Also keep in mind that a lot of the surge protectors you buy from the stores are junk. They don't include important specifications and "warranties" that are so full of fine print they are worthless. I've seen no-name chinese ones that consisted of
nothing other than a red light behind some plastic
(this was from a local market). The market really has been flooded with tat the last few years.
A common thing you'll hear is that someones "surge protector" went up in smoke and "stopped their equipment from doing so". The irony is that often these things use components of such low quality, that they are
designed to pop and make you think it has done its job (and you'll probably buy a new one) at very low ratings.
Most electronic appliances have their own 'protections' in, in terms of making sure they don't die and stay reliable (to a degree). The components used in a PSU (PC, TV, Hi-fi) these days are of such high quality compared to 20 years ago that you usually don't need to worry. Not only that, but the national grid is excellent in terms of being stable compared to many places in the world.
No respectable manufacturer is going to skimp on a few dollars worth of components and have additional warranties to deal with because of it.
As for lightning strikes and such...these cheap devices you see in the shops usually can't handle them (there is a reason they don't publish their specs), so don't think for a second they'll help with that either. Any protection you get is limited by your link to earth ground.
There are some decent posts by westom in this thread:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....php?t=2248727
Sadly a few people in there are very ignorant to his claims (which can easily be backed up by some basic maths).
Having said that, surge protectors are real things, that really work and save equipment. Just don't expect to spend a few quid and get something much more than a placebo and / or close to nothing in terms of protection.
There is a good article here, with testing, that shows that you don't need to spend crazy amounts to get some protection:
http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and...d-compare.aspx
Buy and use one by all means, but do your research. Stick to ones that have published figures, and ideally independent testing to back them up.