Best UPS manufacturers in South Africa

Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) are valuable tools to prevent loss of work and damage to electronics due to load-shedding, and the best brands include Mecer, RCT, and Eaton.

Each brand offers a range of UPS sizes that give users time to save work and safely shut down their electronics when Eskom cuts power.

It is important to consider that UPSes aren’t designed to keep electronics powered for extensive periods, and doing so can deplete their capacities significantly.

While it is possible to get units that can power electronics for several hours, these can be expensive, and most UPSes sold through consumer retailers in South Africa are not designed to do so.

UPS systems are generally used for just a few minutes to let users power down their equipment or until an alternative power source can take over — such as a generator or backup battery system.

Some of the best UPS brands available to South Africans are listed below.

Mecer

Mustek-owned Mecer sells UPSes and inverter systems to help South Africans handle Eskom’s rotational power cuts.

It offers stand-alone and rack-mounted UPSes, which are available with a range of capacities — 650VA, 850VA, 1,000VA, and 2,000VA, to name a few.

Its UPS products feature microprocessor control to optimise reliability, and each unit offers a range of power ports through which you can connect your electronics.

The South African company has been in operation since 1987, and its parent company is one of the country’s leading branded PC,  notebook, tablet, inverter, and UPS distributors.

RCT

Mustek-owned Rectron sells a vast range of RCT-branded fixed and mobile backup power products, including inverters, inverter trollies, batteries, and UPSes.

The company has over 20 years of experience importing and assembling multinational ICT products.

Its UPSes are available with capacities ranging from 650VA to 6,000VA. However, its line-interactive models top out at 3,000VA.

Pricing for its line interactive units range from R782 to R4,189, according to its website.

Eaton

Eaton Corporation is an American-Irish multinational power management company that manufactures a broad range of backup power, UPS, and surge protection products.

Several South African retailers sell Eaton’s UPS products, including Takealot, Builders, Makro, and Leeroy Merlin.

Its UPSes are available in various capacities, including 650VA, 1,000VA, 1,500VA, and 2,000VA. It also offers a range of mini UPSes designed to keep your Internet connection running when the power goes out.

Gizzu

Gizzu is an accessory brand that manufactures a range of smaller UPS units designed to keep certain appliances like fibre routers powered during power cuts.

These mini-UPSes range from 32Wh to 65Wh, and Syntech distributes the brand in South Africa.

Regarding its overall power products, Gizzu also produces various batteries and portable power stations that can help South Africans escape load-shedding.

Saturn

Saturn produces a range of larger tower UPSs that are distributed in South Africa through Miro.

The distributor lists two different capacities on its website — 6kVA and 10kVA — which are priced at R22,588 and R32,202, respectively.

Despite the large capacities, the Saturn UPSs only provide backup power for 10-15 minutes. However, it should be noted that they are designed to keep several power-hungry electronics running during this time frame.

FSP

FSP Group is a manufacturer of electronic power supplies based in Taiwan. It sells various power-related products, including photovoltaic inverters, UPSes, and power supplies.

Its line-interactive UPS units range in capacity from 600VA to 2,000VA, and they are sold by various retailers and distributors in South Africa, including Takealot, Titan Ice, and GeeWiz.

The company was established in 1993 and says it has since become one of the leading power supply manufacturers globally. In South Africa, FSP’s products are distributed by Syntech.

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