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113 Comments
- serif69, on 06/23/2009, -1/+73This is one of those ideas that is so simple that it's a wonder nobody had thought of it before. And it's brilliantly executed to boot. Kudos to the inventor!
- LowHz, on 06/23/2009, -2/+48What is up with that nasty ass receptacle it's plugged into?
- LukeBeaumont, on 06/23/2009, -0/+45The third pin makes it a lot safer...
- blipblopblip, on 06/23/2009, -3/+38Everyone should use the UK style plugs and sockets since they're probably the safest around. s/bulky/safe/
- cr42yr1ch, on 06/23/2009, -5/+36"...Victorian holdover gets a major re-do with this UK Folding Plug concept."
Wow this misses the point... The BS 1363 (introduced in 1946) is the safest mains plug design in the world through many subtle but unique design ideas. The obvious ones are a requirement for fuses, shuttered contacts and longer earth pin - lesser known ones are the requirement of a large physical size (to prevent inadvertent finger contact with the live pin), physical strength (to prevent accidental damage) and resistance to removal by pulling on the power cord.
Whilst this design is clever, and (on a technical level) fulfils the design requirements of the BD 1363 standard, it must be far less safe. I would rather have to walk around with the plug hanging out of my laptop case because it doesnt fit than risk electrocuting a child. - ccaazz, on 06/24/2009, -0/+28without a doubt the cleverest design feature of the uk plug is how it was designed to always lie on its back, with its pins facing upwards when unplugged, ensuring a painful lesson should you happen to have the misfortune of stepping on one
- SkippyDoorknob, on 06/23/2009, -4/+28We don't have half of those safety features in US plugs, and we're not all dropping like flies from electrocution.
- mohsenxp, on 06/23/2009, -0/+23The world's safest.
For some reason I think safety comes before aesthetics when dealing with electricity :) - samsite, on 06/23/2009, -4/+26I like the UK plug, its safe, secure, and not to easy to pull out the wall accidentally. when i got to Europe I hate the 2 pin plugs.
I also cant think of a occasion when the size of the uk plug has caused a problem..... - rjinswand, on 06/23/2009, -0/+22absolutely fantastic design - i really hope this becomes a reality in the foreseeable future - will stop painful badly packed laptop bags everywhere!
- vrikis, on 06/23/2009, -0/+21As a student who travels between UK and Greece, this would be extremely useful! My plugs are huge that I carry around.
- saury316, on 06/23/2009, -1/+19as a Hong Kong-er where these plugs are the standard, this would be awesome!
- twiztidsinz, on 06/23/2009, -2/+17Hope that idea was patented before uploading the video.
If not, I'm sure it is now... - justdru, on 06/23/2009, -1/+16Hell, I want that in the U.S.
- franklymister, on 06/23/2009, -0/+14Reality, man. Reality.
- sab0tage, on 06/24/2009, -0/+11If the plug manages to remain in the socket while the cable yanked from the plug, the connections break in the order live > neutral > earth; which I don't think many people are aware of. Pretty nifty IMHO.
- mohsenxp, on 06/23/2009, -2/+13Wtf man? You do realise Apple isn't the only company in the world right?
Just take some deep breaths man, the shock of the 3G S launch will soon wash over relax. - Suricou, on 06/24/2009, -0/+10Safe is right - they are rated for 13A, as opposed to the 10A of a typical US plug, are polarised, have an earth conductor, expose no conductors when inserting, and even include an internal fuse.
- pbuschma, on 06/23/2009, -0/+10its a winner for sure. any business idea that makes you go "why didn't that already exist" usually is.
- waydee, on 06/23/2009, -0/+9I like UK plugs, they're low profile in that they only stick out about 3/4 of an inch and have the cable exiting from the bottom - much neater and easier to hide behind furniture etc.
Also since they're usually individually switched you can easily turn things off 'properly' without having to unplug. Fuses very rarely blow and don't really get in the way so might as well include them, wiring is easy and you're not very likely to accidentally pull one out of the socket.
Biggest downside is that they like to lie with those 3 pins upwards and are hugely painful to step on, a necessary evil I guess. - SurrealDream, on 06/24/2009, -1/+10Stepping on an upturned plug is one of the worst feelings in the entire world, second only to swallowing a toothpick and getting your genitals caught behind a radiator.
- krisrm, on 06/23/2009, -0/+9That's nonsense; unsafe plugs are SEXIER!
/commonplace ignorance - Steeple, on 06/24/2009, -0/+9that's because uk outlets give you 240 volts not the 110v the americans use.
those bad boys boil an electric kettle full of water in 40 seconds! - SteveMax, on 06/23/2009, -0/+9The problem isn't the use of three pins, it's the ungodly size of the beast. There are three pin systems that have plugs under 1/3 of the size of a British one.
