Two new Yellow Jacket metal power blocks came through ourย doors for review, and we liked the build quality of each right off the bat. Theย Yellow Jacket 2177N is a 4-outlet Metal power block that has aย lighted switch, and the Yellow Jacket 5148 has 8-outlets and two USB ports with 2.4 A of power for your smart phone or tablet.
Now, power blocks arenโt exactly exciting, so this review wonโt be long. These products are, however, incredibly useful on the job site. If you want to throw down a power block and connect four tools at once to a single power source, you want something thatโs a little more durable than a power strip.
Yellow Jacket 4-outlet Metal Power Block Features
On theย Yellow Jacket 4-outlet metal power block youโll findย a nice heavy-dutyย 4-foot 14/3 (grounded) cord. Itโs obviously designed for short runs or for use in conjunction with a standard drop cord. If youโre tempted toย balk at the 14/3 gauge, the truth is that a 4-foot run at that gauge can handle up to 20-amps without causing noticeable power loss. Just make sure the supplying cord is 12/3โlike the Yellow Jacket extension cordsย we reviewed earlier.ย An integrated safety circuit breaker and lighted switch round out this productโthereโs not much else to say about it, in fact.
Yellow Jacket 2177N 4-outlet Power Blockย Details
- Model: 2177N
- Heavy-duty steel housing power block
- 4-foot 14/3-AWG grounded cord
- Converts 1-outlet to 4-outlets for use in homes, workshops and offices
- Integrated safety circuit breaker, Industry approvals: UL / CUL Listed
- Mountable power block conveniently and safely add outlets anywhere you need them
Yellow Jacket 8-outlet USB Metal Power Block Features
Weโd use theย Yellow Jacket 8-outlet power block with USB as an in-house product rather thanย somethingย weโd throwย into the mud at a job site during framing. It is, however, a good fit for an office or the shop. Not to be confused with cheap alternatives, the Yellow Jacket 8-outlet power block has a steelย housing and convenient handles that serve double duty as a nice cord wrap.ย And while we donโt view it as necessarily rugged, it does have a cover for the two USB portsโwhich are quite a bit more sensitive to water and dirt incursion than a power outlet. The twin USB ports will deliver up toย 2.4ย Aย toย charge aย tablet or mobile phoneโand in record time.
Lastly, the Yellow Jacket 8-outlet power block gives youย an integratedย On/Off circuit breaker switch so you get some minimalย overload protection with the ability to reset the system via the switch.
Yellow Jacket 8-outlet USB Power Block Details
- Model:ย 5148
- Heavy duty metal housing
- 8 outlets โ 2 Adapter outlets
- 2 USB ports with 2.4Amp charging
- Built in 15a circuit breaker provides protection against electrical overload
- 6 foot 14/3 hi-visibility grounded Yellow power cord
Using the Yellow Jacket Metal Power Blocks
We used theย Yellow Jacket metal power blocks to run power to several table saws that we were testing. While we only ran one saw at a time, having several plugged in at once was handy. It gaveย us the opportunity to go back and forth easily without having to wait to plug and unplug the saws. Itโs also nice to be able to charge your smart phone on the fly while youโre working. Just be sure youโre not running a tile saw or something that would throw too muchย debris on your electronics!
These two new products will deliver more power from your extension cords, and the 6-foot cord on the 8-outlet model stands on its own fairly well. Pricing is between $17 and $25 defending upon the dealer and where you shop. For the build quality you should be able to view theseย Yellow Jacket metal power blocksย as a good value.
