What is the best Power Outlet, and why?
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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
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OK....but which one? Lol.
wrote last edited by [email protected]They're all functional, but the UK's Type G plug is the best of all plugs out there IMHO. I'm a Yankee and our plugs are fine, but the shutter design and built in fused plugs of the Type G are just.......chef's kiss.
See bold text.
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As someone who lived in the UK, the British one is far too chunky, especially in an age where most devices don’t use the mandatory earth pin (which is mechanically necessary to open the shutters in the socket). The one place it has an advantage over Europlug is in aeroplane seat sockets and such, where it stays in more firmly.
Having said that, the Swiss and Brazilian ones manage to get earthed connections into a slender footprint (the Swiss is compatible with unearthed Europlug, not sure about the Brazilian though it may be smaller). Apparently the Brazilian socket was proposed as an international standard by the IEC, though only Brazil adopted it.
Type N socket accepts type C plugs. And is clearly the superior choice. The IEC doesn't fuck around.
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South Africa used to use a Mixture of M and C, and still mostly do.
But since 2018 building regulations require new houses to have at least one Type N plug installed.
Adoption is slow, but N being compatible with C will hopefully speed things along.Brazil just set a date limit after which no electrical equipment was allowed to be sold with non standard plugs. Eventually it all worked itself out.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comThe British plug has a lot of features that are supposed to make it very, very safe. It'd be interesting to see if there's a study out there that tries to make apples-to-apples comparisons of electrical accidents in different countries. Do those features actually work out in practice?
The US plug is bad, but does that actually translate into more accidents? Hard to say. If you can do the study above, then you can start making the argument for switching to something else.
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Ground is a bit overrated, which is why the Japanese don't use it. They use GFCI instead.
Without a ground the only way to trip a GFCI is through your body. GFCI is great, but not infallible. I'll keep my grounds.
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Type N might not be the best but it was like a gift from heavens here in Brazil. We had no standard before it so most outlets would take one or two unsafe options; most houses would not ground their outlets, people would yank out the ground pin from plugs to make them fit; washing machines would often come with a completely different plug that some houses would just have a different outlet for, while others would use adapters. And so many other issues.
Nowadays you don't even need to see what you're doing because you can just stick your hand into outlets to feel where it is and insert the plug blindly without any risk.
It is the best but for one fault: both 120V and 240V versions are compatible.
Otherwise, it's got every single technical advantage of F (Schuko), while being cheaper to manufacture and install.
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The British plug has a lot of features that are supposed to make it very, very safe. It'd be interesting to see if there's a study out there that tries to make apples-to-apples comparisons of electrical accidents in different countries. Do those features actually work out in practice?
The US plug is bad, but does that actually translate into more accidents? Hard to say. If you can do the study above, then you can start making the argument for switching to something else.
I'm sure most plugs have identical features.
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I'm sure most plugs have identical features.
No, not even close.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comType K cause it looks like a happy face.
