People who joke about legos haven't stepped on this bad boy
in the UK we don't need conceal carry, those plugs are easily available everywhere and can be used as a Morningstar
this post was submitted on 23 Nov 2025
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Mildly Infuriating
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I would be mildly annoyed at 110v in easy reach with metal with out an isolation switch.
Having switched outlets wouldn't make US plugs any safer, at least not in any meaningful way.
The individual switches on UK outlets don't really add significantly to safety, they're mostly just a convenience feature, because for an electrical plug/outlet to even be considered safe in the first place, it has to be always safe, whether it's powered or not. You can't rely on people switching off unused outlets instead of doing actual safety design.
The main factors that make US plugs less safe than UK ones is the potential for exposed metal contacts with a closed connection to the outlet, the lack of internal fuse and the lack of polarisation, and, particularly in combination with the first point, the comparatively weak grip strength and protruding design that make it easy for a plug to become (partially) unplugged by accident.
One feature of UK plugs I really like is the built in warding of the live/neutral slots. The ground prong is longer to allow for the mechanism to unlock the hot slot when inserted. It's essentially a built in childproofing.
Jup, that's a really good feature. You can get aftermarket child shutters for EU style plugs as well, but they require you to twist the plug before inserting, making them kinda inconvenient, and they have to be specifically installed by parents. Though I don't think that's the worst thing in the world. After all, we don't make any of our other products or home designs toddler safe by default. It's generally regarded as the parents responsibility to ensure their home is child proof before they get a child.
But the UK version of just having it in every outlet as a hidden feature that you wouldn't even notice if you don't know it's there is definitely the best approach.
(Though it does make low form factor UK plugs almost impossible, because every plug must have a ground prong, even if there's no actual safety need to have one)
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Yeah, I think brits and other europeans can generally agree on american plugs
So how does it work in the US then? Is there a law that everything needs to be isolated very well, no metal shells allowed or people just getting electrocuted from time to time
They are referencing the lack of isolation on the prongs for US plugs. If a US plug isn't fully inserted, it's possible for both of the two prongs to form electrical connections with the outlet, whilst not yet being fully inserted.
This means a small part of the prongs which are now at 110V potential to each other is exposed, and could potentially be touched by a child, or cause a short circuit if an object gets into the gap.
So yeah, the electrical code in the US for household plugs is just straight unsafe.
You can see the way to do it properly in this post: Notice how the two L+N prongs only have exposed metal at the very tip, this, if they're inserted deep enough to create contact, it's not possible for any exposed metal to still protrude from the outlet.
:) only the strong survive.
An actual answer: you very quickly learn to pull in a way that prevents your fingers from slipping onto the prongs, or you just pull the cord to remove things from outlets. That creates its own long term problems, but most people don't really give a shit because the US is built off cheap plastic shit that you simply replace when it breaks.
That being said, I've received like 5 or 6 good hits of the 110v wake up due to the eccentricities of the US plug. It hurts like a bitch, but probably won't kill you if you don't have a pace maker and aren't grabbing something grounded with the other hand.
We also only use GFCI in the bathroom and kitchen and don't use RCD breakers. It's honestly astonishing that the US electrical system doesn't kill more people.
An actual answer: you very quickly learn to pull in a way that prevents your fingers from slipping onto the prongs
...Do you, though? Because this thread is the first time I've considered this as a problem- which I agree it could be better designed in general but especially for child safety purposes- and I've been around American plugs my entire life. I've never been shocked, unless we're counting the time I grabbed an electric fence because I was an idiot teenager being goaded by other idiot teenagers.
You just.. grab the plug by the plug part? It doesn't really require any kind of special technique to not touch the metal bits. Maybe I just have big hands? Realistically, I probably couldn't fit between the wall and the plug while it was still inserted enough to be live.
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A GFCI is the same thing as an RCD, they're just different terms. They both have the same function: detecting leakage current, and isolating the electrical connection as soon as it does.
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just pull the cord to remove things from outlets.
For those playing along at home: please do not do this.
Never considered that Europeans don't know the wonderful sensation of 110v. It can vary from a slight tingle (it's not even tingle, but I can't describe it) to a "holy shit" moment that throws you back, depending on how and where you touched it and how much current flows. The great thing about A/C is the cycle, unlike a DC current which can lock your muscles and keep you from letting go.
I've taken a 240VAC hit a few times. That will definitely wake you up.
Interestingly, the only times it has happened have been when I've been abusing the wiring. Never via a plug etc.
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Is it normal for there to be no cord attached to these? That would stop them from facing this way on the floor
No, the cable comes out perpendicular (ie parallel to the wall).
Which pretty much guarantees foot-pain orientation
Is this another safety factor, i.e. you can't easily rip appliances out by accident?
It’s so the live wire disconnects first if you pull the cable out - it’s the shortest, then neutral, then ground. Whoever designed this really thought of everything.
Few things make me proud to be British, but the ingenious design of our plug sockets is one of them. TBF though we do need those safety features. Mains power here is 240v as opposed to 120v like a lot of countries. One mistake with a live wire would be the last one you'd ever make.
The majority of Europe survives.
Although their sockets are recessed.
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A little bit of that im sure but L plugs are much better at being plugged in behind furniture
I doubt it.
Tripping over a cable is as likely to damage the socket as it is to rip the cable out of the plug.
Any appliance that increases risk by being unplugged should probably not be using a consumer connection...
I think the 3 pin layout caused a lot of headaches, and the integrated fuse required a user-servicable plug.
So it would have to be a split-shell design of some type, where the appliance cable would have to be cable-gripped to the same part as the plug/socket pins.
Thus, a bottom-entry (heh) cable grip and a removable back plate that can only be unscrewed when it's unplugged.
This was all in a time of bakelite. Plastic wasn't flexible.
But no, I think tripping over an early bakelite g-type (I think it's officially a g-type) plug cable would likely shatter the plug and pull the pins out of the socket... If it didn't also damage the socket.
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The type G was designed when things were designed to do their jobs. Any pain inflicted by user error was considered a learning opportunity.
The cord coming out the bottom means the plug can't pull out. Combined with the big, chunky plug and pins, means the cable will likely fail first if pulled. It will also fail at the live core first, leaving a safe plug in the wall.
But yes, the foot pain is... impressive. It's just blunt enough to not generally penetrate the skin, but it can happen.
That's from a power brick that came with attachments for different regions.
I've handled normal plugs as well and they tend to orient themselves prongs up too.
