British Plugs Are Better Than All Other Plugs, And Here's Why - General

[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;45319530]I like the concept of how the European plug has the ground on the socket, and not the plug. That means if you need to be grounded you can just touch the pin and you're set.[/QUOTE] Yeah, I just made myself a wrist strap with a long wire and a crocodile clip at the end for when I'm working on electronics and want to be sure nothing will break when I touch it :v

I'm fine with the european ones, but US ones are scary as hell. Like they fall out when I touch them. (I have an imported amp/dac I use with a travel adapter :v:)

What are the holes for in a u.s plug ? [sp]To connect them easily :V[/sp]

EU ones which actually go into the wall are fine US ones look like death traps compared to the UK's, mainly just the exposed prongs combined with the fact they always seem so loose (or maybe that's just hotels) Still, remember this is a UK law - so you won't end up buying a cheap appliance with a dodgy plug or have to worry about your sockets being dangerous And EU/US plugs still do not contain fuses to my knowledge

Don't think anyone's mentioned the colouring either. They're blue, brown and yellow/green striped to make it easier to distinguish between them if you're colourblind, particularly in the case of the earth wire which has a pattern on it. The fuse is a cool addition because you can be protected from surges without your whole house going out, which the RCCB will do. But I love the way the RCCB is designed because electrical engineering gives me a hard on

[QUOTE=Folstream;45319521]Sweden uses the same kind of plug and we do not use the hole with a pin in the socket. Instead we have the clips at the top and bottom, like this: [IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Schuko_plug_and_socket_annotated.png[/IMG][/QUOTE] Same in the Netherlands, though newer sockets now sometimes have both the pin AND the clips, which fucking sucks imo. With the clips you can still put the plug in two ways, with the pin it just leaves you one way. [editline]7th July 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=Cabbage;45319930]Don't think anyone's mentioned the colouring either. They're blue, brown and yellow/green striped to make it easier to distinguish between them if you're colourblind, particularly in the case of the earth wire which has a pattern on it. The fuse is a cool addition because you can be protected from surges without your whole house going out, which the RCCB will do. But I love the way the RCCB is designed because electrical engineering gives me a hard on[/QUOTE] That's not a british thing, all the cabling in my house uses the same colour coding. It's an international standard: [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_60446[/url]

EU plugs are huge and bulky. Swiss plugs master race: [IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/J_plug.jpg[/IMG]

Australian plugs are pretty solid too although we don't have the fuse or shutters the connectors are thin so it's difficult to stick anything in. It's very hard to unplug one by accident. [IMG]http://www.ladyelliot.com.au/files/upload/image002_0.jpg[/IMG]

I believe all plugs are practically the same and follow the same standards. It really all depends on the socket your plugging it into. Grip really doesn't change unless you have a locking mechanism, for I haven't had any problems with things unplugging with the US standard. A ground is longer, and you can indeed buy strips with that safety feature but it really isn't seen too often. It really is all the same in my opinion.

I don't understand why we can't just have one universal plug.

Because the logistics of replacing every single appliance in the world is.. just near impossible. You'd have to replace every outlet in your home, maybe even the wiring of the home itself if it isn't up to par with the new standards. Then you'd have to replace every appliance you own, from TV to Toaster, Smartphone charger to Dishwasher.

[QUOTE=reevezy67;45320086]Australian plugs are pretty solid too although we don't have the fuse or shutters the connectors are thin so it's difficult to stick anything in. It's very hard to unplug one by accident. [IMG]http://www.ladyelliot.com.au/files/upload/image002_0.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] Awfully exposed pins, no shutters, no fuse, 2/10 would not plug

[QUOTE=cardfan212;45320229]I don't understand why we can't just have one universal plug.[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/standards.png[/IMG] it even says A/C chargers at the top

[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;45320260]Because the logistics of replacing every single appliance in the world is.. just near impossible. You'd have to replace every outlet in your home, maybe even the wiring of the home itself if it isn't up to par with the new standards. Then you'd have to replace every appliance you own, from TV to Toaster, Smartphone charger to Dishwasher.[/QUOTE] Today it would be much more of a pain, I agree No reason why they can't mandate that each new house is built with a sensible standard, though. It wasn't until 1984 that they introduced the insulation on the pins, and 1989 until they introduced the shutters, and you can't find a single plug/socket without them today. So the US wouldn't have to change the shape of the plugs (to maintain backwards compatibility) but could end up with safer plugs within a reasonable time frame?

