Michael Garfield, The High-Tech Texan Show
Oct 10, 2026 · 1 hr 18 min · 36 segments
Michael Garfield explains how Amazon collects information about you and how to review and adjust your privacy settings. Plus, why surge protectors need regular replacement and a review of the 2026…
Michael GarfieldHostLonnie SchillerGuest
"Michael, how long do surge protectors actually last? Do I need to upgrade that? Because I'm very scared hurricane season's coming.
Should I replace these things?" And that's a very good question I'm gonna talk about right now.
Spikes take a toll on surge protectors, even if you don't know that there is a surge.
All right? And few things in modern life are as convenient as a very good surge protector.
It's a small, narrow strip that literally can protect thousands of dollars worth of equipment.
If you've got a PC gaming setup, if you've got home office equipment, um, you need these things.
I apologize for talking over your heads, and I actually apologize for talking over my head.
You can use these for a while, but what it does is, first and foremost, you need to determine if you're actually using a surge protector or is it just a power strip? And my goodness, I bet you don't know because the two of them look nearly identical.
Get, get on your hands and knees, go behind your TV, go behind your whatever it...
On a surge protector, there's usually an indicator label that says, "Protected." It could say, "Protection present," something along those lines.
Some of them have a light, little red light, and if it's not lit, it means it's not on or it has failed.
If that's the case, right now, go on Amazon [laughs] or go to your local store, throw that away, replace the surge protector if the instructions tell you the light indicates protection has failed.
If your surge protector is smoking, if it has scorch marks, if, if it looks like fried pussycat, throw it away.
"Michael, how long do surge protectors actually last? Do I need to upgrade that? Because I'm very scared hurricane season's coming.
Should I replace these things?" And that's a very good question I'm gonna talk about right now.
Spikes take a toll on surge protectors, even if you don't know that there is a surge.
All right? And few things in modern life are as convenient as a very good surge protector.
It's a small, narrow strip that literally can protect thousands of dollars worth of equipment.
If you've got a PC gaming setup, if you've got home office equipment, um, you need these things.
I apologize for talking over your heads, and I actually apologize for talking over my head.
You can use these for a while, but what it does is, first and foremost, you need to determine if you're actually using a surge protector or is it just a power strip? And my goodness, I bet you don't know because the two of them look nearly identical.
Get, get on your hands and knees, go behind your TV, go behind your whatever it...
On a surge protector, there's usually an indicator label that says, "Protected." It could say, "Protection present," something along those lines.
Some of them have a light, little red light, and if it's not lit, it means it's not on or it has failed.
If that's the case, right now, go on Amazon [laughs] or go to your local store, throw that away, replace the surge protector if the instructions tell you the light indicates protection has failed.
If your surge protector is smoking, if it has scorch marks, if, if it looks like fried pussycat, throw it away.
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