What is the best Power Outlet, and why?
What is the best Power Outlet, and why?
A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.com/
483 comments
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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
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Accepts Type-C
It took me a few seconds to realize you werent talking about shoving a USB Type C plug into there.
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What's the difference of C and F type?
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C is mostly for low power devices
F is basically a heavy duty upgrade of C, it's got grounding on the side and can handle 16A (ovens, heaters etc.)
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The type-C shown in the picture is also not the only form it has and maybe partly misleading, the plug usually is significantly smaller and flat, and power strips can feature multiple of those in less space.
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Bi-directional is a double-edged feature.
It means that there is no reliable way of identifying line and neutral wire, which requires more complex double switches downstream.
Also, F is unnecessarily clunky and big and hard to make a weather-proof version of because of the complex shape.
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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
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I never understood why every appliance in the kitchen needs to display the time. lol
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Socket switch isn't really a feature of the socket itself. I've had schuko sockets with switches. It's just not as common
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Why not switch off the fuse in the holiday case? More time efficient.
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Agreed. The best.
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Furthermore, appliances compatible with Type F are almost always compatible with Type E as well, it's just a matter of including both grounding mechanisms which they all do to avoid designing multiple cords.
I haven't yet visited the UK so the only time I've had trouble plugging in something in Europe is in shudders Italy.
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As the least biased swiss person. Type J (or type N, Idk) is so much better. We put three plugs on the same surface as you have 1. I am always frustrated to see how impractical your plugs are when I go to the EU
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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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Hear me out, type L, the one in the middle, is the best socket, as it has all the things you talked about, but also accepts Italian plugs.
Type L bipasso (the one on the side) instead is the most space efficient, while retaining type C compatibility and grounding. Type L plugs also have plastic bits at the end to avoid contact with live wire (like UK one).
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Jawoll!
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It'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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This is the most definitive argument that type J is superior to all others:
Image showing an arrangement of 3 swiss plugs in the same footprint as one french one
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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.
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I really think we should give japan more shit for this. Type A is terrible on it's own merits, they don't even polarize it. But then they have the gall to use two different frequencies with the divide in the middle of Honshu (the big island with the major cities). And unlike reasonable people they don't do a "50 hz gets this plug, but 60 gets a non compatible one". No, both use the plug that North America phased out over safety concerns.
But to answer the question, type B is nice and homey, but types I and N feel a fun mix of weird and foreign but close enough to be interesting. Most of the rest just feel like various "yeah it's a circle with two circular prongs all right"
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There was two different ways you could have ordered this alphabetically, and you failed to do either.
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Well the answer is obviously the UK plug some of those others are just plain bad. The question is are they all made largely obsolete by USB C ? and is that the closest we are likely to get to a universal plug and socket?
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Type I.
ElectroBoom (Youtube) made some points about Australia's Type I. Seems it was very hard for him to electrocute himself. Lots of breakers on the outlets. I mean he did electrocute himself, but he was always going to.
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The UK plug is nice. Very robust, it connects to ground before it reaches the power line and has a switch but it's clunky.
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All outlets should just be replaced with IEC C13. Robust and compact.
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Oh, a list of things each identified by a different letter, better put them in a completely random order.
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and then include a map that doesn't match the flags!
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Type I
Earth pin doesn't cause the plug to murder your feet like the UK plug.
Angled pins to prevent cross polarisation.
Localised power switch per socket so you can turn something on or off with your toe and not bend down to unplug it.
Looks like a ghost face and when in the double gang formation the switches when on looks like the plate is high.
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The main problem with type I (and a few others) is that it's not recessed. If it comes loose a bit, you still have the problem of exposed live pins.
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Pins are insulated since 2003.
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And the thin pins means that with any weight (wall-wart, etc.), it starts to come out.
Doubly so if it's set into thin plasterboard that already wobbles.
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Also:
Thin stamped construction is cheap, but can still be fitted with sleeving on the live (active and neutral) pins like UK & europlug, but not US plugs. This prevents objects or fingers getting to live pins on a partially inserted plug.
Industry has agreed that leads exit either straight out, or down-and-right, so there is no conflict for horizontal or vertical sockets. Sockets are universally installed earth-down.
Reasonably compact.
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Yep us Aussies have the objectively best plug.
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New world solutions. I agree.
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I'm a G guy at heart but use I now. My main issue is how easily the pins can bend.
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Some images of the plugs, since I didn't know what they looked like.
