Top 3 best uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) of 2021 | Wirecutter's review

2021-11-12 08:00:49 By : Mr. Robert Tang

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After a new round of testing, we choose Cyber ​​Power CP900AVR as our first choice and APC BR1500MS2 as our upgrade choice. Amazon Basics Standby UPS 800VA is still our budget choice.

After a new round of testing, we choose Cyber ​​Power CP900AVR as our first choice and APC BR1500MS2 as our upgrade choice. Amazon Basics Standby UPS 800VA is still our budget choice.

We have also added test instructions for Tripp Lite AVR750U (our previous first choice) and Cyber​​​Power AVRG900U to other high-quality UPS equipment, and we have provided some recycling tips during maintenance and maintenance.

Most people can easily survive a home outage—it is very likely that when you find a spare flashlight battery and start playing a board game, your lights and TV will have turned on again. However, if you want to keep your home Wi-Fi network and some other key electronic devices operating normally during a power outage, then an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) may be a worthwhile investment. After spending 34 hours interviewing experts, considering more than 100 models under $250, and testing the best candidates, we found that Cyber​​​​​​​​ , PC, external hard drive or game server) during a power outage of up to four hours.

This UPS has 5 backup battery sockets, a total of 10 sockets, which can reliably keep your Wi-Fi network running for up to four hours in the event of a power failure, or allow your home office to have enough power supply time for You save your work and shut down.

*At the time of publication, the price was US$136.

Cyber​​​​Power CP900AVR will cover most people's basic knowledge during common short-term power outages. In our test, it provided enough power to run the home broadband modem and Wi-Fi router for four hours, which means you can stay online and contact emergency services, follow the news and the weather in the event of a power outage Change, or just kill time on your favorite website. It does not require any settings other than plugging in a power source. It includes automatic voltage regulation-an important feature that some cheap models lack. Five of its 10 sockets are battery-powered, and its compact shape (about the size of a three-ring binder) and 6-foot-long power cord make it relatively easy to store under a desk or bedside table.

This UPS has the highest peak power output and runtime of any model we tested, so it can run more equipment and run longer than any other model. In addition, its higher-quality power supply is compatible with even the most sensitive electronic devices.

*At the time of publication, the price was $220.

The APC BR1500MS2 is the most expensive UPS we recommend for most homes or small offices, but the extra features it contains are very valuable. If you need to power more (or larger) devices on a computer workstation during a power outage, it can provide up to 847 W of power-it is difficult for us to find strong enough home office equipment in our tests to overload it. Just like our first choice, it can run ordinary modems and routers for up to four hours, giving you enough time to save your work and wait for the power outage to end. Approximately the size and shape of a small PC tower, it has a total of 10 sockets, 6 of which are backed up by batteries, and two additional USB ports (one USB-A and one USB-C) for charging small devices An additional power adapter is required. Due to the use of pure sine wave inverter, its power is as smooth as a standard wall socket, even sensitive equipment such as CPAP machines can be safe and reliable. Finally, its backlit screen provides useful information, such as remaining battery life and the total wattage of the device plugged into the device.

This kind of UPS lacks advanced features, but it has sufficient sockets and power supplies to keep the home Wi-Fi network running for an hour and a half when the power is off.

If your budget is tight, Amazon Basics Standby UPS 800VA is an affordable UPS with battery and runtime compared to more expensive models: it can run typical routers and modems for up to one and a half hours. Its maximum output is on the lower side (we measured up to 470 W in our tests), but this should be enough for six battery-powered sockets to support basic functions such as home Wi-Fi devices. Unlike our other options, this less expensive model uses standby power management instead of automatic voltage regulation (AVR). In most cases this should be fine, but the battery is more difficult and you should not use it for sensitive AV equipment or medical equipment. In addition, unlike the three-year warranty provided by brand companies, Amazon only provides a one-year warranty for its UPS models.

This UPS has 5 backup battery sockets, a total of 10 sockets, which can reliably keep your Wi-Fi network running for up to four hours in the event of a power failure, or allow your home office to have enough power supply time for You save your work and shut down.

*At the time of publication, the price was US$136.

This UPS has the highest peak power output and runtime of any model we tested, so it can run more equipment and run longer than any other model. In addition, its higher-quality power supply is compatible with even the most sensitive electronic devices.

