Eubiq Review: The Power Socket Revisited

Eubiq Review: The Power Socket Revisited

As home gadgets go, the power socket might be the least exciting thing, but with an increasingly connected world, they can be quite a precious commodity in your home or room.Eubiq is a local Singapore company that is trying to revolutionise the power outlet concept. Eubiq offers a series of modern-looking modular power strips or systems that looks to change the way we think about power strips.

Each of us today now own so many more personal devices. You got your mobile phone charger, tablet, smartwatch, laptop, computer, TV, router, Cable TV Box, gaming console, etc etc etc. All these devices use electricity and we don’t have the luxury of keeping pace by redesigning the electrical supply for your place, be it office or home. It gets worse when you factor in your family members too. That limitation holds us back from having electrical appliances / gadgets where we want them. You can use an extension cord, which many of us do, but that just doesn’t look very good, and really leave behind one web of tangled cable mess.

I reviewed the Eubiq Director’s Track and the E-Track. The greatest advantage of a Eubiq power strip or system is the freedom and flexibility it offers. They are both standalone products, that doesn’t require installation. The Director Track comes in two sizes, 600mm and 800m, has a nicer curved back, and a more sturdy fixed stand. It also has provisions for data ports so that you can trunk up your LAN ports, telephone sockets, perfect for a work desktop environment. The Director’s Track (VSF) official retail price is $288 (600mm) and $308 (800mm) while the E-Track is $148. All tracks come with three standard adapters. That’s the official retail price but do check Eubiq’s facebook page for the latest promotion details. They seem to run them quite frequently.

A Brilliant Take on the Old Power Socket

Anywhere along the track, get a Eubiq adapter, push it in, turn, and you are connected to power. Power points can be added, removed and repositioned. I think it’s a brilliant take on the old traditional power socket concept.

eubiq-tracks

I like the simplicity and ease of use. Beyond that, the Eubiq also stands out due to the build quality, with the components, and accessories, feeling with well engineered in terms of how the system is designed and operated. Turning it on is as simple as turning the adapter clockwise and it locks in place with a click, and the light comes on to indicate the power “on” status. The premium adapters offers a nice blue LED ring around the socket. Twist it anti-clockwise slightly, and you get the same click to turn off the system. The adapter stays securely in place on the track when powered off, and can only be removed if you turn it a full 90 degrees. One point to note though is that there are numerous warnings not to slide the adapters, both on the adapters, accessories and on the tracks itself. I guess the way it looks just leads to the assumption that it would be a sliding rail. Besides that, I found it very convenient, and my grandmother got the hang of it pretty quickly.

Simply Rotate to 'On'
Simply Rotate to ‘On’

Both tracks are housed in aluminum, and is aesthetically pleasing. It does take up some space but it’s not something you want to hide away, and there’s no reason too either because it just looks professional and elegant. I think it complements modern design very well.

The tracks can either be mounted or used as a standalone. The E-track lies flat on the table, and its slimmer profile suits it better for wall mount, which Eubiq also provides the necessary wall mount kits for you to DIY or pass to your contractor. Alternatively you can also consult the Eubiq shop and discuss with them on renovation integration plans which from my understanding, they provide a fair bit of options and customisations.

Adaptors are available for all major country configurations such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Germany, Singapore and more but you really should just go for the international or the universal socket adapter variant. I have many gadgets now, from US and China, and while the adapters are international voltage compatible, the plugs are unfortunately not. So, the ability to transcend this geographical boundary with the Eubiq international adapters is appreciated.

eubiq-universal

Other Eubiq useful accessories are the USB charger ($85), which are now ubiquitously used by every modern day gadget. It’s great that there is a Eubiq accessory so you can charge your gadgets directly. The USB adapter is rated at 5V and between 1 to 2.1A. My gripes are that it is too expensive just for a single port USB charger. They should have added more functions such as surge protection, more USB sockets on a single adapter to allow for multiple charging to justify the price.

eubiq-usb-charger

Another cool accessory for the Eubiq is the Aladdin LED task light ($228). I like the convenience it offers. You can shift it anywhere along the strip, plug it in, and bam lights are on. The build quality is once again top-notch as with the rest of the Eubiq system.

eubiq-track-task-light
Modular Accessories are Convenient

Another useful accessory would be the surge protector, which offers added protection to your device if your current house electrical wiring is suspect to lightning strikes or surges.

eubiq surge protector

Best Place for the Eubiq System

Across my own experiences after a few friends house warming parties, I noticed that the Eubiq is becoming more popular in Singapore, and is often located in the living room as part of the TV console setup, or in the kitchen due to the ease of switching about or adding new kitchen appliances as and when required. I am at the stage in life where I am also starting to look at home design concepts for my own place and the Eubiq systems are something worth considering.