It was mentioned the pins started being insulated like that second image 20 years ago, but going by the images I found the older uninsulated style is still more common. This is ofc a major shock hazard when plugging in your stuff.
Even with the insulation, you can still reach under the half inserted plug, just less easily and maybe only if you have smaller hands (like children).
Fundamentally flat sockets are doomed to be shock hazards, compare it to the recessed sockets where the entire surface the contacts insert into is cut off from reach before the pin insertion starts, and on top of that the pins of say type F have been insulated for so long many don't know there were uninsulated variants.
Another bonus of the recessed style is the plug doesn't stick as far out of your walls. For extension cords it's probably a bit bulkier, but when you sink the recession into the wallbox of the outlet you can get as flush as the width of the cable with an angled plug.
Also pretty sure you can step on angled type I plugs resting on their backs. The recessed plugs usually have grips on top so can't rest on their back even when angled. Their pins are also ball-shaped on the end, type I looks quite angular and more painful.
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I live in Australia and I just did an audit of the power board that was sitting next to my bed. All four devices and the power board itself all have the insulated pins. I can't remember the last time I saw one that didn't have insulated pins. I'm sure they exist, but they are not common.
We also have RCD on all our circuits so if someone is able to short the pins, it will trip within 20ms or less.
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Ironically, those are upside down.
Which usually indicates Chinese Type I - they don't insulate pins but do put earth on top.
We insulate pins but live/neutral is on top.
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@Ek-Hou-Van-Braai German Schuko of course.
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I have a strong preference for the German and Swiss types, but I think we can all agree that Japan massively fucked up. They took the already shitty American plug and just forgot about the ground.
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Still trying to figure out why Germany is listed separately from the EU.
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Swiss Type J, because you can have three of them, taking up no more space than one German or French plug.
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Easy. Type G. For safety. If you're worried about night-time attacks from ninja you can leave a few plugs by your bedroom door and windows with the pins upward. They will rue the day they entered that room in the dark!
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Type G. For safety.
G
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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.
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Type F.
SCHUKO PLUG SUPREMACY FOREVER!
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Brazilian Type N looks like it's not a big deal, but the shape and depth are actually extremely good - you get a fantastic connection that never wobbles but also comes out when you need it without having weird pins or moving locks that always end up failing in some other designs. It's also compact and stacks nicely.
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Name a more painful thing to tread on than the British plug. Bonus points if it's incorrectly wired to be live.
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I defer to Technology Connections
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I really like the power outlets in the EU. You don't have to fart around with different sized prongs and the voltage is higher which makes things like tea kettles far more efficient.
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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
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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?
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UK uses type G. Type E/F plug has both contact for grounding pin like in type E and two sliding ground contacts on side like in type F. Sockets are either E or F, and i've mostly seen E
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I've seen E in France.
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Went to Poland for a few days and encountered the type e plugs and I immediately hated them because they interfere with chargers and they weren't reversible.
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I thing it is about the cord vs the plug. The plugs are as they are in the picture, but most cords are in F+E configuration. That is, there is the ground plates on the side of the cord (F) and there is a hole in the cord with a springplate to connect to the ground thingy in thr plug (E). I have two extension cords at home of the same brand, one in E and one in F configuration, but all my cords are compatible with both. I'm a bit unsure on this, but I may have seen a plug with E+F configuration in a country which usually goes E, but definetly never in a country with F config.
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Fuses mean protection is localised. If the socket is good for 13A, but the cable is only safe to 5A, you can fuse at 3A or 5A, and know it's safe.
This is partially useful for extension leads. We don't have to worry about overloading a multiway extension. If we do, it will pop a 10p fuse, rather than cause a house fire.
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Or you could just use thicker wires like everyone else, or drop the use of ring mains, which is the actual reason why fuses in plugs were introduced. The reason why this was done was post-WW2 copper shortage. In other countries you'll see more likely star type circuit
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Are you really going to change the fuse in the receptacle when you plug a different cable in?
Low amp rated extension cords are dangerous unless they have a fuse in the cable. Best practice is to always use a cable that is rated higher than the circuit breakers.
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this is totally wrong. type F (“schuko”) is the main standard in europe.
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G.