*At the time of publication, the price was $220.

This kind of UPS lacks advanced features, but it has sufficient sockets and power supplies to keep the home Wi-Fi network running for an hour and a half when the power is off.

I have been a science reporter for more than seven years, covering topics ranging from particle physics to satellite remote sensing. Since joining Wirecutter in 2017, I have reported on surge protectors, driving recorders, USB-C cables, etc. For this guide, I spent a total of 34 hours researching and testing UPS equipment.

I worked with Lee Johnson, an electrical engineer with more than 15 years of experience in electronic design and testing, to determine the surge protection capability of each UPS in our round of testing in 2021.

In addition, to learn more about how to recycle used UPS devices, batteries and other e-waste, I interviewed Joe Day, Global Business Development Director of TerraCycle Regulated Waste, a private company specializing in difficult-to-recycle materials. I also interviewed Linda Gabor, the head of external relations of the battery recycling non-profit organization Call2Recycle, and Leo Raudys, the CEO of Call2Recycle.

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) basically encapsulates a surge protector, a battery, and a power inverter (which converts the energy stored by the battery into usable power) in a single unit. The size of the battery determines how long it can provide power, and the inverter determines how much power it can output at a time. It is usually listed in volt-amperes (VA), but it is easier to discuss in watts (W).

The small, inexpensive UPS is perfect for anyone who wants home Wi-Fi and the Internet to stay online during brief power outages or power shortages. Unlike landline phones that can work without a power source, digital phone services and Wi-Fi require a broadband modem, which may only have a small amount of spare batteries. Adding UPS allows you to stay online and stay connected for an hour or more in case you need to contact emergency services-or if you are about to complete a critical encounter in Dark Souls and your comrades are counting on you.

Large UPS units with extra power and features can help home offices and workstations keep running during working hours, or at least have enough time for you to save your work and safely shut down vulnerable equipment. If there is a large amount of important data on a desktop computer, external hard drive, or network-connected storage, a UPS may be required to prevent the drive from losing data in the event of a sudden power failure. In some cases, UPS can provide critical backup power for home medical equipment (such as CPAP machines for sleep apnea) within a limited time.

The small, inexpensive UPS is perfect for anyone who wants home Wi-Fi and the Internet to stay online during brief power outages or power shortages.

Compared to simply buying a UPS, powering your home theater during a storm for a movie marathon is more difficult and costly. If you need long-term power supply, the ability to keep refrigerators and other appliances connected to power, or a way to illuminate the whole house in the event of a power outage, then off-grid options such as backup generators or professionally installed battery packs are your best choice .

Synology DS220 is our best choice of 2-bay NAS because of its ease of use, support for third-party applications, fast performance and other useful features.

We first considered more than 100 models from three leading companies: APC, Cyber​​Power and Tripp Lite. We have tested the uninterruptible power supplies and surge protectors of these companies in the past, and these three companies have long enjoyed a reputation as a reliable manufacturer of electronic products. Since UPS is designed for emergencies, choosing a reputable brand is crucial to avoid buyers regretting the worst. We have also added some models from Amazon Basics to our list because it is a prominent choice when you shop online.

In order to reduce our large list of candidates, we considered the most important characteristics of a good UPS and formulated the following requirements:

After applying these criteria to the available options, we are left with 12 competitors to test:

We tested the performance of each model in several key areas, including:

Tripp Lite’s 12-socket TLP1208TELTV can absorb thousands of volts, so they won’t burn your equipment, and it helps you know when its protection fails.

This UPS has 5 backup battery sockets, a total of 10 sockets, which can reliably keep your Wi-Fi network running for up to four hours in the event of a power failure, or allow your home office to have enough power supply time for You save your work and shut down.

*At the time of publication, the price was US$136.

The advanced features offered by Cyber​​​Power CP900AVR are usually found in devices that are twice as expensive. It has a peak power output of 738 watts-which is one of the highest numbers we measured in our tests, and is more than twice the power required to run home modems, routers, PCs, and external hard drives-and it can hold the modem And the router (20 W load) runs for up to four hours. In addition, it has 10 sockets, including 5 battery-powered sockets, to keep these devices running during a power outage. It is easy to use, compact in design, and can be placed comfortably under most workstations.

