8 ms·

I know it’s likely highly subjective and prone to local bias, but I feel a next step would be to do user testing of alternatives and derive a best form factor p

I know it’s likely highly subjective and prone to local bias, but I feel a next step would be to do user testing of alternatives and derive a best form factor plug. What’s the best plug we could all be aspiring to. Some are clearly more usable than others. One metric: easy of use in the dark/based on feel alone.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
BrandoElFollito 5y ago
another metric: independence of the direction for ground. French sockets (https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/e/ https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/...) have a male pin that forces your plug one way only. This is terrible because most (if not all) of such plugs are bent and sometimes do not physically fit. German ones (https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/f/ https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/...) do not have a prong and ple plugs can be rotated 180°
- masklinn 5y ago
  > This is terrible because […] plugs […] sometimes do not physically fit. This is extremely uncommon and basically only happens with power strips which both are the "wrong" way around and can't be reversed. (and since pretty much every plug nowadays is an E/F hybrid, you can easily get a type F power strip for the rare case where it's needed).
  - BrandoElFollito 5y ago
    "Extremely uncommon" would need to be quantified. Beside the case of the strip you mention, there is also the more mundane physical space above the ground, or other physical limitations. In my case it is not extremely uncommon since I thought to myself a few times recently "oh no, again this £¨%¨¨£ pin".
alkonaut 5y ago
Safety seems like a big one too. Even the shoddiest fit should never have a visible powered part. Reliability: Fit should be good. You should be easily able to plug a heavy transformer on a downward facing socket without it falling out by gravity alone. Lastly, compactness. The standard should be compact so fittings can be good looking and not use too much space. The UK grounded connector fails the last criteria. The US flat-face fails the first two.
- HKH2 5y ago
  From memory, all the UK-style plugs I've used (in HK) have been a tight fit. I can't see how they'd fall out.
- selfhoster11 5y ago
  UK plugs are not compact, but they are always a tight fit. They always feel more secure than Euro style plugs, especially for chargers and lamps.
- pja 5y ago
  UK plugs are the best plugs. Apart from when you tread on one... (The requirement to have a fuse in every plug is a necessity for UK ring mains, but makes the things even bigger than they otherwise would be.)
  - alkonaut 5y ago
    > UK plugs are the best plugs. Wonder if anyone ever arrived in the UK feeling the same way.. > (The requirement to have a fuse in every plug is a necessity for UK ring mains, but makes the things even bigger than they otherwise would be.) Yes. It’s much too bulky to be acceptable anywhere where people aren’t used to that size (nor would anyone accept fuses in the plugs I think. Unsure about switches at sockets).
    - pja 5y ago
      Why would people not accept fuses in plugs? (Apart from the size issue & in reality you could probably fit a fuse into a modern US plug without making it much bigger than it is now.)
sschueller 5y ago
I definitely have a local bias but I believe this one has the best of all criteria. From compact to safety (improved 2007 version) and robustness as well as being polarized. Swiss Plug: https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/j/ https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_441011 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_441011 Compact 3 socket version: https://www.bauhaus.ch/product-images/52/95/22025295/1009627_22025295-696x696.jpg https://www.bauhaus.ch/product-images/52/95/22025295/1009627... Multiphase: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_441011#/media/File:SEV_1011_Typ_15_Steckdose.jpg https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_441011#/media/File:SEV_10... Chart of all current/phase versions: http://www.toplight.ch/info/ch_plugs.pdf http://www.toplight.ch/info/ch_plugs.pdf
- nine_k 5y ago
  It's an interesting mix of the US 3-prong and the compact Euro designs. Indeed much more compact than type E or F.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- jsnell 5y ago
  I don't like the Swiss plug. The 3x socket has a problem where a bulky charger will block all three sockets. I'd almost always rather have two sockets with some space between them. And non-recessed sockets, which the Swiss socket allows while Schuko doesn't, make me uneasy.
  - sschueller 5y ago
    Since 2016 only Type 13 sockets with a recessed socket hole may be brought onto the market. [1] [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_441011#Structure_of_the_Standard https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_441011#Structure_of_the_S...
    - jsnell 5y ago