The plugs are shuttered, so they're protected from being stabby-stabbed. The plug's prongs are sheathed so live metal is never exposed, negating the need for recessed sockets. Compared to recessed plugs, it takes less force to insert/remove them, but the oversized prongs and their triangular arrangement means it can safely withstand more lateral stress than any other plugs. Every plug has a fuse appropriate to the appliance so every device has appropriate protection while also allowing any device to be used on any outlet - no need for dedicated outlets for tumble dryers. And the plugs are traditionally right-angled, so once they're plugged in they only protrude about a centimeter, making it easy to plug things in behind furniture.
The whole 'every plug has a switch' thing is bullshit, though. That's just weird.
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The whole 'every plug has a switch' thing is bullshit, though.
There are way too many devices that will light up an led the moment you plug it in with no way to disable it.
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So you can turn it off without unplugging it. Some devices say “unplug after use” eg. toasters, but instead just switch it off. Good for decorative lights, blenders, cats
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i too unplug my cats before i go to sleep, every day
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Type F is also shuttered (at least in modern installations), no metal is exposed if it's only inserted half way because it is recessed and many plugs are also sheathed. Fuses in plugs are unnecessary, because there are circuit breakers (which also allow you to turn off the power to individual parts of the home if you're installing a lamp fitting or something). They also work with tumble dryers and the plugs are also generally right angled and stick out no further than a type G.
Additionally the plugs are compatible with many other standards, non grounded plugs can be very compact, making things like USB chargers much smaller. And they won't impale your foot if you step on them.
Sorry, but F is just objectively superior.
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Ask any foot doctor, type G have injured a lot more people than type F have.
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I'm quite the Type F fan:
- The plug is recessed, so half-plugged plugs have their pins inaccessible.
- Most modern Type F plugs are Type E compatible, as well as Europlug compatible, which means that if the plug doesn't need to be bulky, it won't be.
- Most modern installations have shutters in the pin holes, which both need to be pushed aside, making it impossible to plug in a foreign object. This unlike the Type G, where you only need to plug in the ground pin to reveal the live & neutral.
- The plug is symmetrical, making it easier to plug in a device in a way that makes the cable work for the user. Besides, having live & neutral plugged into specific sides of a device is not that important for daily use by the average Joe, and if it is, you can just flip the plug.
- The plug is inclined to land on its side, so if you drop one and then step on it, while it still won't be comfortable, it at least won't be as painful as stepping onto a Type G.
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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.
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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.
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Earth pin is a safety feature and a good one at that.
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So is the shutter system. Blocking contacts unless a third is pushed in is great safety, particularly with kids.
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For your toaster or iron, yes. For your USB power supply, mobile charger, LED table lamp, game console, etc., which doesn’t even have an earth connection, not so much. But your power board takes up twice the space of a European one with a row of slender unearthed sockets for such devices.
The British standard is still stuck in 1947, where the expected use cases were kettles, washing machines, pre-transistor radios using high-voltage thermionic valves, and the domestic labour-saving devices of the midcentury that needed to be earthed. That and the shortage of copper that led to British houses being wired with a ring main, and each plug having its own fuse, rather than separately fused circuits as elsewhere.
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South Africa is also slowly adopting Type-N.
Europe was supposed to, but abandoned the idea
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Type N socket accepts type C plugs. And is clearly the superior choice. The IEC doesn't fuck around.
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does type A just have no ground?
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Yup. Japan also has grounded outlets, though, although they are comparatively rarer.
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I recently had a house built, and most of the outlets do support grounding.
However, it's not very common to actually use them — many appliances don’t have grounded plugs, or the shapes don’t match.
I’d say only things like washing machines, microwaves, and rice cookers tend to use them.
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are house fires and electrocutions common occurrences?
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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
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You'd think so, but the ground will either be at the bottom of the outlet, requiring a separate cable, or Type-B.
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Nope, just live and neutral.
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Nope, the ground is a separate wire that just dangles there and never gets connected. Over the last 25 years I don't think I've ever seen a utilised ground wire.
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In North America, neutral is connected to ground. It's the larger pin on a polarized plug. Some devices don't use it; these usually don't have a conductive outer surface.
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It's the oldest standard on the list, and is still around older homes in the USA. They used to be equally-sized (aka unpolarized), but later on they had a bigger hole for neutral (polarized). They're not up to code anywhere anymore though, you'll only see them in older houses before the grounding pin was required.
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In the USA, there's a ground in that the neutral wire is connected to ground. Devices that take advantage of this have a slightly broader neutral pin that won't fit into the hot pin.