The CP900AVR has an improved sine wave inverter, so the electrical waveform it produces is slightly fluctuating than the waveform you get from a pure sine wave inverter in the more expensive model, which is more suitable for powering sensitive equipment. But because it has automatic voltage regulation (AVR), the UPS does not need to switch from wall outlet power to battery power as frequently as models lacking this feature. This technology provides more reliable power for connected devices that cannot tolerate power drops (such as hard drives) and should extend the overall life of the device.

In our tests, this CyberPower UPS achieved higher peak power than any competitor at the same price and was as good as some of the more expensive devices we tested. We were able to plug in equipment worth 738 watts — two lights, a fan, 10 halogen bulbs, and even a KitchenAid blender set to medium power (don’t do this at home) — until its built-in battery finally cried uncle And shut down. Obviously, most people will not power their KitchenAid mixers on UPS during a power outage, but our test is a good indicator that the device can at least provide almost everything you need in your home office for a short period of time powered by.

The running time of the CP900AVR is as good as any model we have tested, and better than most models. From our testing, we expect it to run the modem and router for up to 4 hours — or let the modem, router, PC, and external hard drive run for about 17 minutes — to give you enough time to save any work and Close any programs you have open. This result is comparable to what we saw from the upgrade options, and more than twice the result of our budget options.

CP900AVR has a total of 10 sockets, including 5 battery-powered sockets, so you can keep your PC, monitor, NAS, modem, and router running when the power is off. The sockets are arranged in two rows with enough spacing to accommodate most plugs, two of which can accommodate even the most bulky plugs. The device has a compact, upright design-the shape and size of a box of home-packed cereal-so you can easily hide it next to a computer tower or workstation wireless router, or place it next to speakers and stereo receivers In the record player settings.

This model is as easy to use as any UPS we have tested. It has a large round button on the front to turn the device on and off, and the other to mute the notification noise (twice beeps every 30 seconds after a power failure, and a quick beep when the backup battery is about to be powered off. , If there is an overload or short circuit, a continuous tone will be emitted, or if the UPS has an internal problem, a beep will be emitted every two seconds). Below these buttons is a set of four small LED lights, which will light up (clockwise from the upper left corner) to indicate when the device is turned on, the backup battery is activated, the device is overloaded, and when the AVR function is activated. There are on both sides of the device Large vents to prevent overheating, all ports and connectors are located on the back.

In addition to 10 AC power outlets, the CP900AVR also has two coaxial connectors that can be used to connect a cable box or modem, one serial port for printers or other peripheral devices, and two to connect the device to the server A network port, Wi-Fi router or any other device that requires a wired network connection. It has a USB-B port to connect the UPS to your computer-if you want to use CyberPower's software or the computer's operating system to set up data saving, monitoring and other functions, you need to do so. It also has a small LED light that will alert you if it detects a wiring fault in the socket you plugged in, and a red button to reset the circuit breaker in the event of an overload or short circuit.

The CP900AVR has a thick and flexible 6-foot power cord that is as long or longer as the power cord on all the devices we tested. Like our other options, its plug has a flat, low-key shape and is oriented at a 45-degree angle, so it won’t block more than one wall outlet (although if you prefer straight plugs, our previous First choice, Tripp Lite AVR750U, is a good choice).

Cyber​​Power provides a three-year warranty for CP900AVR, which is as long as the warranty we found for home UPS. Three years is enough for you to test your UPS to determine whether it is useless and whether it meets your needs in an actual power outage.

Cyber​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​" Its ports are also not easily accessible because they are located on the back of the device rather than on the top, but this is a worthwhile trade-off to reduce wire clutter. Although this model has two fewer outlets than our budget choice, for most people, 10 outlets are enough-and all models with more outlets we tested had worse peak power or operation hours.

When we applied 5,000 volts to this unit, it blocked all voltages except 540.4 volts. This is not as good as we have seen from our favorite surge protectors. When tested with the same equipment and parameters, none of them can withstand a voltage of more than 300 volts. However, for most household power spikes, voltage dips or surges, CP900AVR can protect your equipment better than most UPS models we tested. Some of them (such as CP800AVR and CP685AVRG) each allow more than 700 volts to pass Voltage.

