8 ms·

UK power plugs also require a fuse, which I believe is not mandatory anywhere else.

philjohn 12y ago
They're ugly as hell, and insanely painful if you tread on them, but UK plugs are a bastion of good engineering. Things like not being able to stick things into the line/neutral holes unless the ground pin (which is longer) is inserted make them very safe, and the plastic lower part of the line/neutral pins to stop you accidentally touching something that will have current running through it until the plug is safely inserted is inspired.
- asdfaoeu 12y ago
  > Things like not being able to stick things into the line/neutral holes unless the ground pin (which is longer) is inserted make them very safe, and the plastic lower part of the line/neutral pins to stop you accidentally touching something that will have current running through it until the plug is safely inserted is inspired. Same in Australia, of course you can still go off an buy and Apple Laptop charger with no ground.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 12y ago
    I don't know why you singled out the MacBook charger. The relevant Australian Standard (AS/NZ 3820, I think?) tells you an electrical appliance doesn't need to have an earth pin if it's double insulated, which the MacBook charger, and the stick blender in my kitchen, amongst others, are. Source: I'm certified for Electrical Test & Tag in Australia.
- MrBuddyCasino 12y ago
  I know Britons love their plugs, and I have never quite understood why. They look brutish, clunky and over-engineered. The opposite of elegant. The reason why they have fuses is so you can use ring circuits, which saves copper compared to the usual radial wiring. So its just about saving a little money. Everyone now gets to state his favourite plug type. Bring it on! Mine is the swiss Type J (http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/j/ http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/j...). Its safe, not an eyesore and very space efficient. Its safe against voltage reversal, usually has a protective shroud and the ground pin is contacting first. Well engineered, very swiss like.
  - vertex-four 12y ago
    Does anyone actually care that their plugs are elegant? In any case, your Type J is missing the fact that in the UK, the cables point down towards the floor rather than sticking out, keeping them flush with the wall and often allowing you to hide the plugs behind things.
    - swombat 12y ago
      Swiss person here. The total length of the "plug" part of a swiss plug is actually roundabout the same as the width of a british plug. They fit just fine behind couches, shelves, etc.
      - vjvj 12y ago
        And as seen here (http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/j/ http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/j...) the socket is indented into the wall so less of the cable protrudes beyond the flat surface of the wall.
        swombat 12y ago
        That's not always the case - but it frequently is, and yes, does make the direction of the cable even less of an issue!
    - MrBuddyCasino 12y ago
      > Does anyone actually care that their plugs are elegant? Some people do, I think its an expression of culture. Its hard not to notice that the swiss and the nordic countries (especially Sweden and Norway) value a certain aesthetics. This expresses itself in many things, ranging from architecture to product design, art and the design of public spaces. There is a reason swiss typography was big, and why nordic design is appreciated all over the world. It could only emerge from these cultural surroundings, its a mindset. That plug is an expression of british engineering values. Its certainly a very well designed plug, but I also believe the reason why swiss and nordic products are more popular than british ones is that they are made with a different approach. Probably those same values are also the reason why british music is so great, and why swiss music is... oh well, have you ever listened to mundart-rock? So I'm not saying X is better than Y, there are trade-offs involved.