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any of the ones with a ground, i'd say
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I recently bought a house built in 1942. Not only did all the power receptacles lack a ground, they had all also been wired with reverse polarity, and for good measure the lower receptacles in all the outlets had been partially blocked by baseboard radiators added a few decades later. Since each room only had one outlet, I had visions of masses of extensions cords and plug expanders somehow not burning the house down or electrocuting anybody.
Fortunately these outlets had all been fed with MC cable (the kind wrapped in a flexible steel sheath) so it was possible to fix and ground everything properly with new receptacles without having to re-wire the entire house.
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Ground is a bit overrated, which is why the Japanese don't use it. They use GFCI instead.
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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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fuck's happenin in italy
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Because it's a hot mess trying to accept both type F and type L. The traditional type L socket has three pins inline. The pin spacing between Live and Neutral for an earthed device using type L is wider than using type F, so plugging in a Schuko won't work in normal type L sockets. However, some type L sockets have extra, smaller holes at Europlug spacing, to accept ungrounded type C plugs.
The picture here shows two Type L sockets with Europlug expansions on the sides (C/L combo), and an F/L combo in the middle.
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Here in Romania we use Type F but sometimes also install a modular Type L socket alongside regular ones because it's smaller and you can fit 2 of those in place of a full Type F/Schuko one. We don't use Italian plugs and so only use them for europlugs (max 2.5A and double-insulated so no ground needed)
(Kind of something like this)I do find it kind of sad seeing them getting slowly replaced even in Italy (I know it won't fully happen of course) because they're very space efficient
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Now really imagine what would happen if Americans tried to switch to metric.
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Compatible to everything. Takes type F without issues.
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The pictured one is an universal socket that can accept any plug sold in the eu, because if you go to buy any fridge or oven or washer it comes with the German plug
Otherwise, any other plug (phone chargers, lamps, laptops) comes with the standard which is this:
It doesn't fit in a German plug as the diameter of the holes and the spacing is slightly different, hence the weirdly shaped wholes
It has both prongs insulated so you don't get accidentally electrocuted if your finger accidentally touch one during unplugging (especially toddlers)
In my house I exclusively got pure L sockets without the double holes and I wanted to kill the sadist electrician who decided to install them everywhere. (It's a money issue, universal socket by regulations need 2.5 mm² section copper wires, while the 10A L socket can use cheaper 1.5 mm² section copper wires - but still, how much he saved, 50€ in total? Asshole, I had to spend 3x that to replace all the sockets)
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Three prongs widths changed added earth support
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The Europlug is designed to be compatible with [Types C, E, F, and K]
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Another sweeping win for Europ(e)lug!
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Which is just a Swiss plug.
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For safety, the BS1363 (UK, type G) is by far the best.
- It's fused. (Seriously why the hell aren't all plugs fused!)
- Live and neutral can't be reversed.
- Holes are gated (so no kids sticking spoons in).
- High capacity, 240V at 13A gives 3kW of power.
It's only real downside is its size.
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Fusing plugs is completely unnecessary. The only reason this is done in the UK is because of old janky circuits only used in the UK.
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Type E/F carries 16A/230V, and nowadays there are shutters included which only allow two pins to be inserted at once, not one but not the other. There's no standard as of which pin should be L1 and neutral anyway, nor it should matter, and fuses in british plugs are to accommodate ring circuits, which were introduced as a result of copper shortages (ie decades of tech debt)
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Type B also does this now with the shutters.
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G is held in place only by the pins, isn't it? It'd be safer if it was nestled like Type F
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Using fuses on outlets is fake security. You can put two 10A devices on a circuit, and the fuses won't help. What's important is that you have fuses for each line.
All socket holes here are gated, too (Type F), but I have to admit there are grandfathered ones without gates in older installations. And we have 16A @ 240V.
I have to admit that the idea of switches in each outlet is in principle a good one, but it makes the outlet way larger than other types, and adds extra complications that can break (yes, I had to fight with one like this in the UK).
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It's not inset meaning that an improperly plugged in plug becomes a hazard.
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Not true, the pins are sleeved so if it is improperly plugged in, you still can't touch live parts.
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bases of pins are insulated, like in type C/E/F
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Fun fact; even though China and Australia both use Type I plugs - they aren’t actually fully cross-compatible, due to differences in the thickness of the metal prongs.