In order to power and protect key equipment, such as CPAP machines or high-end audio equipment, you'd better use our upgrade option, because the waveform generated by the improved sine wave inverter of this model is slightly chopped and may not be compatible with some equipment .

This UPS has the highest peak power output and runtime of any model we tested, so it can run more equipment and run longer than any other model. In addition, its higher-quality power supply is compatible with even the most sensitive electronic devices.

*At the time of publication, the price was $220.

If you need more power, longer running time, or the ability to protect sensitive electronic equipment (such as home AV equipment or medical equipment) in the event of a power outage, APC BR1500MS2 is your best choice. Its cost is about twice the price of CP900AVR and other models, but its peak power output is higher than almost all other UPSs we have tested. It can keep the home Wi-Fi network powered for a few minutes, and it has an LCD screen. Monitor output, battery life, and other variables closely. In addition, you can use its two USB ports to charge a mobile phone and another small device when there is no power failure.

Because it has both a pure sine wave inverter and automatic voltage regulation (AVR), the device can even be used with the most sensitive electronic equipment. In our tests, we exhausted 10 watts, 50 watts and 100 watts of appliances to try to reach the peak power output of the BR1500MS2, so we finally tested it by plugging in a hair dryer-don’t try this at home, because The UPS is not designed for use with heat generating equipment-the maximum output power we finally measured afterwards was 847 watts.

Similarly, the BR1500MS2 discouraged most competitors in terms of battery capacity because it ran for 4 hours under a 20 W load and 21 minutes under a 300 W load. The only close competitor is our first choice and Cyber ​​Power CP1500PFCLCD (the latter is also the only UPS that beats the BR1500MS2 in output, with an output power of up to 930 watts). No matter how big your setup is—maybe you have a complete workstation with a power of 300 W or more, or you only plugged in a modem and router with a total power of about 20 W—BR1500MS2 should buy you enough time To save your work and close all programs.

Like our preferred product, BR1500MS2 has 10 sockets, two of which are spaced enough to accommodate oversized plugs. It has one more battery-powered socket than our first choice (six to five), so you can keep your computer, monitor, external hard drive, modem, router, and NAS unit running without skipping the beat when the power is off power failure. In addition, the front USB-A port and the more powerful USB-C port (according to our measurements, their total output power is 19 W) can help release a surge-protected AC power outlet, otherwise it may be damaged by the USB Wall charger occupies.

No matter how big your settings are, this UPS should buy you enough time to save your work and close all your programs.

BR1500MS2 is one of the largest models we have tested, measuring approximately 4 inches wide, 10 inches high, and 14.5 inches deep (CP1500PFCLCD and CP900AVR are roughly the same size). Like our preferred product, it is placed upright, so it is more suitable for placement next to desktop computer towers or bookshelf speakers, rather than sliding under the table or mounting on the wall.

When we flooded the BR1500MS2 with a surge of 5,000 volts, it was able to block all voltages except 593.2 volts. This hardly offers as much protection as our favorite surge protector, and is slightly worse than what we have seen from other UPS choices (our first choice lets pass 540.4 volts, while our budget choice only lets pass 402.8 volts) , But this model will still protect your equipment from most household power surges.

BR1500MS2 is one of the three UPS devices we tested with the display screen (other models, APC BR1000MS and CP1500PFCLCD, are similar in price and have all the same key functions, but in our test, their running time is shorter, allowing each to pass Higher voltage than BR1500MS2). The screen is large and bright, with easy-to-read text and images. It will tell you whether the UPS is turned on and supply power to your equipment. It can also transmit many other information, including current input and output, battery charging status, maximum load used by your equipment, and estimated runtime (In minutes) Whether a power outage has occurred, how many power outages have occurred, whether the alarm volume has been muted, when the UPS uses its AVR function, and when the backup battery is activated. This is not information for everyone to know, but it can provide additional peace of mind-this is especially good when you are scrambling to safely power off your device during a power outage.

At the bottom of the screen, you will find (from left to right) a display button to switch options, a power button, and a mute button to mute the chirped audio notification. The last one is particularly useful for this unit, because you can get most of the necessary information from the display instead of trying to infer meaning from a series of chirps (bigger and less charming than the actual birdsong).

