StarTech.com 8-Port Rack-Mount PDU with C13 Outlets - 16 A - 10 ft. Power Cord (BS 1363) - 1U

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

At £36.31 ex-VAT for an 8‑port rack PDU, this is exactly the sort of “make the patching life easier” item you buy when you’ve got a small rack and don’t want to overspend. The appeal is practical: eight switched-style outlet real estate in 1U, with standard C13 connections that suit typical network gear, small servers, and lab/AV kit. The 10ft lead and UK plug side also reduces fiddling—drop it in, cable your devices, done. For a cupboard rack, an office comms stack, or a tidy test bench, it’s good value.

That said, I wouldn’t treat it as a substitute for a proper managed PDU where you care about monitoring, per-outlet control, or tighter power governance. If you’re running higher-power kit or a lot of devices off one circuit, the main “gotcha” is load—eight outlets won’t automatically make your installation safe, and you still need to think about total draw on the feed and any local PAT/installation rules. Also, if you’re the kind of person who wants clean cable management and repeatable service access, you may find this basic form factor needs extra trunking/ducting to look really professional.

**Who should buy:** small UK racks with modest power draw where you just need reliable distribution with C13 outlets. **Who should skip:** anyone needing power metering/control, or anyone distributing heavy loads where you’ll want more robust protection/management.