Award for the worst plug design goes to...

[Peter.N.]

I used those on everything in the workshop and I still have some.

How about bayonet connectors and adaptors, the one with an internal switch, operated with a bit of string, I remember people running their irons and the 600w bowl fires from them.

Peter

[Brased]

Originally Posted by Ian E G7OLT

I would like to nominate the two-pin 5A 'Clix' plug. Anyone remember them?

I recollect that they were advertised as preventing interference caused by a loose fixing screw causing sparking - because no fixing screw was used to make the connection. Logical I suppose.

[evingar]

I would actually argue (in some respects) against those being a bad design - (assuming they were used on a correctly fused radial circuit). As has been mentioned, screw terminals do come loose, and it's possible to make a partial connection by only connecting to a few strands of wire, or partially screwing down onto insulation. At least with that design it is easy to see what is actually making contact and it's very quick and easy to wire them

[Lucien Nunes]

a multiple adaptor plug that was supposed to enable it to plug into any socket, 2 or 3 pin, square or round ! The pins somehow all telescoped into each other and you selected the configuration you needed and then, well that was it, then nothing because I never did find a way to lock the selected pins into position for use

That would be the 'Fitall'. Pure evil. I have some, they are locked away in a secure store where they cannot get near any sockets.

I've got one of these amazing plugs. To lock the selected pins, you just "unscrew" them - the lower end of each pin is threaded and locks into an internal plate. Brilliant device - should be in all anti-Nanny kits.

I think you are talking about a different plug. No-one would call the Fitall 'brilliant' so perhaps you are thinking of the 'Crater' that does all six BS546 standards. That is a much better engineering job.

I am going to nominate the Kliegl. Anybody met this? A film industry speciality from the days of 110V DC studio lighting. Tomorrow I will try to get a picture of one. It is the only plug I know of, where the screw terminals are on the outside, half an inch away from the bit you hold. Clever!

Lucien

[Tazman1966]

Originally Posted by Ian E G7OLT

...I would like to nominate the two-pin 5A 'Clix' plug. Anyone remember them?...

Yep! We used to have our sets of Christmas lights on them well into the late 1970s

[petertheorgan]

Not quite sure if I should admit it here but I have a number of 5 amp 2 pin clix plugs in regular use in my workshop , dubious safety maybe but I have used them for over 40 years
as I went into my workshop to take a photo , I thought you would like the socket connected to the secondry of my isolation transformer
enjoy ,,,,,,,,,,,

[chipp1968]

I would like to de nominate the click 2 pin plug
I cant see whats wrong with them ,except for being 2 pin and unsheathed. I think they are much safer than the ordinary screw terminal 2 pin plug where the screw can and does work loose .In the clix you have to wrap the wire round the lugs before trapping in the pin and when screwed down the wire should be well trapped .Plus they usually grip the socket well.They dont tend to unscrew themselves either .I have seen normal 2 pin plugs caps work loose before .
So there !

[Peter.N.]

I would support that, they were much quicker and easier to fit, gave reliable connections providing the cover was screwed down tight and because the pins were split and springy they would always make good contact - even in a worn socket.

Peter

[ppppenguin]

Not the worst by a long way but does anyone remember the Grelco plugs where there was no seperate cord grip. The cord was gripped when the cover was screwed on. ISTR having some in 5A 2pin, 5A 3 pin and 15A 3 pin.

[fidobsa]

I tend to think of any fitting where you can dismantle without tools and access a live connection as being unsafe, like the old round light switches with threaded plastic or brass covers. I suppose if someone wants to get a shock though they only need take the bulb out of a table lamp and poke a finger into the bulb holder.

[Kat Manton]

I don't really want to nominate the XLR-LNE; I quite like them. They're compact and quite robust.

Rather, I'd like to nominate the usage of the XLR-LNE.

Nobody ever quite seemed to make their minds up as to which flavour to use for mains inlet or outlet. As I have a few bits of broadcast gear from various sources which uses the things, that means I have mains leads which do this...

[Steve_P]

I once knew an electrician (so he said) who did that on purpose when he couldn't get to a fusebox. Then next day his mate changed the fuse without checking the circuits first. He was not expecting that.

It's a wonder nobody was killed.

Cheers,

Steve P.

[Dave Moll]

Originally Posted by ppppenguin

Not the worst by a long way but does anyone remember the Grelco plugs where there was no seperate cord grip. The cord was gripped when the cover was screwed on.