Like every model we tested, the BR1500MS2 has a small light (on the back) that turns red if it encounters a problem. But its screen provides additional information, such as whether the problem is internal, wall wiring errors, or battery overload. Like most UPS devices, it has a red button (also on the back) that you can press to reset the circuit breaker, which means you don't have to unplug the UPS and plug it back in every time a problem occurs.

Like our first choice, this UPS has two network ports, one serial port, one USB-B port and two coaxial connectors. For most people, all these ports are unnecessary, but they don't take up much space, and they are good if you are worried about power surges on these lines.

If you have a Windows computer, you can connect it to the USB-B port and run the software that comes with APC to schedule your computer to turn on and off at a specific time, back up specific data, etc. If you have a Mac, you can use the native shutdown function of the operating system to perform similar tasks.

Like our preferred product, the BR1500MS2 has a 6-foot power cord that connects from a wall outlet to your work or entertainment equipment, and comes with a three-year warranty in case you encounter any UPS problems during this period.

This kind of UPS lacks advanced features, but it has sufficient sockets and power supplies to keep the home Wi-Fi network running for an hour and a half when the power is off.

If your budget prevents you from getting one of our other options, Amazon Basics Standby UPS 800VA is a good choice-in addition, it adds two outlets. But in order to save some cash, you give up something: it has the lowest capacity and peak power output of all our choices, as well as the shortest power cord and the cheapest warranty period. And don't plan to use it to protect electronic equipment that requires a pure sine wave inverter or automatic voltage regulation (AVR), because it lacks these two functions.

In our tests, this cheap option has enough power output to be used for home network equipment or simple home office settings. We measured a peak power output of 470 W because it allowed us to connect various 8 halogen bulbs and two lamps to its battery-powered socket, and then it would run out after a few seconds. This is lower than the output of most UPS devices we tested, but it is still sufficient to power desktop computers, home modems, Wi-Fi routers, external hard drives, and some small devices.

If you just want to keep Wi-Fi powered during power outages, this Amazon Basics option is a cheaper way and can last about an hour and a half (this is the duration of using our 20 W fan). However, it will not last more than a few minutes under a heavier load; our measured running time under a 300 W load is only 6 minutes.

This UPS has a total of 12 sockets, you can plug your electronic devices into them, including 6 battery-powered sockets, to protect some sensitive devices, such as routers, modems, laptops, monitors, external hard drives or NAS in the event of a failure And alarm clock. power failure. This is two more outlets than any of our other choices.

The device is about the same size and shape as a dictionary lying flat on the back. The sockets are widely spaced, and four of them have enough space for super-power bricks. The only auxiliary connector for this device is a USB-B port, which you will need if you want to use the included software to let the UPS trigger a safe shutdown of your computer (it works on Mac or Windows). Like our other options, it has a circuit breaker reset button, which can easily restart the device if it is overloaded or short-circuited; this function prevents you from having to unplug and reinsert the entire device.

When we shocked this device with 5,000 volts, it blocked all other devices except 402.8 volts. Although this is about twice the voltage allowed by our favorite surge protector, it still has better surge protection than any UPS we have tested (except for the Tripp Lite AVR750U, which has a performance Roughly the same). This means that, unlike some models we tested, your precious equipment should be adequately protected against common household power fluctuations and less frequent blackouts that trigger backup batteries.

At the top, the Standby UPS 800VA has an on/off button that doubles as all the indicator lights of the device: for example, when the device is powered on and working, the button turns steady green, and it flashes and emits when the device is on Beep sound UPS runs on batteries. When the battery is overloaded, it will become stable and play a constant tone. This interface is not as intuitive as other devices, and it may make you turn to the manual (or this guide) to figure out what UPS is trying to tell you, but it does the job.

This UPS has a 5 foot long power cord, which is 1 foot shorter than our other choice of power cords, so you may need to move the workstation closer to the outlet to help it reach. As for other shortcomings, in addition to the lack of AVR (a feature that our other two options have), Amazon Basics also offers the shortest warranty period. The warranty period is one year, and you have almost no leeway, so if you do choose this model, please make sure to test it in this window to confirm that it is working properly, and continue regularly by unplugging the UPS from the wall Test the battery to make it run on the battery.