Denmark have the cutest plugs [IMG]http://www.internationalconfig.com/prod_shot/77508x45.jpg[/IMG]

[img]http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/high-voltage-plugs-sockets-68858-2358085.jpg[/img] High voltage plugs for the win.

[QUOTE=ultra_bright;45320725][img]http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/high-voltage-plugs-sockets-68858-2358085.jpg[/img] High voltage plugs for the win.[/QUOTE] nah keep it retro [img]http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/high-voltage-plugs-sockets-66409-6270393.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=Trumple;45319906]EU ones which actually go into the wall are fine US ones look like death traps compared to the UK's, mainly just the exposed prongs combined with the fact they always seem so loose (or maybe that's just hotels) Still, remember this is a UK law - so you won't end up buying a cheap appliance with a dodgy plug or have to worry about your sockets being dangerous And EU/US plugs still do not contain fuses to my knowledge[/QUOTE] its an socket thing and not an plug thing, the socket is supposed to secure the plug not vice versa (unless theres something wrong with the prongs on the plug). Most hotels don't really give a shit about something that small of an annoyance and don't replace them often if ever.

[QUOTE=Genericenemy;45319455]I honestly cannot stress enough how painful it is to step on one of these plugs though, people on the internet like to joke about how much it hurts to stand on Lego blocks and stuff but seriously the British plug is the one that truly takes no prisoners.[/QUOTE] I stepped on a US plug before, it was a 90degree one. And it went through my heal and scratched the heal bone. One of the most painful things I've experienced in my life.

[QUOTE=Kljunas;45320069]EU plugs are huge and bulky. Swiss plugs master race: [IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/J_plug.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] But that looks practically identical to the thinner EU ones except for the pin in the middle? [IMG]http://procore.se/555-868-thickbox/adapter-usa-till-eu-el-uttag-.jpg[/IMG]

brits got it right first but otherwise most of europe has safe standards now american ones still worry me

[QUOTE=Leestons;45320566]Denmark have the cutest plugs [IMG]http://www.internationalconfig.com/prod_shot/77508x45.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] They're pretty terrible concerning all the smart safety features all the other have. They're simple though, plugs in either way and doesn't default to a painful position when on the ground.

Aren't those the same plugs us Hong Kong folks use too?

[QUOTE=.Lain;45321299]brits got it right first but otherwise most of europe has safe standards now american ones still worry me[/QUOTE] I've heard Americans talk about how they shouldn't plug in too many things because it's a fire hazard.

ITT Europeans gettin buttmad and jelly

I really can't stand other countrys plugs it's the same with watching old blurry TVs.

[QUOTE=Tinter;45321478]I've heard Americans talk about how they shouldn't plug in too many things because it's a fire hazard.[/QUOTE] I've only heard that if you try to like, plug a power strip into a power strip into an air conditioner, or some fuck-shit retarded mess like that.

[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;45321594]I've only heard that if you try to like, plug a power strip into a power strip into an air conditioner, or some fuck-shit retarded mess like that.[/QUOTE] Why would that be bad? Unless you got a shitty power strip but that's not a wiring problem any more.

[QUOTE=Tinter;45321478]I've heard Americans talk about how they shouldn't plug in too many things because it's a fire hazard.[/QUOTE] It's actually more so that people use a bunch of splitters to put like 50 lights on a sockets. The base socket can't handle the load and could spark. But with circuit breakers that won't typically happen. The circuit breaker trips before enough current passes through to cause a hazard. Unless someone uses like 1amp splitters.

I agree with most things in the video, but if the english earth socket was shaped like a T, or even a triangle, you wouldn't be able to plug the thing in upside-down and trigger the shutters. Therefore, english design isn't the best, either.