- kissickas 12y ago
  Very safe theoretically, but in practice (with Malaysian UK-type plugs, full disclosure) I've seen people casually shove pens and even metal spoons in the ground to force the socket to accept their ungrounded laptop plug.
  - riffraff 12y ago
    I have done that, when I was young and stupid and didn't have a UK compatible plug. I have also witnessed a many people doing it. You can also trick it by doing a sort of dance with te plug where you partially force in the ground, then one live, then you spin it and put the other one in. The day we have USB wall sockets can't come soon enough.
    - coldpie 12y ago
      Eh, USB carries data, not just power. I don't trust any USB socket that I don't control.
      - fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
        Use a charge-only cable.
      - AnonymousPlanet 12y ago
        I would have to tell my phone not to believe everything some house computer (on Earth or Bespin) tells it. At least with USB, my phone is less likely to mistake the power plug for the data plug, because it's all the same.
- lucian1900 12y ago
  They are however no safer than Schuko plugs, which are significantly less annoying.
  - makeitsuckless 12y ago
    Schuko plugs are a pain in the ass, because more often then not they require brute force to unplug them (or even just plug them in). Also doesn't help the lifespan of powerstrips. Being able to plug them in ungrounded Euro sockets is handy, but also makes them less safe.
  - MrBuddyCasino 12y ago
    I consider Schuko plugs to fall somewhere between the british and the swiss plug. It certainly is a little too big for what it does, and also hard to unplug. That 16A rating is nice, though.
  - talideon 12y ago
    We used to use Schuko plugs here in Ireland, but switched to type G plugs for convenience and trade reasons back in the '60s. I think my grandparents' house still had some Schuko sockets about the place. Personally, I'm not too bothered either way. I don't find either any more or less annoying as they're both pretty bulky, unless you're using Europlugs, which lack most of the benefits of Schuko plugs. Still nothing compares in its awfulness to North American plugs. Aussie plugs are similar, but they had the good sense to tilt the prongs at an angle to give the plug better mechanical stability.
dtech 12y ago
This is because Post-WW2 UK houses were wired as one giant ring circuit, while in the rest of the world there generally was a fuseboard with every fused circuit connected to a few sockets. This saves wire (copper) but requires every plug to have a fuse. I do not now if modern UK homes are still wired like this. In modern times the individual fuse still makes it safer, but it is also one of the reasons UK plugs are so large and clunky.
- julian_t 12y ago
  They definitely shouldn't be.... IANA electrician, but as far as I am aware UK regulations require separate power and lighting circuits and a proper distribution board with RCBs. And while our plugs may be clunky, I kind of prefer them to the wobbly, spark emitting two-pin plugs that I seem to come across in the US...
  - MrBuddyCasino 12y ago
    Obviously the US plugs are the worst, but thats the price for being the first. PAL was better than NTSC, too.
    - talideon 12y ago
      They needn't have been so bad: one small change--tilting the pins at an angle--and they could've been mechanically sound like Aussie ones.
      - fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
        I'm not sure the order these were conceived, but it may be that there was already a plug with a similar configuration. http://www.jmjwebsitedesign.com/cdpro/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/nema1-1024x648.jpg http://www.jmjwebsitedesign.com/cdpro/wp-content/uploads/201...
        talideon 12y ago

