Quote:
Originally posted by PowrdByX:
For the last few years, we get the occassional rolling black/brown-outs here in So. Cal. (intentionally done to relieve stress on the power grid) during the summer time when everyone's got their A/C going full blast. Other than that, lightning storms are not all that common. Your "car into pole" scenario is probably more likely than a lightning strike (*** touch wood ***)...
[LOL] Hey I've had car into my front yard twice, luckly I don't live there anymore and they never hit the house.

If it were me, I'd opt for the battery backup/surge protection. Your devices won't be on when the power goes out most times, but if it does, you'll have the opportunity turn them off controllably.