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What is the best style electrical outlet? (self.asklemmy)

submitted 10 months ago by JusticeForPorygon to c/[email protected]

153 comments fedilink hide all child comments

This is a debate, not an argument, let's be adults about this. [Insert political joke]

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[–] Zak 9 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I'm always up for a bit of controversy. I like the basic ungrounded American plug (NEMA 1-15).

It has no safety features. Just about every American has shocked themselves with it once, but very few have done it twice. I like it because it's compact, and that leads to some conveniences:

It works great in folding designs for portable power supplies. I've seen folding implementations of Europlug and even British plugs, but they're not as compact.
It works great for ultra-compact splitters and many-outlet power strips. Yes, you can be dumb and overload these, but we have a whole lot of low-power electronics in the modern world such that it's not hard to have a dozen devices each pulling less than an Amp. Multi-port USB power supplies are starting to mitigate this a bit.
It doesn't have shutters (by default), so it's easy to plug things in. Every plug type I've encountered with shutters takes a lot of force and sometimes binds.

[–] die444die 15 points 10 months ago (2 children)

“Just about every American has shocked themselves with it once”

Um, no.

[–] Zak 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

You haven't? I guess most people I know were dumber as kids that you were.

[–] die444die 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Are you saying they shocked themselves plugging something in? Or putting something else into the outlet.

The plug itself is not really easy to shock yourself on, you’d have to intentionally try to do it by putting something behind it to bridge the pins, or have a broken plug or something, so that’s why I am saying this seems incorrect.

I definitely knew some dumbasses that would attempt to creat a power arc, but they were certainly not the majority.

[–] Zak 15 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It's possible to touch the pins with your finger when the plug is partially inserted into the socket. It's especially possible with child-size fingers.

Many of the other plug designs, like Europlug have half-insulated pins to prevent this.

[–] die444die 0 points 10 months ago

Possible, sure. Easy? Not really.

[–] hansl 0 points 10 months ago

Give it time.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

There's a problem, though. You can get shocked by the US voltage and be fine. But try that with the European 50 Hz 240 V...

[–] Zak 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

But try that with the European 50 Hz 240 V

I have. It hurts more.

It's probably somewhat more dangerous than 110V if the circuit goes from one hand, through the chest, into the other hand. Most shocks involving a plug just go through a finger.

[–] nieminen 4 points 10 months ago

Knew a guy in college who had his thumb nail blown off from plugging a cord in while touching the terminals. Was gross.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago

Just about every American has shocked themselves with it once

Americans I've met are smarter than that.