They're ugly as hell, and insanely painful if you tread on them, but UK plugs are a bastion of good engineering. Things like not being able to stick things into the line/neutral holes unless the ground pin (which is longer) is inserted make them very safe, and the plastic lower part of the line/neutral pins to stop you accidentally touching something that will have current running through it until the plug is safely inserted is inspired.

asdfaoeu 12y ago
> Things like not being able to stick things into the line/neutral holes unless the ground pin (which is longer) is inserted make them very safe, and the plastic lower part of the line/neutral pins to stop you accidentally touching something that will have current running through it until the plug is safely inserted is inspired. Same in Australia, of course you can still go off an buy and Apple Laptop charger with no ground.
- TheSpiceIsLife 12y ago
  I don't know why you singled out the MacBook charger. The relevant Australian Standard (AS/NZ 3820, I think?) tells you an electrical appliance doesn't need to have an earth pin if it's double insulated, which the MacBook charger, and the stick blender in my kitchen, amongst others, are. Source: I'm certified for Electrical Test & Tag in Australia.
MrBuddyCasino 12y ago
I know Britons love their plugs, and I have never quite understood why. They look brutish, clunky and over-engineered. The opposite of elegant. The reason why they have fuses is so you can use ring circuits, which saves copper compared to the usual radial wiring. So its just about saving a little money. Everyone now gets to state his favourite plug type. Bring it on! Mine is the swiss Type J (http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/j/ http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/j...). Its safe, not an eyesore and very space efficient. Its safe against voltage reversal, usually has a protective shroud and the ground pin is contacting first. Well engineered, very swiss like.
- vertex-four 12y ago
  Does anyone actually care that their plugs are elegant? In any case, your Type J is missing the fact that in the UK, the cables point down towards the floor rather than sticking out, keeping them flush with the wall and often allowing you to hide the plugs behind things.
  - swombat 12y ago
    Swiss person here. The total length of the "plug" part of a swiss plug is actually roundabout the same as the width of a british plug. They fit just fine behind couches, shelves, etc.
    - vjvj 12y ago
      And as seen here (http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/j/ http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/j...) the socket is indented into the wall so less of the cable protrudes beyond the flat surface of the wall.
      - swombat 12y ago
        That's not always the case - but it frequently is, and yes, does make the direction of the cable even less of an issue!
  - MrBuddyCasino 12y ago
    > Does anyone actually care that their plugs are elegant? Some people do, I think its an expression of culture. Its hard not to notice that the swiss and the nordic countries (especially Sweden and Norway) value a certain aesthetics. This expresses itself in many things, ranging from architecture to product design, art and the design of public spaces. There is a reason swiss typography was big, and why nordic design is appreciated all over the world. It could only emerge from these cultural surroundings, its a mindset. That plug is an expression of british engineering values. Its certainly a very well designed plug, but I also believe the reason why swiss and nordic products are more popular than british ones is that they are made with a different approach. Probably those same values are also the reason why british music is so great, and why swiss music is... oh well, have you ever listened to mundart-rock? So I'm not saying X is better than Y, there are trade-offs involved.
kissickas 12y ago
Very safe theoretically, but in practice (with Malaysian UK-type plugs, full disclosure) I've seen people casually shove pens and even metal spoons in the ground to force the socket to accept their ungrounded laptop plug.
- riffraff 12y ago
  I have done that, when I was young and stupid and didn't have a UK compatible plug. I have also witnessed a many people doing it. You can also trick it by doing a sort of dance with te plug where you partially force in the ground, then one live, then you spin it and put the other one in. The day we have USB wall sockets can't come soon enough.
  - coldpie 12y ago
    Eh, USB carries data, not just power. I don't trust any USB socket that I don't control.
    - fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
      Use a charge-only cable.
    - AnonymousPlanet 12y ago
      I would have to tell my phone not to believe everything some house computer (on Earth or Bespin) tells it. At least with USB, my phone is less likely to mistake the power plug for the data plug, because it's all the same.
lucian1900 12y ago
They are however no safer than Schuko plugs, which are significantly less annoying.
- makeitsuckless 12y ago
  Schuko plugs are a pain in the ass, because more often then not they require brute force to unplug them (or even just plug them in). Also doesn't help the lifespan of powerstrips. Being able to plug them in ungrounded Euro sockets is handy, but also makes them less safe.
- MrBuddyCasino 12y ago
  I consider Schuko plugs to fall somewhere between the british and the swiss plug. It certainly is a little too big for what it does, and also hard to unplug. That 16A rating is nice, though.
- talideon 12y ago
  We used to use Schuko plugs here in Ireland, but switched to type G plugs for convenience and trade reasons back in the '60s. I think my grandparents' house still had some Schuko sockets about the place. Personally, I'm not too bothered either way. I don't find either any more or less annoying as they're both pretty bulky, unless you're using Europlugs, which lack most of the benefits of Schuko plugs. Still nothing compares in its awfulness to North American plugs. Aussie plugs are similar, but they had the good sense to tilt the prongs at an angle to give the plug better mechanical stability.

dtech 12y ago

This is because Post-WW2 UK houses were wired as one giant ring circuit, while in the rest of the world there generally was a fuseboard with every fused circuit connected to a few sockets. This saves wire (copper) but requires every plug to have a fuse. I do not now if modern UK homes are still wired like this. In modern times the individual fuse still makes it safer, but it is also one of the reasons UK plugs are so large and clunky.

julian_t 12y ago
They definitely shouldn't be.... IANA electrician, but as far as I am aware UK regulations require separate power and lighting circuits and a proper distribution board with RCBs. And while our plugs may be clunky, I kind of prefer them to the wobbly, spark emitting two-pin plugs that I seem to come across in the US...
- MrBuddyCasino 12y ago
  Obviously the US plugs are the worst, but thats the price for being the first. PAL was better than NTSC, too.
  - talideon 12y ago
    They needn't have been so bad: one small change--tilting the pins at an angle--and they could've been mechanically sound like Aussie ones.
    - fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
      I'm not sure the order these were conceived, but it may be that there was already a plug with a similar configuration. http://www.jmjwebsitedesign.com/cdpro/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/nema1-1024x648.jpg http://www.jmjwebsitedesign.com/cdpro/wp-content/uploads/201...
      - talideon 12y ago