On Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:50:38 -0800 (PST), Kyle
wrote:

When it comes to protecting major electronics like tee-vees, stereos
or home theater systems, and personal computers, what are the benefits
and drawbacks of using a power conditioner versus a battery back-up
unit?

I mean, beside the obvious, that a battery back-up allows you to shut
things down properly rather than having the power cut-off suddenly. I
know that's not good to do to a PC, but how bad is that for other
household electronics?

And what about a major appliance like a refrigerator? Should that have
some sort of protection on it, or can its motor handle the sort of
spikes and drops electric providers seem to send down the line with
some regularity?

Motors are pretty forgiving. A UPS on TVs and other electronics is a
good idea because things like cable boxes etc have to reset themselves
after any minor power failure. The UPS hides the power failure from
the device.