I personally think they would be extremely cool in a geek, hardware engineer desk setup, so that I can place my electronics anywhere I want, shift them around depending on where I am using them. I personally have too many gadgets, and with such a system, well, at least I will never run out of sockets for them. Just need to pop them in. And when I’m done, remove them to keep everything looking neat and tidy. Also, this setup is perfect for accessories like the Aladdin Tasklight, whereby I can shift the light around.

Shifting the Light Easily
Shifting the Light where I need it

I guess it helps do away with all the planning wiring headaches for new house setups in determing how many electrical sockets required as with the Eubiq, you can easily add or remove adapters as necessary. The pleasing aesthetic doesn’t hurt and make for a nice talking point in your house.

If you are doing some upfront renovation work, honestly, wiring up a house in Singapore is not cheap. A Eubiq modular system might be actually cost-effective if you plan to do up multiple sockets and the advantage comes in if you have multiple tracks at home so that you can switch and shift the adapters around when required.

Sample HDB Electrical Wiring Charges (Singapore)

  • Single Socket – $48 ea
  • Double Socket – $60 ea
  • Data Point – $90 ea

If you are planning to do up your current place with minimal renovation work, the Eubiq can still come in handy to expand the power coverage of your home, especially in places where devices or gadgets are not fixed. As above, most common house layouts see power My own house layout is the usual single or double power sockets at a specific location, and often that’s not enough, and what ensues is a snaking power extension cord that just looks messy and inelegant.

Importance of Safety

I mentioned above about the well-engineered aspect of the Eubiq and that extends to safety, which to me is something that you do not want to mess around with. The design of the track is such that no live parts are exposed so I don’t have a fear of being electrocuted if I accidentally or stupidly put my finger in there for any reason. The tech jargon here is the central strip is for the ground connector and the plug needs to twist and contact with the sides of the track for the live current. This is extremely useful for those with young kids at home. There’s no limit to the number of sockets you can use (just the amount you can fit onto the track) but you are limited to the maximum current load which it is rated at 40A. That should generally be fine, just don’t go all crazy with heavy current load devices.

Conclusion

Power sockets and god forbid, power extension cords, have always stuck out like a sore thumb in home décor setups and previous design concepts have always been about hiding them, either under shelves or within cabinets. Eubiq is changing that mindset. It no longer attempts to hide the sockets, but rather being bold and affront about it, but achieves this by looking much better than your traditional power socket.

I think the Eubiq systems are a modern-day household object of desire. Yes, the price remains on the high side, and is probably meant for the more affluent folks. The cheap option would be to go with power extensions for pretty much similar functionality. However, the Eubiq does what it sets out to do very well, offers good engineering quality, and has modern-day elegant looks. Homes, especially in Singapore, are an expensive investment, and I think the Eubiq does adds certain finesse to your home. If you are interested in getting one set, do look out for the road shows as there tend to be pretty attractive deals and with Christmas coming up, I am sure there will be some festive deals to look forward to.

Thanks to Eubiq Singapore for providing the Director Track and E-Track for review.

6 Replies to “Eubiq Review: The Power Socket Revisited”

  1. Does it have the PSB or safety mark from government? Else after warranty breakdown catch fire….

  2. We want an electrical socket 13 A 250 V . UAUX00132 (Table socket) from you. Is it available in your Indian agent? Please suggest their names & address so that we can purchase that.

    Regards,
    Rajendra Jain

  3. I have got a $1.5k package. The USB premium charger spoilt twice in 2 years. So it actually spoil within a year. Now that warranty is over, it makes buying a charger only at $85 very expensive . Definitely not well built charger. Very disappointed.

    1. Thanks for sharing! The usb charger is definitely a weak link. I heard a similar experience of the USB charger failing after a while. Better ofd getting one of those Anker or Aukey units for charging.