APC costs three times more than a comparable UPS...

[BillP]

Hi all,
I noticed that APC costs about three times more than a comparable UPS...

I'm comparing the Power Saving BR1500GI 1500VA 865W with an
Atlantis Land A03-S1501 - OnePower 1501 1500VA 900W.
http://translate.google.it/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.atlantisland.it%2Fita%2Fscheda_prodotto.php%...

Atlantis Land costs 110€, APC costs 310€.

Is there a reason to pay three times for the same power?
They are both line interactive with avr, what are the other factor that can justify three times costs of the APC UPS?

I'm not interested in the avodable function like master/slave and LCD, is there some real features that justify a price three times bigger?

[BillP]

i am looking into this with an APC product manager for you so i will post back when i get more info.

[BillP]

Hi all,
I noticed that APC costs about three times more than a comparable UPS...

I'm comparing the Power Saving BR1500GI 1500VA 865W with an
Atlantis Land A03-S1501 - OnePower 1501 1500VA 900W.
http://translate.google.it/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.atlantisland.it%2Fita%2Fscheda_prodotto.php%...

Atlantis Land costs 110€, APC costs 310€.

Is there a reason to pay three times for the same power?
They are both line interactive with avr, what are the other factor that can justify three times costs of the APC UPS?

I'm not interested in the avodable function like master/slave and LCD, is there some real features that justify a price three times bigger?

[BillP]

I manage the brand, along with other wholesalers, we have encountered with competitors' prices, as TrippLite, forza, well below our prices, however, factors such as 3-year warranty on certain UPS including battery and lifetime warranty for the suppressors , are a clear indication of how the brand has an excellent reputation, monitoring programs, usb connection, green line, usually more connectors and better conversion factor Watts / VA, ups online for racks can extend supported by additional battery bank, you can use the website to get the UPS according your consumption, plus the great call center, at least here in Latin America the average time to get someone is less than a minute, once customer noticed all of this advantages they will have a better perspective and the cost benefit wil change in a good way, those are my advices

[BillP]

i picKed a winna haven't you finded anything ?
I imaginated it, APC cost three times more an atlantis land and it give a fully comparable product.
Three times the cost must be justifyed.

[BillP]

Thanks for your reply but I'm really not convinced that a PVT like this can explain a cost three times grater.

[upsguy_apc]

As with any product there will always be more expensive and less expensive items within a category. I had personally never heard of Atlantis Land before this thread. Thats not to say they don't make a good product but their products do not appear to have made a big impact on the UPS world.

At the end of the day you have to decided if the cheaper product offers the mix of features and the reliability that your comparison product does. APC spends considerable time and money in product R&D as well as after sale support and these costs are typically rolled into the cost of the product. Many smaller UPS companies copy other brands UPS design, substitute cheaper components and provide less support and are able to provide their products at a lower price point.

Just a few notes as well. I found that the APC unit can be found for about 230 euros and the Atlantis unit for around 150 so I wouldn't say three times as much.

The APC UPS can have extended battery frames added for additional runtime.

The APC UPS has 5 UPS outlets and 5 Surge outlets. Atlantis has 3 and 3

The APC UPS can be used with 50 or 60 hz and can output either 50 or 60hz depending on the input. The Atlantis unit is 50hz only

The APC unit can provide 5.5min of battery backup at 100% load. The Atlantis unit provides 3min at 100% load

The APC unit is thinner and could possibly fit in certain locations the Atlantis unit cannot

The APC unit features a Master Control outlet which can shut down idle devices for energy savings. The Atlantis Unit cannot.

These are just a few features that I was able to pull up from both units spec sheets. I'm sure there are more but you have to decide if you want or need the features the APC provides as well as the 24/7 support APC offers. Did you ask anyone on the Atlantis Land hosted product forum this question?

[Anonymous user]

One of the things that APC UPSes are different form many other brands, at least here in my country, is that they make use of SMD (Surface Mount Device) circuit boards instead of the cheaper kinds of PCBs that make use of small drilled holes for fixing the components on the board. The SMD circuit board is much more reliable in many different aspecst than the other kinds of circuit boards and of course, more expansive, including the manufacturing process is more complex. The SMD tecnology is the same used on computer motherboards, video cards, etc. One other thing I also tend to observe is the filtering and surge protection stage of the APC UPSes that are much better than some other brands, many of these brands do not even install common mode surge protection, they add one small varistor only between phase and neutral and thats their claimed surge protection.

Have you ever opened two UPSes from different brands and compared what is inside of them? I have done it quite a few times! Comparing external features and the things manufactures write on their producs specs is very easy and will never be enough for telling the reason why brand X is more expansive than brand Y. On the outside they all look similar, now go comparing the quality of the components used and the quality of the battery, it is also useful to put them to the test, to run them through a osciloscope test and then, only then, compare the features . And I'm just talking about the product itself, you have to also consider the quality of service(s) the brand offers your after you buy the product and the quality of the tech support the brands offers you. APC is the only UPS manufacturer that is present worldwide and I can't find other UPS brand that has such a know-how when dealing with power problems, just reading through their knowledge base and their White Papers can confirm you what I'm talking about.

[BillP]

In my experience, you should always compare APC between premium brands.

Cheaper UPS have many of theese:
*) Capacitors are sized to the limit
*) transistor current sized to the limit
*) heat extraction to the limit
*) low quality battery
*) minimalistc copper wiring,
*) transformer cores are built from "desoriented" grain
*) LCT components
*) low quality capacitors
*) complete lack o filtering, noise, ...

Its the same case when you take appart an OEM Chinesse/Taiwanesse PC Power Supply, you can notice just weighting it in your hand that something is missing...

[Anonymous user]

Hello sblantipodi,

I have an adult son (which confirms I am not a youngster) who is an IS/IT professional. I asked him to recommend a good UPS. His response, "Anything by APC." He did not mention any other manufacturer/brand.

A long-term good history should be considered. I understand internal batteries may wear down after 4 years (+/-), which may be normal.

I am very happy with the APC UPS Power Chute monitor/maintenance application (v2.2) and GUI, as compared to the "Native" power monitor that is integral to Windows 7.

And, a high-end PC deserves a UPS with a good name/reputation.

...just some of my thoughts.

[BillP · Accepted solution]

@i picKed a winna:
I'm really impressed if you can help me here, give me some valid reason and I will buy and recommends APC for the next years,
only a good service can answer a questions like this on an offical forum.
Anyway I hope that you'll have the right data to justify the 3x price, reputation is important but it must be gained (and you have done it over years) but must be maintained over time. 🙂