I work at a movie theater, and pretty much everything is plugged into a UPS. One day, my manager hands me one and tells me to throw it away because it's broken. I'm heading to the dumpster with it when I start thinking, "Hmmm.... why not try it out at home? Couldn't hurt."
Well, it works great! A nice Tripp Lite - worth AT LEAST $100, probably closer to $200. I was very pleased to say the least. Also, I live in an old house, so if there's a thunderstorm, the power almost always goes out. This little baby keeps everything running for me, and now I don't have to reset my clock every time!