What is the best Power Outlet, and why?
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comJapan and Taiwan are the same plug but they use 100V and we are 110V.
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It's bi-directional
That's bad.
Why? It doesn't make any difference with AC
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I see the left side of just slightly bigger than the right, so I expect one of those sides to be the ground
Nope, just live and neutral.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comI like the USA type-A plug. That's probably not a popular answer since I see lots of comments about safety features in the other plugs, but my focus is on convenience.
The plugs are small, making it much easier to design folding-plug devices like this one. It also means that cords don't have a bulky knob on the end, and splitters and power strips can be smaller than other plugs - much smaller than Schuko type-C or UK type-G.
The most common objection is that it's possible for live pins to be exposed when a device is partially plugged in. That's true, and most people who grew up around them has been shocked that way once. Few have been shocked twice, as the lesson to be careful with electricity usually forms a lasting memory.
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Type E and F plugs are not really a thing anymore, today it's more common to find combined Type E/F plugs.
Fuses in british plugs are a mistake and only a requirement because of sketchy practices allowed in british electrical code immediately after WW2. Nobody else does that because nowhere else electric code is built in such a way that it is necessary. Switch seems to be mildly useful tho
F plugs are the only type I've ever seen in all of Scandinavia, Germany, Spain and The Czech Republic. Never in my life have I seen an E plug or anything resembling a variation of E+F combined in any way. Only F. I don't understand how you can say they "are not really a thing anymore".
You mean not a thing in the UK?
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That's only on homes that have updated wiring codes.
My grandma still has the old aluminum wiring with type A. It's annoying as shit because there are so many grounded plugs and only so many adapters that take the grounded plug.
And then don't ground it. Fuck safety right
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https://worldofsockets.comType K. I mean how can you say no to that face?
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https://worldofsockets.comas european, i think the British still tops our's
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That's only on homes that have updated wiring codes.
My grandma still has the old aluminum wiring with type A. It's annoying as shit because there are so many grounded plugs and only so many adapters that take the grounded plug.
And then don't ground it. Fuck safety right
There is the GFCI in the switch box, but yeah, both gfci+grounded would be preferable.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comDoes alphabetical order mean nothing? This list had to be made by a Brit.
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I like the USA type-A plug. That's probably not a popular answer since I see lots of comments about safety features in the other plugs, but my focus is on convenience.
The plugs are small, making it much easier to design folding-plug devices like this one. It also means that cords don't have a bulky knob on the end, and splitters and power strips can be smaller than other plugs - much smaller than Schuko type-C or UK type-G.
The most common objection is that it's possible for live pins to be exposed when a device is partially plugged in. That's true, and most people who grew up around them has been shocked that way once. Few have been shocked twice, as the lesson to be careful with electricity usually forms a lasting memory.
The US uses 120V getting shocked by that once or twice can't be fun.
But, the vast majority of the world uses 230V getting shocked by that would be a lot less fun.Depending what you're into of course
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comGermany and France are members of the EU, so is Denmark.
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F plugs are the only type I've ever seen in all of Scandinavia, Germany, Spain and The Czech Republic. Never in my life have I seen an E plug or anything resembling a variation of E+F combined in any way. Only F. I don't understand how you can say they "are not really a thing anymore".
You mean not a thing in the UK?
I've seen E in France.
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The US uses 120V getting shocked by that once or twice can't be fun.
But, the vast majority of the world uses 230V getting shocked by that would be a lot less fun.Depending what you're into of course
I've been shocked with both. I can confirm 230V hurts more. Neither is likely to result in a medically significant injury with this kind of shock though - just momentary discomfort.
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Why? It doesn't make any difference with AC
Some people say it does with certain devices but I've never had anything I've run into. The American outlets have been used as bi-directional in most instances. (With 2 prong). If they had a ground then you can only go in one way. But that said... Obviously a cord without a ground can still plug into an outlet that has the ground set up. If the device wants the current to go in a certain direction they use one with a slightly larger prong on one side, but if you pick up any phone charger in America, you can plug it into any outlet any direction.
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As someone living in a country which uses a variant of Type B (without the ground pin), appreciate the design of Type F.
Mainly because it recessed, which helps with making the plug more securely plugged in. I think it has features that makes plugs really secure, and won't be yanked off, which happened to me quite a lot (tripping on a wire, yanking off something off the wall socket, etc).
I like Type F as well, but I wonder if cables are more likely to be damaged if tripped over instead of just disconnecting?
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You cant the plug is thicker
Can you plug C into F?
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The US uses 120V getting shocked by that once or twice can't be fun.
But, the vast majority of the world uses 230V getting shocked by that would be a lot less fun.Depending what you're into of course
Growing up in the U.S. Ive never been able to shock myself plugging in a type A or B connection. 35 years in and never met someone in person who had ever complained about doing so. Now dryer plugs annoy me. They are the 220/240v, and I know there are at least 3 different types. So I've had to swap the power cords on the dryer in every place I've lived in. (I just keep the old ones). But if you rent a place built in 1970, 1985, and 2010 (random dates). They will all likely have different outlets.
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I like Type F as well, but I wonder if cables are more likely to be damaged if tripped over instead of just disconnecting?
Good point. I guess there's a balance to be made: secure enough plugging such that it won't easily be unplugged, and yet not so strong that the cable (or the plug) breaks instead.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comnot type B, the tolerances aren't tight enough, and sometimes even if you have the wide/narrow pins the right way, it'll still refuse to go in