- stevelawrence, on 06/23/2009, -0/+8What are you smoking? They are the safest and most secure plugs around. American plugs are too easy to pull out of the socket by accident, and the sockets are too easy for young hands to stick things in and fry their brains. I live in NZ and we have the yank-style crap but with pins that are on an angle. They suck too. British plugs FTW!
- Ahnteis, on 06/23/2009, -0/+7Why would you use wires for the rotating part?
- Flinty, on 06/23/2009, -0/+7I just hate stepping onto them. Ouch.
- tidu, on 06/23/2009, -3/+10They were so excited about the new design they ***** all over the outlet
- sej7278, on 06/24/2009, -0/+7As someone who has lived in the UK, USA and France, and travelled most of the world, the British plugs are the best I've ever used, although they're bulky (which this would fix).
The French plugs annoy the Hell out of me - the stupid round holes in the sockets are a bit flimsy, and have a safety "cover" kind of thing inside them, meaning that you've often got to try to bend the plug into shape to make it fit in the socket as they've got to be inserted with some force - you try lining up three round prongs into a triangle!
The American plugs don't even have an earth or fuse most of the time and some are not even keyed so you can plug them in upside down, plus very flimsy prongs, and still a round design on the earth.
The UK plugs almost always have a fuse, and always an earth, plus with the prongs all being square, they fit home solidly and consistently, and the wire is always at the bottom, so you can carefully plan where you put sockets, none of that sticking straight out from the socket design of the US/EU.
Finally something that the UK is leading the world on perhaps?
But why can't we just have a global standard, and do away with all the silly adaptors?! - ayeroxor, on 06/24/2009, -0/+6King, you must be new. He is called a "troll" and you just "fed" him, which encourages his douchbaggery. Now that you know, stop it.
- Pingspike, on 06/23/2009, -0/+5Second that!
- inactive, on 06/23/2009, -2/+7clever girl...
- Flinty, on 06/23/2009, -0/+5I don't think the new ones defeat gravity :/
- mohsenxp, on 06/23/2009, -1/+6I see :)
- Claverhouse, on 06/23/2009, -1/+5Non-Three pin plugs always look flimsy and effete. Plus I'd miss changing fuses if there weren't any which led to my electrocution.
- SurrealDream, on 06/24/2009, -0/+4It's only ever been an issue for me when carrying them around in a laptop bag because of how much space they take up. Ergonomically they're far better than the American alternatives, because they're easy to grip but difficult to accidentally pull out, never mind the safety aspects everyone else has mentioned above.
- DaveVII, on 06/24/2009, -0/+4You could use duel-channel slip rings for the rotations if you thought fatigue would be an issue, although you'd have to perform literally millions of cycles for any significant damage.
- cr42yr1ch, on 06/23/2009, -0/+4"...RISK electrocuting a child."
US plugs are obviously not deadly, but when you have the chance to make something dangerous a little bit safer (at the cost of a few cubic cm) why wouldnt you? - franklymister, on 06/24/2009, -0/+4She didn't. Blipblopblip failed to watch the video before commenting.
- control98408, on 06/23/2009, -0/+4Very nice design, but you'll still have to carry the bricks around.
- ali100333, on 06/23/2009, -0/+4this is a really good idea that would save many people lots of space :) i hope this really gets started up
- buadach, on 06/24/2009, -0/+4UK plug tops are so big because they incorporate a fuse and an earth pin to facilitate automatic disconnection of the supply in case of faults: this I can deal with. What really pisses me off is transformers and power supplies built into plug tops that encroach both above and below the socket line so preventing adjacent sockets being used simultaneously.
- blipblopblip, on 06/23/2009, -0/+3Have a new one: http://www.ewholesaler.co.uk/shopimages/sections/n ...
- blipblopblip, on 06/23/2009, -3/+6US plugs and sockets are just shoddy. Especially in combination with European voltages and no fuse as seen in some Latin American countries!
Someone hasn't spotted the flaw with this new folding plug... how many times can you rotate the bottom 2 prongs before the wires fracture inside? - Bleeding_Heart, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3I'm the same born and raised in the UK and living in the US. I miss the UK plugs, I don't miss standing on the bastards but now I have to deal with the sparking and the plugs falling out. A trade off I guess.
Also your allowed power in the bathroom in both countries it just depends on the builder/time it was built. - greenlightison, on 06/23/2009, -1/+4Slick, this is the future.
- masamunecyrus, on 06/23/2009, -0/+3Well, I can open and close my cell phone any number of dozens of times every day, so I would imagine that this thing should last.
- H4cksaw, on 06/24/2009, -1/+4Probably some marketing ***** about contrast.
- tonks01, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3You can buy sockets minus the switch in the UK quite easily. Also since the introduction of British Standards (17th Edition) in 2008 You ARE aloud power in a bathroom ie. sockets, although they have to be over 3m from the tub - That's a big ass bathroom!
- franklymister, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3Watch the video before you comment. There are no wires in the rotating area at all.
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