides AVR boost and not trim/buck. Which means that during overvoltages, this unit will go to battery mode to provide safe output. If you live in an area with frequent overvoltages, go with a different unit that has true AVR in both directions, so that the battery isn't depleted during Trim/Buck modes. While other non-LCD RS series units from APC have true Trim, the LCD units do not. I confirmed this with an APC tech.
Watch out for the BX versions that are frequently sold in brick-and-mortar stores. Though they look like their BR counterparts, there are differences. Check APC's knowledgebase for details.
Finally, on a system equipped with a 17" LCD monitor, QX6700 CPU, 680i motherboard, 2x SATA drives, and a 8800GTX with 850W power supply, the system draws 280W idle, and 360W in intensive games. Even with a 1500VA UPS, this means that average runtimes will be 17 min (idle) and ~7 min (gaming).
(2 out of 5)Has a major flaw
The purpose of this unit is to: 1) supply power for a limited time in the event of power problems (blackout, brownout, overvoltage, etc.) so that you can perform a manual, controlled shutdown of your equipment, and 2) perform an automated shutdown (actually, perform a "hibernation" shutdown) if you are not present. But BEWARE: if you have a larger system, one that takes more than two minutes to complete its hibernation "save" process, the UPS will shut power off before the hibernation process is complete leaving you with no checkpoint recovery. You will get a Windows shutdown but any running programs will probably lose data. This is because the time that the UPS allows for hibernaton to complete is FIXED at 2 minutes and there is no way to change this. I discovered this problem during testing and APC's tech support confirmed this limitiation and recommended that I buy one of their "Smart-UPS" systems instead which has an time allowance that can be set. Just test your "time to hibernate" before you buy, and consider what may happen if you upgrade to a larger system down the road.
(4 out of 5)Great quality.. super expensive batteries
APC makes good quality products but as many have noted there are two basic problems. First, they keep changing their line-up of products so that if you product dies when out of warrenty you probably have to buy a whole new UPS unit since APC would have dropped support for your model by then and even a simple and cheap replacment part would not be available. Second, their charge an arm and a leg for replacement batteries! It is insane.. but if you do your search online and do a careful study you can probably get the same type of battery (but different brand name on it) for a lot less.
Also, I never buy the BX/XS models as they rely on the battery for some voltage regulations and that dies out the battery faster. the RS models are worth the extra bucks I think.
(2 out of 5)"No replacement battery option for BR1500LCD"
Let me start by saying that this is a very nice UPS. It offers okay runtime, lots of outlets and the LCD display is an outstanding feature. I'm the IT director at a medical facility and have been using APC products for many years, supporting critical servers, network gear and desktops, and have always been pleased with their products.
I bought the BR1500 because my local phone company replaced the copper phone wires to my house with fiber optic cable. One downside of doing that is that the copper wire carried its own low voltage power, which is why a phone that didn't need to be plugged into an outlet would continue to work if you lost power. The fiber optic doesn't do this. To compensate, the interface between the fiber optic connection and your interior phone wiring has a small lead acid batter that they claim will keep the interface running for four to six hours. When we lose power, it's generally for at least 12 hours, and the last time was for two and a half days.
So I ordered the BR1500 and set it up to feed power to the fiber optic interface. The UPS reports that the interface is drawing 15 watts and that it will power it for 258 minutes (4.3 hours). Now I have roughly eight to ten hours of runtime, which is not as much as I was hoping for. What I thought I would do is buy a second battery and have one on the shelf, changing them out every few months so that the one on the shelf has a fairly fresh charge. Then if I lose power and deplete the battery that's currently installed, I could swap it out with the spare.
The documentation that comes with the BR1500 says the unit uses a replacement battery part number APCRBC109. I searched on the APC website for this part number and found nothing. I emailed APC tech support and got a reply that said "I am afraid to say that there is no replacement battery option for BR1500LCD. If the battery needs to be replaced the whole unit needs to be replaced.
A phone call to APC tech support confirms this. They consider the unit too new to offer replacement batteries for it and have no date when they'll be available. They also don't recommend keeping a battery on the shelf because it will slowly lose it's charge, but admit that swapping them every few months would avoid this problem. I think that they make a lot more money selling new UPS's than they do selling spare batteries.
In fairness to APC, they said that if the battery failed during the two year warranty, they would replace either it or the whole unit, but couldn't tell me if replacement batteries would be available after the unit goes out of warranty. And I think that it's more than a little odd that they list a part number for a battery in the product documentation that can't be purchased. So I'm giving the unit two stars. It's a four star UPS (the runtime could be better for the money) and zero stars for parts availability.