INTRODUCTION

   Uninterrupted power supplies (UPS) may have been around for decades in homes, offices, businesses and even industrial complexes but strangely enough noone seems to pay any serious attention to them. Now i do see consumers ask for reviews all the time but that being said i never seem to see any so i decided to reach out to all the leading UPS manufacturers out there to see if i can at least provide some insight into which models are the best ones. I did do a quick "review" of a rackmount unit by Cyberpower a long time ago but it wasn't really detailed so i'll be doing my best to provide more measurements from this point and on. So today I'm testing two of the most popular mid-range models where i live, the BX1400U-GR by APC (Schneider Electric) and the Keor SP 1500VA by Legrand.

   As a global specialist in energy management and automation with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in Non-residential & Residential Buildings, Industries & Machines Manufacturers, Utilities & Infrastructure and Data Centres & Networks. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green, the company's 170,000 employees achieved revenues of 30 billion US dollars in 2014, through an active commitment to help individuals and organisations make the most of their energy.

   Legrand is the global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures. Legrand’s purpose is to improve life by transforming spaces where people live, work and meet with electrical, digital infrastructures and connected solutions that are simple, innovative and sustainable. Every day, some 39,000 Legrand employees work hard to enhance electrical and digital building infrastructures and help develop connected buildings around the world.

   Both the APC BX1400U-GR and the Legrand Keor SP 1500VA are line-interactive models primarily aimed for home and office use which basically means that instead of pure sinewave these produce simulated (or modified) sinewave. Of course even though simulated sinewave produces a less stable output waveform compared to pure sinewave (which results in less electrical efficiency and performance) during a power failure it's more than enough for everyday use at home and/or at the office (for more sensitive equipment things of course change) and certainly a lot better than not having your devices connected to a UPS at all. So it really goes without saying that if you plan on using a UPS with very expensive equipment and you can afford a pure/real sinewave model you should go with that instead. With that detail out of the way in terms of features the APC BX1400U-GR has a maximum output capacity of 1400VA/700W (2x12V 7AH batteries), operating temperature of up to 40 degrees Celsius and offers a total of 4 schuko plugs, two RJ11 connectors (for modem/fax protection), USB host port (PC connection) and 2 activity LEDs (red/green). On the other hand, the Legrand Keor SP does have a maximum output capacity of 1500VA/900W (2x12V 9AH batteries), the same operating temperature of up to 40 degrees Celsius and offers two schuko plugs, two IEC ports, 1A USB port, USB host port (PC connection) and an LED activity bar (green/orange/red). In terms of available electrical protections, the Keor SP by Legrand seems to be taking the lead (based on the official spec sheets) since it offers overload, short-circuit, discharge, overcharge and surge electrical protections (thermal protection is also present) as opposed to the short-circuit and surge protections of the BX1400U-GR by APC. Finally, both units are covered by a 2-year limited warranty inside the EU (APC also offers replacement of devices worth up to 100.000Euro if their unit fails to protect them during the warranty period).