China’s are thinner, so they hang somewhat loose in Australian outlets - and given they are less likely to have insulation around the plug ends, are a relatively common fire risk.m
On the other hand - Australian plugs don’t commonly fit into Chinese wall sockets due to their girth (giggitty), and often require the use of a power board or travel adapter in order to work.
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As a Brazilian, that makes me so sad. We used to have a type that could fit European and American plugs, but they just changed it. Never gonna let it go hahaha
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The type I grew up with.
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Type J is superior in every aspect. -compact, you can fit 3 plugs into an outlet while Type F only fits one for example. -robust. -cannot reverse polarity. -no fuse required as the law requires proper fuses in every electric installation with law enforced periodical checks. -round pins that cannot puncture your skin if you step on them. It's hard to face the pins upwards anyway.
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Type-N is even better, it's essentially a Type-J with some improvements
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Compact in one dimension, but it is very long.
This makes it awkward in tight spaces compared to something like a UK plug.-
You have this and variants of it, with the plug being recessed you could probably have it take up less space in all dimensions over the UK plug
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This diagram doesn’t do the utter goofiness of type M justice.
Here are a few styles you will come across.
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I think that might be a combo of type D and M, https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/m/
In South Africa we use M, but I've never seen a socket like the one in the picture
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Now that you mention it, India does use type D. Your image says type M. So you are right; D is the silly one. The larger holes are for higher amperage devices, but all the small holes are just because manufacturing tolerances are all over the place.
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Ridiculously oversized
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My favourite is this one, it makes things go brrrrrr.
Couldn't find a good photo of the socket online, only the plug. Cba to go take a photo of the socket right now, but I do have it at home and it's fully functional.
Edit: Searching in Estonian yielded results for the socket too. Someone was auctioning a set 7 years ago.
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I'll fetch the popcorn.
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Appreciating the UK's plug (type G) is the closest I get to feeling patriotic.
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I think I would like Australia's over the rest.
The recessed circles I feel like they would gather dust and grime in there if you don't use it often and be tough to clean out.
I like the angles prongs as well as the switch to turn it off and on.
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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.
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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.
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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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When did type N become common?
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It became mandatory for all new products in 2011, so a few years after that most people were used to it, though there's many people still using adapters to this day.
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In north America most dryers don't come with a cable because there's two different plugs that they use and the manufacturer just leaves it up to you to install the right one for your house
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As an American, it's obviously Type-B, since you don't need an adapter to plug things in.
/s
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Italy WTF man? Also fuck Type H!
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Which ever outlet that allows me to stick a fork in them.
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How does the type-A (Japan) ground?
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Japan uses weaker voltage and many things don't require a ground or can rely on an alternative method. That said, they'll have a good ol' three prong for appliances and newer buildings will have a few three prongs in select locations.
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It doesn't, Japanese homes don't have that by default. Sometimes there are special options for grounding specific items.
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IIRC most of the world relies on ground fault protection to protect against failure which is why we use ground pins, in Japan they detect short circuits which is roughly equivalent in safety.
I'm not sure why or how, but I remember from when I looked it up when I was out there last year that was the explanation I found
Edit: I'd love to be corrected by whoever downvoted
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Virtually all systems protect again shortcircuit at the breaker lever. Japan mostly has no ground but a RCD/GFCI for the whole house.
Basically how this works is that it checks if all the current leaving on the live wire is also returning on the neutral wire. If the current returning on the neutral is less than the one leaving then a part of the current must have found another way to get to ground (through your body for example) and it breaks the circuit hopefully before any danger could happen.
Now this doesn't make ground useless, there are 2 different protection systems that work in different ways, and sometimes protect in different scenarios too, the RCD is also an active protection that can and fail, compared to ground wich is passive.
Having both is ALWAYS safer
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No
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why are the flags so shitty compared to the map? why even include them if they're gonna be so inaccurate
edit, wow i really fuckin hate whoever designed this
edit its worse and worse every time i look at it!!!
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I think the recessed plug face is superior. It keeps an object from falling across an improperly plugged in plug and shorting.
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Type F
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The UK plug is over engineered and looks like something from a steampunk universe, but I think it’s the best plug overall.
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E, C and F, because they are all somewhat compatible.
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And K
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I'm biased, but Type F
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I'm going to imagine that this is just a single plug pictured and that each cord has 18 prongs sticking out of it.
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Is this loss?
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what's type D, ??
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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.
