Tom Scott
3 HN recommenders · recommended in 10 months, 2019–2025
4:26 · 7.6M views · Jul 7, 2014
Tom Scott explains the design of the British BS 1363 plug and socket, including fuses, shutters and safety features, and why he thinks it beats other plugs.
HN treats it as the obligatory video to share whenever plugs and sockets come up, praised for its safety reasoning.
13 comments from Hacker News
For anyone that does not know why, as rarely as I recommend videos I very much suggest Tom Scott's video "British Plugs Are Better Than All Other Plugs, And Here's Why": this video
It is true they can sting a little, but that aside I have a strong preference for them too - almost certainly because i grew up with them! There's the obligatory Tom Scott video here, which always gets shared, deservedly so, whenever the topic of plugs and sockets comes up: this video
> The only real advantage of the British plug over Schuko is the fuse (a debatable feature) Could I ask why a fuse is debatable? Seems like quite a basic security feature. There's a good video[0] on the design of UK plugs if you're interested. [0]: this video
Why Britain has the best wall sockets on earth: this video Sure there is bias there, but the reasoning is pretty compelling. Of course getting any country to switch is nigh-on impossible.
>metal savings.... why every UK plug is fused Metal savings is why every plug is fused ? How does that even make sense when historically fuses were all metal construct instead of the modern ceramic whatnots. And anyway, fused plugs were not a requirement until ... 1992: "That leave be given to bring in a Bill to amend the Plugs and Sockets Etc. (Safety) Regulations 1987 to require pre-wired plugs to be fitted to all domestic appliances by the manufacturer." (Citation: HC Deb, 29 January 1992, c955). As far as I know, the war has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with fuses in plugs. It was just introduced as part of the modernisation of UK electricity rules. If you look at historical houses, they still have/had central fuseboards with rewireable or cartridge fuses. See [1] The fuses on UK Plugs are for overload protection. Simple. See also this YouTube video for other reasons as to why UK plugs are the best[2]. Finally, if you have time on your hands, there is a 23 page treatise on the how's and why's of ring circuits. [3]. [1] [LINK] this video [3] [LINK]