What is the best Power Outlet, and why?
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I think shoving things into its eyes is more concerning
This is universally true.
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Is not Type N (used in Brazil) an implementarion of IEC 60906-1 without any major change?
The brazilian plug is sadly a bit different. The biggest changes are that it has a different current rating. There is a version with 10A and 20A. It also allows for pins to completely be made out of metal which is a security hazard.
So it is quite similar but not identical.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comI think type K, it looks so happy all the time.
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After making this post, reading all the comments and doing even more research.
I have to say I 100% agree with you.I'm glad.
Maybe it's unreasonable but I still hope that maybe countries will decide to switch to this connector.
The large amount of different, outdated standards definitly are a safety risk and hassle, even within the EU (e.g. a Schuko Typ F plug can be plugged in in Denmark but then it has no ground connection. Which is a common thing people there do).
So it would be pretty great to have this be the new common connector in all 220V-240V 50 hz countries.
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Even tho I live where type F/C is common, I know that type G is the best. Reason is that ground pin always connects first and disconnects last. This is an ultimate way to make ground pin.
Also, type F/C and some other types sometimes doesn't have ground. There is literally not a single type G plug/socket without a ground. Simply safer.
I lived a few years in the UK and the plugs really annoyed me compared to F.
They were really bulky but also uni-directional. So there was a lot less flexibility in tight spaces (which with the size of London flats...there were a lot of!)
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They are, but they do have slight differences. For instance, the type E plug is often used in Belgium and France, it has a ground pin just below center. It basically means that you cannot turn the plug upside down, similar to the plug used in the US, which can be very annoying when you are used to plugs F and C, these are grounded in the bezel, allowing the user to plug upside down.
Type E always bugs me when I visit Belgium or France and I do that often. It's like the original USB plug, you always plug it in wrong on first try.
wrote last edited by [email protected]As a Belgian, that type E plug sucks because it's much too easy to misalign the ground pin and then you can push all you like, that plug's not going in.
Type C or F are much easier, luckily they are becoming more common here.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comWasn't the best one the Type G one? Except that companies need to learn to make the head of the plugs round so they cannot land with the pins up.
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Schuko (Type F) of course. The British plug (Type G) is a truly worthy adversary.
Yes, and type F is an example for international collaboration that the British could learn a thing or two from.
Type G fans might argue that a fuse in each plug is super safe, and they have a point. But it's made more necessary because of all the weird stuff that's going on in the electrical circuits.
It's an entertaining rivalry between the fans of these two plugs. I find the British plugs very large and inconvenient due to the fixed polarity. I'm aware of course of all the additional safety features. (People are always happy to explain those)
You could add 100+ safety features into a plug and it'd be as large as your fist, but it'd be a bit mad. I just wish someone with the right expertise could tell me: is it all worth it? Does the British plug get the balance right between user experience and safety? Is the type F plug unsafe compared to it?
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I lived a few years in the UK and the plugs really annoyed me compared to F.
They were really bulky but also uni-directional. So there was a lot less flexibility in tight spaces (which with the size of London flats...there were a lot of!)
I feel your pain. Also the lack of sockets in bathrooms and the low standard height of sockets is annoying.
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I would argue that neither of the plugs shown in the picture nor those mentioned by others are the best.
Ignoring current adoption, I think that IEC 60906-1 is the best plug. It is very similar to the Swiss plug and was intended to, at least in the EU, replace other plugs. It has quite a few advantages over the other plugs. It is rated at 16 A, has a compact form factor, is polarised, and has almost all the common protections except fuses (which are pretty much useless anyway). Currently it only is used in South Africa without major changes to the plug.
Compared to the Schuko (Type F):
- Much smaller. You can fit three plugs in the same space as a single Schuko plug (similar to Swiss triple outlets).
- It takes less force to plug in. Above 2.5A, Schuko plugs require a lot of force to plug in and pull out. To some extent, this is actually good for safety, but I would argue that, in the case of Schuko plugs at least, it's too much
- It is also easier to plug in without seeing the plug since it isn't round. Everyone who has tried to plug in a Schuko plug without seeing the holes knows how difficult it is
- It's polarised/directional. In some very specific cases, there is a security advantage to using a polarised plug, but I think it's also a hassle to only be able to plug in a plug one direction.
It also fits Europlugs (the thin, small plugs with only two pins that are very common in Europe, e.g. on phone chargers)
Compared to (Typ G)):
- Wayyy smaller
- Not a stepping hazard
- Rated for 16A (instead of 13 A)
- No Fuse (Again, pretty unecessary)
Regarding three-phase power, I would argue that Swiss type 15 (10A) and type 25 (16A) plugs are the best. These are really cool because while beeing the same size as Schuko (Typ F) plugs, they can transfer three-phase power (so 11 kW; 230 V / 16A on all three phases). They also fit standard Swiss single-phase and Euro plugs. This makes plugging in large appliances like electric stoves much easier than in other countries.
I would find it quite cool if most countries switched to one common plug, and I think IEC 60906-1 would be best for that. It would also be possible to build hybrid sockets for many common plugs during the transition phase.
IEC 60906-1
That is not a reversible plug which is annoying at times.It takes less force to plug in. Above 2.5A, Schuko plugs require a lot of force to plug in and pull out. To some extent, this is actually good for safety, but I would argue that, in the case of Schuko plugs at least, it’s too much
Hmm, I get what you mean and this can be an issue and it's probably the reason why plugs without grounding exist since they are easier to pull out.It is also easier to plug in without seeing the plug since it isn’t round. Everyone who has tried to plug in a Schuko plug without seeing the holes knows how difficult it is
Never had this issueI didn't even know there are different three-phase power plugs, but then again you rarely need those compared to the normal plugs
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Doesn't matter because you leave it plugged in and flip the switch to fully disconnect it. I don't know how you savages live without that feature.
Laughs in savage 16A
It's actually hilarious how paranoid the campaigns to switch plugs off have made people. I have met plenty of people who switch sockets of devices that are not in use off AND unplug the devices.
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I feel your pain. Also the lack of sockets in bathrooms and the low standard height of sockets is annoying.
Wait what? you don't have plugs in your bathroom?
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F, C, E, K..... Are they all directly compatible?
Most of the time yes, but the pin in type E will not cause some chargers to be fit
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comIt's obviously the one in the country I live in. All the others that I have had zero experience with are from Satan.
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Do Go On
I am not familiar with them, but I just looked them up and they seem cool, so will see what they've got.
It was just on my mind because I've been doing a lot of long drives (like 4hrs twice a week) and they've kept me sane. They're very funny, or maybe I just start to go delirious and slap happy. Huge back catalog.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comItaly WTF man? Also fuck Type H!
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Sorry but the EU plug is superior in my opinion.
We can at least have slim and full size AC-plugs and not have a behemoth of a plug just to charge a phone.OK....but which one? Lol.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.com -
Tom Scott already answered this
Why Tom Scott Is WRONG About The British Plug: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwnIwgT60jw
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Italy WTF man? Also fuck Type H!
the weird looking holes are just to make it compatible with two sizes of plugs, so really it's just the best wall socket
