The MK Safety plug

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Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

53 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
Plugs are not the most interesting subjects and most people won't give them a second thought but I'm referring to this :




By my reckoning 30+ years old now and still a great plug. At one point it was used by Granada TV as their plug of choice admittedly with a Granada Logo on it (I still have 2 of those bad boy variants)as ell as every device in the kitchen having the standard MK safety plug attached to it

It might be pricey now but those secure screw down terminals and flexible cable clip makes it worthwhile
Thank you

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
Could you plug Diane Abbott in with one of those?

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
Nice plug, by the way....hehe

Paul Drawmer

4,865 posts

266 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
Also - please look at this for dangerous non-complying plug - they have a fake CE marking, but it doesn't make them safe.
http://www.nickhill.co.uk/unfused_plugs_in_uk_deli...


Alucidnation

16,810 posts

169 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
The MK plugs are, in my opinion, crap, just like the rest of their product line up is nowadays.

Poor quality assembly and materials.


C0ffin D0dger

3,440 posts

144 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
Alucidnation said:
The MK plugs are, in my opinion, crap, just like the rest of their product line up is nowadays.

Poor quality assembly and materials.
Owned by Honeywell now. Probably getting everything made for pennies in China.

sgrimshaw

7,311 posts

249 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
[quote=techiedave]Plugs are not the most interesting subjects and most people won't give them a second thought ...../quote]

and I guess that most people don't even realise how much safer than the US or EU style plug/sockets the UK system is wink

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

53 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
Alucidnation said:
The MK plugs are, in my opinion, crap, just like the rest of their product line up is nowadays.

Poor quality assembly and materials.
I have stockpiled a quantity of MK plugs that are from the early 90s. I currently have 18 but I also have just won a further 10 on e bay. These have been cut off appliances found in an older persons home. I don't mean that the older person will wake up and find that they were burgled in the night and someone stole their plugs . It looks like the older person has perhaps passed on or moved into a care home. The pictures in the description show a variety of flexes attached to them including some of the cloth type that were in use years ago. I am also led to believe that they contain a variety of different fuses. I am looking forward to removing and standardising the fuses with 13Amp variants. Obviously I will then install a 3 Amp or 5 Amp on a plug by plug basis.
It may well be that the quality has altered but when I see some of the rubbish being sold as plugs these days it fills me with considerable angst.

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 7th December 10:00

Morningside

24,110 posts

228 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
Very clever design from the sleeved 'power' pins, to the earth pin that is longer and disconnects last and opens the shutter to the L and N pins.
Plus the slight shoulders that stop you from putting your fingers round the plug to make any contact.

I also like this plug as it allow you to finger tighten the screw thread as well.

Yes, all in a very clever design.

But like people say it's all now made in China for a penny using poor quality materials. I have seen some really poorly plug fitting and have many times re-wired old stuff that has the inner wires hanging out of the plug and the cord grip starting to eat into them. But on the whole it gave some satisfaction putting your own plug onto an appliance.

Wasn't it 'That's Life' that helped bring in the new legislation into all new products having a fitted plug?

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
I grew up with the round pin plugs.

Once touched a pin as I was pulling it out.

Never knew flying lessons were so easy. I think I almost made it across the room...smile

Jinx

11,345 posts

259 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
Purchased a new Steam Iron a couple of years ago and had to wire up the plug correctly - the original had obvious burn marks around the terminals after very limited use yikes
I now check everything I buy that has a plug.

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
Jinx said:
Purchased a new Steam Iron a couple of years ago and had to wire up the plug correctly - the original had obvious burn marks around the terminals after very limited use yikes
I now check everything I buy that has a plug.
Try not to get confused if you buy a sink...smile

Motorrad

6,811 posts

186 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
A work of genius. The UK has the best plugs in the world. Screw down cord retention only for me though.

V8A*ndy

3,695 posts

190 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
Paul Drawmer said:
Also - please look at this for dangerous non-complying plug - they have a fake CE marking, but it doesn't make them safe.
http://www.nickhill.co.uk/unfused_plugs_in_uk_deli...

Them things are everywhere. Mostly come with chargers for toys and other electronic bits of kit.

Cut them off and bin them immediately.




motco

15,919 posts

245 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
There exists a patent for a plug that interrogates the load before it allows current to flow. If the load is outside the documented parameters for a human body: resistance, capacitance, etc., it will connect. However if the load it finds could be a human body it remains open circuit. I forget exactly which company patented this except that I seem to recall it is Swedish (surprise!). An Israeli guy came to the company I worked for in the late 1980s trying to sell us this idea as his own, together with a 'safety' light socket that will not deliver mains to an enquiring finger and only switched the power on to the pins if a lamp bayonet is inserted. This, too, is already patented but this time by a UK outfit.

To my knowledge neither invention has swept an astonished world off its collective feet. Cost don't you know..

Morningside

24,110 posts

228 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
mybrainhurts said:
I grew up with the round pin plugs.

Once touched a pin as I was pulling it out.

Never knew flying lessons were so easy. I think I almost made it across the room...smile
So was I. Even in the 90s my parents still had round pin plugs.

Seems to have returned in the world on theatre. 15 amp I think.

FurtiveFreddy

8,577 posts

236 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
Any 3 pin plug which takes wires cut to the same length is a winner in my book.

Along with ones which don't require you to start all over again when you realise you haven't threaded the top part over the cable before you started connecting it to the bottom part.

V8A*ndy

3,695 posts

190 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
Morningside said:
mybrainhurts said:
I grew up with the round pin plugs.

Once touched a pin as I was pulling it out.

Never knew flying lessons were so easy. I think I almost made it across the room...smile
So was I. Even in the 90s my parents still had round pin plugs.

Seems to have returned in the world on theatre. 15 amp I think.
Always used round pin for the dimmer racks on the lighting rigs. Stops idiots plugging other stuff in.

Alucidnation

16,810 posts

169 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
FurtiveFreddy said:
Any 3 pin plug which takes wires cut to the same length is a winner in my book.

.
The earth is supposed to be longer than the L&N.

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Wednesday 7th December 2016
quotequote all
Alucidnation said:
The earth is supposed to be longer than the L&N.
For what reason, I can't see a practial or safety reason for that requirement.