The one below describes itself as "Temco", but seems to match your description.

Actually, it seems quite a good idea, as long as the cable is in the right size range. At least you can't forget to tighten the cord grip (or bypass it altogether), which I have seen done too many times.

[Dave Moll]

I'm reluctant to admit it, but there have been one or two occasions when I have resorted to Kat's push-me-pull-you type of mains lead as a temporary measure to feed power into an unpowered ring main for testing purposes. Care was, however, taken to ensure that it was never plugged into the live circuit when not plugged into the dead one. Also, the lead was dismantled immediately after use.

[julie_m]

Kat, I have a lead like that (but without the coupling in the middle) for connecting up my portable generator during a powercut. Switch off main switch at fusebox, connect generator output to nearest 13A socket, start engine, switch on socket connected to generator, power throughout house, all happy.

Needless to say, it does not get lent out along with the genny. This is for safety reasons: if someone forgot to switch off at the fusebox before plugging it in, then they could do irreparable damage to the generator when power is restored

[AndiiT]

Hi,
Two of my most "unfavourite" 13 Amp plugs were the Ever Ready "square" type (they did manufacture an earlier type which was had more rounded corners and looked similar to many other run - of - the mill types of the 1970s) which seemed to have very loose pins which were not good for high current appliances such as electric fires and kettles.

The other type that I found of very poor design were the BICC ones which seemed to appear regularly here in the North East perhaps due to British Steel using an abundance of them.
These plugs had a very thin body, which made them difficult to grip, and small self tapping screws holding the cover on. The plastic threads in the plug cover used to wear and you could be left holding the cover with the rest of the plug still inserted in the socket if you were unlucky!

I have a couple of fitall plugs and suspect that I also have a 'Crater', or something similar. If I can find them I will post pictures.

Andrew

[McMurdo]

I have a lead like that (but without the coupling in the middle) for connecting up my portable generator

It is a legal requirement to notify your electricity supplier before connecting a temporary generator to an existing supply in this way. They will usually insist on an approved interlock changeover switch that can not possibly allow your generator to backfeed into the mains.

[ppppenguin]

Originally Posted by Dave Moll

The one below describes itself as "Temco", but seems to match your description.

Quite right. They were Temco, not Grelco.

Not sure about the make but there was a 13A plug with a 13A socket in the back so you cascade them ad infinitum. I saw a set of at least 8 of them at the Brentford Piano Musuem when Frank Holland was still alive. ISTR the end of the set was held up by a length of string.

[Colourstar]

Originally Posted by AndiiT

Hi,
The other type that I found of very poor design were the BICC ones which seemed to appear regularly here in the North East perhaps due to British Steel using an abundance of them.
These plugs had a very thin body, which made them difficult to grip, and small self tapping screws holding the cover on. The plastic threads in the plug cover used to wear and you could be left holding the cover with the rest of the plug still inserted in the socket if you were unlucky!
Andrew

That was going to be my second nomination Andrew, for the reasons you mention. Also having the cover attached by two small recessed screws was a bit of a pain. I also recall you need to strip the live lead of the appliance being wired very short indeed. Having a flat top made them ideal for branding- I've seen them with the EMELEC logo (East Midlands ELECtricity) and also brightly coloured ones sold in the 1980s. I think they had a long production run.

Steve J

[Lucien Nunes]

an approved interlock changeover switch that can not possibly allow your generator to backfeed into the mains.

This is important! If your genny gets mains stuffed into it, well maybe the magic smoke will get out, maybe it will survive, at most a genny is burnt out. But the man down the hole in the road, up to his knees in water, fixing the damaged cable or whatever cause the outage in the first place, might not get away so lightly. He can isolate and earth everything on the sub side of the fault but if you accidentally send volts in the other way...

a 13A plug with a 13A socket in the back

Ediswan is the only one I know of. On the subject of Ediswan, am I right in thinking there was a variant of their pear-shaped plug where the fuse was held in contact not by clips but by pressure from two coil springs in the lid? I'm sure I had one years ago but the dozen or so I have now all use clips.

The other type that I found of very poor design were the BICC ones

I have many of these, at one time our entire house was fitted with them. Never had a lid come loose, don't think any overheated or broke or anything. OK not a great design and the screws are a bit fiddly, but there were much worse in their era. AFAIK they were last made by Legrand who milled the BICC logo out of the moulds.

Still looking for a Kliegl to take pics of...

Lucien