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The British plug serves the same point as an inset because there's a bit of non-conductive material on the plug itself that goes into the wall. If it's not fully inserted then the only thing showing is the non-conductive material.
It also has the thickest metal on the plug as far as I know. It's probably the only thing that the British have ever engineered better than the Germans.
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Doesn't G have an insulated portion so live conductor is never exposed?
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Type N (Brazil's plug) in the image is also inset.
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Type I (in Australia, at least) plugs are partially insulated with in order to prevent that from being an issue.
We are the descendants of the UK after all, our nanny-state is almost as strong as the motherland’s!
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Type-M, as I live there. Very convenient, all pins round shaped
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Schuko (Type F) of course. The British plug (Type G) is a truly worthy adversary.
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Type B, H, or I. They look unpleasantly surprised by what I'm shoving in their mouths. Definitely not K, because he looks like he likes it.
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Type E is inverted in the picture.
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type I look sexy so that is the best
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I think type K, it looks so happy all the time.
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Type K cause it looks like a happy face.
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It's type N, the one that was invented by the EU to standardize Europe into one outlet. It was literally designed to be the best. Unfortunately killed off by lazy bureaucrats but not before Brazil and South Africa adopted it anticipating Europe would join in.
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Type N is extremely common here in Sweden, without the ground part. Homes only have the F sockets, but extension cables usually combine both and tons of devices use the N plug
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F, C, E, K..... Are they all directly compatible?
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Safety? England
But personally. Type L is beautiful because is so modular. You just get different fruits for different needs. Need an etheret keystone. Get one an plop it in istead of a blanking plate. Need an extra switch? Same thing. All with the same faceplate for any possible combination.
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B or N. They’re simple and effective, grounded but optionally, but most importantly you can fit two in a small space.
I can’t tell if N is polarized though, so B is the boss
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B is upside-down in this picture.
Technology Connections has a whole youtube about how ground should be up so if you drop something and it hits the wire its not dangerous.
Because yes the connections do become live before you push them in the whole way.
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N is polarized - but it assumes the device will retain the grounding middle pin, which forces a specific orientation. If the device uses two pins, or the user cuts out the middle pin, there's no physical size difference to prevent inverting the polarity.
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K is the happiest. I like that one. B is shocked (pun!) at what's going on. H is encouraging me to see things in a racist light.
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Well, if we are going to hell I might as well say it's "I" that has me racist now that you bring it up
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As someone who travels a lot and has used all these sockets regularly, my vote is for Type G. The European ones seem like they would be the winner, but I've had trouble unplugging some devices. The recessed hole means some shitty cable designs don't have enough to grab on to to yank out. I can imagine some people with dexterity issues having a lot of problems.
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Does alphabetical order mean nothing? This list had to be made by a Brit.
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I like Type K because it looks like a smile
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The weird fucky version of type B they use in Thailand is missing. It's like the fucky version of the type L that's displayed except the fuckyness was added to a different base type.
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Does Japan / type-A not have grounded circuits?
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Their whole homes are on GFCI
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Same in Denmark. I thought this was the standard everywhere lol. I almost never see ground pins except on professional electronic equipment
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I like N,C,E,F, and K But I really like the switches on the UK plugs.
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G
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Huh, I never knew Australia shared the same power point as china, thought we were on our own. Good to know not EVERY country is suffering through inferior plugs
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Australia's plug isn't bad, in fact, it's one of the best.
- The angled blade pins ensure polarity will always be the same.
- The ground pin is longer than the live pins, meaning it'll always make contact first, and last when you pull it out.
- The Earth pin is located on the bottom, meaning when you pull down on it, or if something drops on the plug, it'll pull away the live pins first.
- also:
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I have seen some debate amongst electricians about the orientation of this style of grounded outlet. There are pros and cons to argue for both orientations of this and other tri-pin style outlets.
your fourth point is demonstrably the best in this thread.
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Ahh I meant all other plugs not Australian/chinese plugs are inferior
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type n is simple safe and effective
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Its India 🇮🇳 Because its easy to use.
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Ranked by happiness: Type K 🥇
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Type-A is theoretically the easiest and cheapest thing to manufacture the male end of.
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Yeah, well, the North American plug is obviously the best. After all, we invent everything electric.
- facts unverified
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I like type F for the symmetry. However, type K is smiling.
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F because its the most stabdardized, G because its the safest
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How is type F different from type C?
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C is mostly for low power devices
F is basically a heavy duty upgrade of C, it's got grounding on the side and can handle 16A (ovens, heaters etc.)
