Wiremold Cable Management Box review: Tidy surge protection

Jun 08, 2024

Legrand charges a pretty premium for a clutter-free view, letting you hide the outlets and organize cables for up to eight AC power cords.

$49.99

If you’re fed up with unsightly power cords pointing cattywampus under your desk, Legrand’s Wiremold Powered Cable Management Box offers an eight-outlet surge-protector with an enclosure you can slide shut to keep those cords out of sight.

With a 6-foot power cord, you can locate the Wiremold box relatively far from an outlet. Its built-in AC jacks are set in one closed spaced row of four, and then with two 90-degree pivotable outlets spaced more liberally, two on each end. The box comes in white and black versions to match décor, though it’s not much to look at with its matte plastic molded contours.

Legrand’s Wiremold Power Cable Management Box will tidy up your cord tangle, but it’s an expensive and not all that attractive solution.

Legrand

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best surge protectors.

A simple lock/unlock switch at the top lets you slide the enclosure apart in two pieces and rotate it forward to reveal the outlets inside. You can thread cables through two oval slots or through larger openings in the back. Flip the top back up, slide the two halves together, and lock it, and you can forget about it.

The price of the Legrand Wiremold Power Cable Management Box is hard to justify.

The cable management box’s design puts a bright red on/off rocket visible from the front bottom along with green LEDs for ground protection and surge protection. As with other surge protectors, if the Grounded light doesn’t illuminate or you notice it’s gone out, stop using the power strip and consult an electrician. If the Protected LED is out, your surge protection has ended, meaning it’s time to replace the unit.

Legrand is a very large manufacturer, so it’s surprising that the company provides few technical specifications about the box. This makes the Wiremold box hard to recommend. Surge protectors typically note the clamping voltage, or the amount of voltage that passes during surges with the rest suppressed by specialized components that slowly run out of protection over time. This data isn’t available. The company notes 2,160 joules protection, which is a rating of overall surge-absorption capacity, an appropriate amount for protecting electronics.

There’s an illuminated on/off switch on the front of Wiremold box, along with LEDs to indicate if your power connection is grounded and if the box is still providing surge protetion.

Glenn Fleishman/Foundry

Legrand doesn’t provide a maximum wattage limit, either, although that’s typically not an issue unless you intend to plug in a space heater or compressor, loads that surge protectors aren’t designed for.

The bottom line on the Wiremold Power Cable Management Box is that Legrand’s product meets its promises, but it’s hard to justify fully at its price, around $45. (white and black versions are available, sometimes priced differently online by color.) The plastic case has little that’s aesthetically pleasing, so if you’re buying it to get rid of cord clutter, you might find that it’s less irksome to look at than an octopus of cables, but not by much. Without providing detailed electrical specifications, it’s also impossible for a straight performance comparison with competing products.

Glenn Fleishman’s most recent books include Take Control of iOS and iPadOS Privacy and Security, Take Control of Calendar and Reminders, and Take Control of Securing Your Mac. In his spare time, he writes about printing and type history. He’s a senior contributor to Macworld, where he writes Mac 911.