BS 1363 British Plugs and Sockets

Older British systems and wiring oddities

• Several comments reminisce about the older round‑pin BS546 system (2A/5A/15A), still used for lighting in the UK and widely in India.
• Some homes had all three generations at once: small and large round‑pin plus modern BS1363, with very old rubber/cloth insulation and scary fuseboards.
• People report bizarre legacy receptacles in old buildings (mixed standards, ambiguous voltages, abandoned knob‑and‑tube, mystery fuse boxes).

Everyday experience & “stepping on plugs”

• The trope that UK plugs are agony to step on is widely referenced; some say it’s mostly a meme, others have vivid childhood memories of doing exactly that.
• Arguments arise over how often this actually happens and whether “only a careless person” would leave a plug on the floor.

Mechanical design & usability

• Supporters praise BS1363 as solid, hard to dislodge, and suitable for high‑power loads like 3 kW kettles and heaters. The perpendicular orientation lets furniture sit close to walls.
• Critics find it huge, heavy, unfriendly for travel, and dislike that the cord must exit sideways and that grounding is effectively mandatory even for double‑insulated devices.
• Multiple people complain that fuses can overheat or even melt cheap plugs/sockets if loaded near the 13A limit or misused.

Safety features: shutters, fuses, ring circuits

• Shutters keyed by the longer earth pin are widely viewed as a strong child‑safety feature, and less finicky than US “tamper‑resistant” outlets.
• The plug fuse is explained as protection for thin appliance flex on high‑capacity 32A ring circuits, originally a WWII copper‑saving measure.
• Some argue fuses could instead live inside appliances; others note that then damaged cords wouldn’t be protected.
• There is debate over whether ring circuits plus fused plugs are clever engineering or a legacy hack with tricky failure modes.

International comparisons

• Schuko/Europlug: often praised as a good balance of size and robustness; detractors say tolerances vary, some sockets feel loose, and recessed design needs deeper boxes.
• US NEMA: widely criticised for plugs falling out, exposed live prongs when partly withdrawn, and awkward tamper‑resistant designs; defenders point to simpler, smaller hardware and lower‑current circuits.
• ANZ Type I: seen by some as best overall (compact, angled pins give good grip, optional grounding, can route cords parallel or perpendicular); others complain pins bend easily.
• Swiss, Singapore/China, and “universal” multi‑standard sockets are mentioned; universal types are considered convenient but mechanically weak and often lacking shutters.

Voltage, fires, and shock risk

• One subthread questions whether 230 V causes more electrocutions than 120 V; claims about fibrillation vs heart‑stopping effects conflict and remain unresolved.
• Several commenters clarify that fire risk is more about current and bad connections than nominal voltage, with examples showing how resistance heating scales.
• There is disagreement over whether UK’s high‑capacity rings plus plug fuses are safer than lower‑capacity, breaker‑only US branch circuits.