A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.com/
This is the most definitive argument that type J is superior to all others:
Image showing an arrangement of 3 swiss plugs in the same footprint as one french one
this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2025
633 points (97.7% liked)
Ask Lemmy
33792 readers
1383 users here now
A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions
Rules: (interactive)
1) Be nice and; have fun
Doxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them
2) All posts must end with a '?'
This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?
3) No spam
Please do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.
4) NSFW is okay, within reason
Just remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com.
NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].
5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions.
If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.
6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online
Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.
Partnered Communities:
Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
J is superior. Not only is it the most space efficient, it's safe as the recessed plug prevents incompletely inserted pins from being shorted out if a conductor were to fall atop them.
There was two different ways you could have ordered this alphabetically, and you failed to do either.
Isn't it beautiful
Type I.
ElectroBoom (Youtube) made some points about Australia's Type I. Seems it was very hard for him to electrocute himself. Lots of breakers on the outlets. I mean he did electrocute himself, but he was always going to.
The breakers aren't on the actual outlets. We just have everything on breakers in the power box. So I think the Australian system is good, but it's not inherently because of the outlets. Other types have the same safety benefits.
Also to add: all lighting and power circuits are required to be on RCBO's or breaker+RCD unless they are extremely old switchboards that havent had any modifications done since the law was introduced (as modifying the switchboard would trigger an rewuired upgrade in most cases).
Any device that is in a common area that can be touched by a non-licenced person (ie non-electrician) should also be on a RCBO, but this isnt as well enforced.
So even if you do manage to youch live parts on the Aus socket/plugs, you will be protected by the RCD/RCBO instantly.
The downside to the Aus socket is that it can be a little tricky/annoying plugging something in when you are reaching behind an object (like a couch or cupboard) and cant see the socket to line it up.
Swiss Type J, because you can have three of them, taking up no more space than one German or French plug.
The British plug has a lot of features that are supposed to make it very, very safe. It'd be interesting to see if there's a study out there that tries to make apples-to-apples comparisons of electrical accidents in different countries. Do those features actually work out in practice?
The US plug is bad, but does that actually translate into more accidents? Hard to say. If you can do the study above, then you can start making the argument for switching to something else.
load more comments
(4 replies)
The UK plug is nice. Very robust, it connects to ground before it reaches the power line and has a switch but it's clunky.
When you unplug them, they have a habit of lying prongs upward. Standing on one naked Lego feel like a shag carpet. and to be honest the fuse isn't really necessary with modern wiring f type plugs don't have fuses in them and I've never had a problem with wires melting or anything. and with older sockets, the little flap that blocks the earth hole tends to get stuck. Apart from that they are the best.
load more comments
(1 replies)
Well the answer is obviously the UK plug some of those others are just plain bad. The question is are they all made largely obsolete by USB C ? and is that the closest we are likely to get to a universal plug and socket?
The eu has actually been trying for about 30 years has been trying to get universal plug but it keeps getting stopped by massive tech companies because money go up
You going to put 240VAC through USB-C?
No. They are not.
Kitchen appliances like blenders and mixers are going to draw more power than USB-C is capable of delivering even at their lowest settings.
load more comments
(1 replies)
All outlets should just be replaced with IEC C13. Robust and compact.
Solid choice. Good current handling, already ubiquitous for many applications.
And full of garbage the moment its unplugged
Brazilian Type N looks like it's not a big deal, but the shape and depth are actually extremely good - you get a fantastic connection that never wobbles but also comes out when you need it without having weird pins or moving locks that always end up failing in some other designs. It's also compact and stacks nicely.
I have a strong preference for the German and Swiss types, but I think we can all agree that Japan massively fucked up. They took the already shitty American plug and just forgot about the ground.
load more comments
(4 replies)
I really like the power outlets in the EU. You don't have to fart around with different sized prongs and the voltage is higher which makes things like tea kettles far more efficient.
The French outlets are actually awful, for some reason you really have to force them in there because while the socket is round the plug itself is always a weird rectangle shape it just definitely doesn't want to go in there.
However much force you feel is too much force times that by 2 and use that much force. That is the correct amount of force necessary to plug something in.
I've only been to Iceland but I really liked how the plug actually locks into the socket. Also not having live voltage with prongs partially exposed is a nice safety feature.
Still trying to figure out why Germany is listed separately from the EU.
load more comments
(1 replies)
Name a more painful thing to tread on than the British plug. Bonus points if it's incorrectly wired to be live.
As a Brazilian, that makes me so sad. We used to have a type that could fit European and American plugs, but they just changed it. Never gonna let it go hahaha
As another Brazilian, good riddance to that crap. The current standard is so much better. Anything that is compatible with the American standard is automatically a mistake. Now if only we could standardise the whole country on 220V and drop the need for different 10A/20A sockets...
load more comments
(1 replies)
I think I would like Australia's over the rest.
The recessed circles I feel like they would gather dust and grime in there if you don't use it often and be tough to clean out.
I like the angles prongs as well as the switch to turn it off and on.
load more comments
(3 replies)
Italy WTF man? Also fuck Type H!
the weird looking holes are just to make it compatible with two sizes of plugs, so really it's just the best wall socket
load more comments
(1 replies)
Which ever outlet that allows me to stick a fork in them.
My favourite is this one, it makes things go brrrrrr.
Couldn't find a good photo of the socket online, only the plug. Cba to go take a photo of the socket right now, but I do have it at home and it's fully functional.
Edit: Searching in Estonian yielded results for the socket too. Someone was auctioning a set 7 years ago.
I'll fetch the popcorn.
I got the beer. Thankfully it’s an universal plug
Type B, H, or I. They look unpleasantly surprised by what I'm shoving in their mouths. Definitely not K, because he looks like he likes it.
load more comments
(1 replies)
Type K cause it looks like a happy face.
The UK plug is over engineered and looks like something from a steampunk universe, but I think it’s the best plug overall.
load more comments
(1 replies)
view more: next ›