Most of the power strips advertised as having surge protection do offer a small modicum of protection, but definitely won't cover you in the case of a very close strike. Even the very expensive ones aren't foolproof, though some manufacturers do offer free replacement of damaged equipment plugged into them, up to a certain dollar amount. Of course, that's not as easy as it sounds! First, you must have properly registered the surge protector with them when you initially bought it. You must then ship the damaged surge protector and equipment to them for verification of the nature of damage, along with the original sales receipts for said equipment.