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EU one as it is the most compatible. Its also smaller for travelling and is compatible with Brazil.
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Schuko (Type F)
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Type G beats Schuko because if you put a Schuko adaptor on a UK plug, it will wreck Schuko sockets. That's what you get for leaving your earth connectors hanging out. They are no match for the mighty type G earth pin
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Germany and France are members of the EU, so is Denmark.
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Type K looks the happiest. Type I looks the hauntedest.
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And type B just realized how insecure it is.
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It should be. after all: We Americans only use the shittiest of infrastructure. USA USA 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
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You can make it a hell of a lot better just by installing it with the ground prong up.
But we won't even do that.
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Type C has such a satisfying click when plugging something in.
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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).
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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?
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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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I don’t know much about the others and this infographic doesn’t go into detail but Type G has a fused live, part-insulated live and neutral pins and the earth pin opens a shutter over the live and neutral in the socket itself.
Nice extra features and would be interesting to see if others have similar?
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Type F doesn't have a shutter, but there are child safety shutters that fit the sockets
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I don't know if the spec requires it, but all modern ones do
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Absolute best - G
Most practical as a common standard - F-
The only thing G has best is the fuses, but the plug and socket shape is mid at best.
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J. They look good and the plug is small
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You fit three of these in the same surface of one EU type
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And if you don't have a ground pin it fits many EU plugs.
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I declare RJ45 and USB C everything! But for big boi power….. no clue.
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G, you have to try really quite hard to electrocute yourself
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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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B is mounted upside down. Also the prongs get bent easily. So definitely not B.
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Type H can fuck right off.
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Everything else falls out with a light breeze, G is the way forward.
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Type D is listed but not visually shown. Am I missing something?
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It looks the same as M, it's essentially just a smaller version of M.
It's hardly used anymore. It technically fits into M, but that's dangerous.
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Don't worry, we will give you the D later
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Heyo!
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Like Type A's simplicity
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safety-wise, type F is used with 240v. less likely to touch prongs. they are different to keep from plugging in incompatible devices from other systems.
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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.
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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
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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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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 think that type A plug would be greatly improved in terms of safety and mechanically if it was put in a grounded metal shroud, in style of DIN connector https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIN_connector it still would be compact, smaller than type F
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G - safest
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Clearly type K. It's such a happy lil guy
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This is one of those things I can't believe hasn't been standardized. Why???
As for the question, the one I grew up with type B. All others seems weird to me.
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Type B is objectively inferior. This is not anti-americanism either, Technology Connections has my back here. But it's not bad enough to replace three big countries worth of plugs and outlets. The only way to have a global standard would be something like Italy's plug orgy system where you can fit multiple different types but that would kinda defy the purpose.
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It has been standardized, but like most standard there are competing ones.
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it's been standardized multiple times! the Italian outlets look like that to be backwards compatible with their older standard, where different amperages had different plugs.
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not 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
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Tom Scott already answered this
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Glancing over the images... Hmm, okay... Israel being a bit weird... Recessed is definitely better... what the type L is that?
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Italy shakin'
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As far as I know you can push 240V device to any of those holes. Not saying it will work but ex. charger will charge, just slower.
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Today many of switching mode power supplies accept anywhere between 100-250V
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Japan and Taiwan are the same plug but they use 100V and we are 110V.
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Wasn'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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Epstein Files
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USB. Most things don’t need AC power. We can get rid of wall warts and create a universal standard by including USB C ports on AC plugs.
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Oh yeah let's power my 2000W kettle from USB
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On my way to power my fridge and oven by usb-c!
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Yeah it's not like USB standard changes every few years or anything.
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483 comments
The British one. It has a switch and a fuse, and later versions have age-verification so your kids can no longer plug in your adult toys.
Had me in the first half. Well played.
And your adult toys must be licensed, of course. To protect the kids.
Its important you don't allow them access so you need to keep them on your person in a place thats very hard to access. So hard.
I'm actually kinda surprised that more don't have switches, but I suppose if you have radial rather than ring circuits you don't have to play 'hunt the appliance that tripped all your switches' quite so hard
My toys are wireless...
You'll need a broadcasting licence for that, mate.
Only if they're charged.
P.S.: since battery cells need to be disposed properly, they are now an 18+ purchase.
These are the best anyway
Hey now, let's not give BSI and NESO any ideas mate.
Real