It is important to understand what UPS can and cannot do. Using UPS to power high-power equipment—including large office equipment, such as laser printers and paper shredders, or anything that generates heat, such as space heaters or hair curlers—may damage its internal components, reduce battery performance, and To void the warranty. Small electronic equipment or office equipment without moving parts should be fine, but for any equipment larger than a desktop computer, please check your UPS manual.

Never plug the UPS into a surge protector, and vice versa. In addition to potentially overloading any device and tripping the fuse or circuit breaker, you may also cancel the surge protection instead of doubling it.

Similarly, you should not plug the UPS into an extension cord, because overloading can cause it to overheat and melt. If the power cord on the UPS is not long enough, it is best to move the workstation closer to the outlet, or spend about $100 to get an electrician to install a new outlet—both methods are preferable to replacing damaged electronic equipment or turning on the power supply. It caught fire accidentally.

As long as the device is plugged into a power source, the sealed lead-acid battery in the UPS will remain charged, so it should be able to operate for many years. However, since the battery will degrade over time, if you unplug the UPS from the wall socket while the equipment is running about once a year, you can avoid any accidents in the future-just to ensure that the UPS It takes as long as you expect to power them.

Like all electronic products, UPS equipment will not last forever. But ideally, you should be able to replace the battery multiple times before the entire device must be replaced. Cyber​​Power and APC sell replacement batteries that are compatible with our first and upgrade options, respectively, as do some third-party battery manufacturers. Amazon Basics does not sell spare UPS batteries, but you can get compatible alternatives from Duracell, Mighty Max and some other well-known brands to replace our budget choices. If in doubt, make sure that the voltage and terminals (F1 or F2) listed on the label match the battery supplied with the device.

UPS devices typically use sealed lead-acid batteries, which (and almost all types of batteries in use today) can be recycled. Although most Americans regularly recycle plastic, metal, paper, and cardboard, less than half of them recycle used batteries and other electronic waste. This is a frustrating thing, because the batteries that end up in the landfill can leach heavy metals and other harmful chemicals into the local soil and water system. This also means that to manufacture new electronic products, manufacturers need to mine more raw materials instead of reclaiming usable components from old components. To recycle old UPS batteries and the UPS devices themselves (when they eventually wear out), you have several options:

If our preferred product is not available and you do not need the advanced features provided by our upgraded product (such as pure sine wave inverter, screen and USB port), please purchase our previous preferred product Tripp Lite AVR750U. It has more sockets than our first choice (6 battery-powered sockets, 12 in total), and a power cord of the same length (6 feet). It has the best clamping voltage of all the models we have tested, and only allows 397.2 volts to pass. It also performed well in our other tests — let our 10 W lamp illuminate for two hours and produce 489 watts of power — although not as good as our top and upgrade options.

If neither our preferred product nor Tripp Lite AVR750U is available, and you don’t need the advanced features of our upgraded product, Cyber​​​​​​​​​​ In our test, it kept our lamp on for two and a half hours, had a peak power output of 617 watts, and blocked all voltages except 540.4 volts in our 5,000 volt surge. It has 12 outlets (including 6 battery-powered outlets) and a 5-foot power cord.

We rejected the following models because they passed a higher voltage in our surge protection test: APC BE650G1 passed 684.4 volts, Cyber​​​​​​ ) With 756 volts, Cyber​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The battery capacity of the Amazon Basics Standby UPS 600VA is average: In our test, we measured the operating time under a 20 W load as 30 minutes, and the operating time under a 300 W load as 3 minutes. In addition, it has only eight sockets (four with spare batteries), which is less than any of our options.

APC BR1000MS has 10 sockets, 6 of which have backup batteries. But in our tests, its peak power output was disappointing-the maximum output power we measured was 670 watts, which is no better than what we got from some of the cheaper models.

Cyber​​Power CP1000PFCLCD has shorter running time (90 minutes under 20 W load and 6 minutes under 300 W load) and the cost of peak power output (535 W) is less than half.

Since joining Wirecutter in 2017, Sarah Witman has researched, tested and reviewed various products-from massage chairs and mousetraps to pencils and power banks. Prior to this, she served as a science writer and fact checker for numerous publications, and studied journalism at the University of Wisconsin. In her free time, she eats as much cheese as her body can bear.

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