This low-cost UPS battery backup can save you thousands of dollars in damages – here’s how

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Goldemate 1000 Pro UPS is available now on Amazon for $199.
• With a Lithium battery that can last for nearly two hours, this UPS is hard to beat at the price.
• There’s no means of communicating to a PC for a graceful shutdown, should power go out.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve used a UPS — aka, Uninterruptible Power Supply — for various devices: computers, routers, televisions, and more. Those UPS battery backups have saved my hide on several occasions. For example, I’ve been hard at work on an important project, and the power goes out. Thanks to my battery backups, I have time to save all my work and safely shut down my computer until the power returns.

A UPS should be considered an essential device in this digital age, especially for those who live in places that suffer from regular power surges, brownouts, and more. If you want to keep your devices up and running safely, a UPS is a must.

Also: This futuristic portable battery kept my home running during an outage. Here’s how

When I recently received the Goldemate 1000 Pro UPS to review, I was surprised to find I wanted to replace my aging CyberPower UPS. Not only do the Goldemate’s specs best the CyberPower’s, but the Goldemate is also more modern looking. 

I know that’s trivial, but when you take great pains to keep your office (TV room or whatever) nice and tidy, the last thing you might want is something that looks like a relic from the early 2000s.

The specs

Of course, a UPS can’t be judged by looks alone. The specs are the real selling point, and here they are:

• A 10-year lifespan and over 5,000 charge cycles
• Eight NEMA 5-15P outlets with both surge protection and battery backup
• Built-in battery management system and PP45 terminals
• 1000VA/800W pure sine wave UPS
• Protection from power outages, high/low voltage, voltage drops, damping shocks, high voltage pulses, voltage fluctuations, and surges
• LCD panel with real-time information on battery and power conditions
• Certified UL1642, UL1973, and TUV
• Buzzer alert with mute switch
• Price – Amazon $199

My experience

The trouble with reviewing a UPS is that a thorough test requires a considerable passage of time. I’ve had battery backups that lasted many years and some that have struggled to reach 12 months before they poop out. I’ve only had the Goldemate 1000 Pro for a week, but it has performed quite well.

The first thing to know about the Goldemate battery backup is that getting a Lithium-based UPS without having to shell out anywhere between $400-$1,000 is impressive; at $199, this battery backup is a steal.

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The next thing I appreciated about the Goldemate 1000 Pro was that all eight outlets were of the battery backup and surge protection type. On my CyberPower UPS, only half of the outlets were battery backup, which meant I had to be judicious with what I plugged into it.

However, the strength of the battery is the real selling point of this UPS. I did one real-world test (after charging it to full) by plugging in my System76 Thelio desktop computer and monitor and then unplugging the Goldemate from the wall to see how long it would keep those two components running.

To my utter shock, the Goldemate was able to keep both the computer and monitor running for nearly two hours until it powered down. Even when my CyberPower UPS was new, I was lucky to get 20 minutes from it during a power outage. 

What more needs to be said about this unit?

The only drawback to this UPS is that it didn’t include the ability to communicate with the PC. Without this feature, the UPS cannot instruct the connected computer to do a graceful shutdown when a power outage occurs. For me, that’s not much of an issue because our power rarely goes out, and I’m at home most of the time. If the power does go out, I can head immediately to my office and shut down anything connected to the UPS. Or, I can hope the power returns within the two-hour mark.

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If not having a communication port on your UPS is a deal breaker, you’d be best served finding a different unit. If, however, you do not need your UPS to communicate with your machine and need a UPS with a long-lasting Lithium battery (without having to shell out considerable cash), the Goldemate is a killer bargain.

ZDNET’s buying advice

Uninterruptible Power Supplies are not a sexy sell, but if you’ve ever lost data because a power outage happened while you were working on your latest novel, spreadsheet, or anything important, you understand why these things are so important.

Also: The best home battery and backup systems

Being able to grab a Lithium-based UPS at this price is a steal, and having all eight outlets for battery backup is a bonus. With winter upon us and power outages more likely to happen in certain parts of the country, you should consider purchasing a battery backup, and the Goldemate 1000 Pro sets the gold standard for a cost-effective, powerful UPS.