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

BrandoElFollito 5y ago

another metric: independence of the direction for ground. French sockets (https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/e/ https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/...) have a male pin that forces your plug one way only. This is terrible because most (if not all) of such plugs are bent and sometimes do not physically fit. German ones (https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/f/ https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/...) do not have a prong and ple plugs can be rotated 180°

masklinn 5y ago
> This is terrible because […] plugs […] sometimes do not physically fit. This is extremely uncommon and basically only happens with power strips which both are the "wrong" way around and can't be reversed. (and since pretty much every plug nowadays is an E/F hybrid, you can easily get a type F power strip for the rare case where it's needed).
- BrandoElFollito 5y ago
  "Extremely uncommon" would need to be quantified. Beside the case of the strip you mention, there is also the more mundane physical space above the ground, or other physical limitations. In my case it is not extremely uncommon since I thought to myself a few times recently "oh no, again this £¨%¨¨£ pin".

alkonaut 5y ago

Safety seems like a big one too. Even the shoddiest fit should never have a visible powered part. Reliability: Fit should be good. You should be easily able to plug a heavy transformer on a downward facing socket without it falling out by gravity alone. Lastly, compactness. The standard should be compact so fittings can be good looking and not use too much space. The UK grounded connector fails the last criteria. The US flat-face fails the first two.

HKH2 5y ago
From memory, all the UK-style plugs I've used (in HK) have been a tight fit. I can't see how they'd fall out.
selfhoster11 5y ago
UK plugs are not compact, but they are always a tight fit. They always feel more secure than Euro style plugs, especially for chargers and lamps.
pja 5y ago
UK plugs are the best plugs. Apart from when you tread on one... (The requirement to have a fuse in every plug is a necessity for UK ring mains, but makes the things even bigger than they otherwise would be.)
- alkonaut 5y ago
  > UK plugs are the best plugs. Wonder if anyone ever arrived in the UK feeling the same way.. > (The requirement to have a fuse in every plug is a necessity for UK ring mains, but makes the things even bigger than they otherwise would be.) Yes. It’s much too bulky to be acceptable anywhere where people aren’t used to that size (nor would anyone accept fuses in the plugs I think. Unsure about switches at sockets).
  - pja 5y ago
    Why would people not accept fuses in plugs? (Apart from the size issue & in reality you could probably fit a fuse into a modern US plug without making it much bigger than it is now.)

sschueller 5y ago

I definitely have a local bias but I believe this one has the best of all criteria. From compact to safety (improved 2007 version) and robustness as well as being polarized. Swiss Plug: https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/j/ https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_441011 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_441011 Compact 3 socket version: https://www.bauhaus.ch/product-images/52/95/22025295/1009627_22025295-696x696.jpg https://www.bauhaus.ch/product-images/52/95/22025295/1009627... Multiphase: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_441011#/media/File:SEV_1011_Typ_15_Steckdose.jpg https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_441011#/media/File:SEV_10... Chart of all current/phase versions: http://www.toplight.ch/info/ch_plugs.pdf http://www.toplight.ch/info/ch_plugs.pdf

nine_k 5y ago
It's an interesting mix of the US 3-prong and the compact Euro designs. Indeed much more compact than type E or F.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
jsnell 5y ago
I don't like the Swiss plug. The 3x socket has a problem where a bulky charger will block all three sockets. I'd almost always rather have two sockets with some space between them. And non-recessed sockets, which the Swiss socket allows while Schuko doesn't, make me uneasy.
- sschueller 5y ago
  Since 2016 only Type 13 sockets with a recessed socket hole may be brought onto the market. [1] [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_441011#Structure_of_the_Standard https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_441011#Structure_of_the_S...
  - jsnell 5y ago