What is the best Power Outlet, and why?
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In my opinion it's Type-F
Because:
- It's bi-directional
- It's grounded and ungrounded plugs use the same socket
- It's already widespread (50+ countries) source
- Your fingers can't touch the live wire as you're plugging in a wire
- It's recessed
- Low footprint
- Accepts Type-C
And type-E. Most EU plugs are F-E compatible, because countries go about alternating them. Spain F, France E, Germany F, Poland E. You build a plug with a hole for the E ground bolt and a cutout for the F side contacts.
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Clear, informative and solution oriented. I wish all signs were this good.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comB is mounted upside down. Also the prongs get bent easily. So definitely not B.
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I see a lot of your comments about F being objectively same or better compared to G. The only thing I'd throw into the mix is the socket switch feels so logical, I'm really surprised it's not more standard.
High frequency use case: I don't need my microwave on all the time showing me the time, so I switch it off at the socket unless I'm using it
Low frequency use case: before going on holiday I switch all the electrics off at the sockets
Why not switch off the fuse in the holiday case? More time efficient.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comwrote last edited by [email protected]I couldn't plug in an adaptor in what seemed to be the correct way, in a Sri Lankan hotel (type M), but it went in ok when I rotated it. As soon as it went in, the power went out in the entire hotel. It was out for the rest of the night, and as I went up the street the next morning, there was a crew working on a transformer a few blocks away. Coincidence?
Also, at the place I was working, there were 2 other types of power plug than type M. WTF?
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And having your chargers look like clown shoes compared to the slender 2-pin chargers used in Europe, Australia and elsewhere is a small price to pay.
Do more kids really die of electrocution in, say, France or Germany than the UK?
I have no data, but seeing how modern differential fuses work, I doubt it.
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The British standard is still stuck in 1947, where the expected use cases were kettles, washing machines
People still use kettles and washing machines.
For your USB power supply, mobile charger, LED table lamp, game console, etc., which doesn’t even have an earth connection, not so much.
You can get a USB power strip.
And for kettles and washing machines we still have earth connections. Doesn't make sense to make it mandatory so a 5W charger has to be bigger than the phone.
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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.
Is not Type N (used in Brazil) an implementarion of IEC 60906-1 without any major change?
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The safest ones (design-wise) would be the ones that are inset, like types C, E, F, H, J, and K. If there is ever a chance a plug is partially pulled out or not fully inserted, the socket being inset wouldn't allow anything to touch any of the contacts.
Fuses in plugs and the orientation are relatively irrelevant to the plug style and are more a convention choice, if not regulatory requirement.
Type N (Brazil's plug) in the image is also inset.
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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.
After making this post, reading all the comments and doing even more research.
I have to say I 100% agree with you. -
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
