[1] https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/22572/are-briti...
> having a switch on the outlet makes it harder to debug if the bulb has blown…
No it doesn’t. It really doesn’t.
The other drawbacks have merit (though in 40 years of using electrical appliances I’ve never once had to worry about load balancing, but I’m willing to entertain that might be an issue for some people under niche circumstances). But the whole “a switch makes it harder to debug” argument is a really weak point.
And god help you if you step on a plug, because they always rest teeth up.
I spent 15 years in the UK, and despite the fact that I take good care of my stuff, I've never had so much trouble with electrical stuff.
Also, of all the standards, it seems to me that UK plugs are the easiest to be sure are fully plugged in?
My biggest complaint about U.K. plugs is that they’re not more universal. This leads to some international goods having really shitty adapters to slot their proprietary plug into a U.K. plug. Some of which are so bad that they completely undo all of the safety mechanisms built into the U.K. plug.
As for the complaint about stepping on a plug, I’ve done that maybe once in my entire life time. Frankly if you can’t be bothered to tidy up your electrical cables then it’s really your own fault and not the flaw in the design of the plug.
“The 9-mm long insulated sleeves prevent accidental contact with a bare connector while the plug is partially inserted.”
The CEE 7/7 (E & F hybrid) can not be shorted due to socket design. The Europlug, the British plug, the Italian plug and a few others can not be shorted because the prongs are covered in plastic.
It is actually another problem of the original article: It doesn't show and distinguish between recessed sockets and sockets that are available/allowed to be used in a flat form.
The recess also makes the mechanical mating far more robust and takes away mechanical wear from the prongs. So in contrast to flat designs like the British, where all the force rests on the (admittedly thicker) prongs, Type F avoids that problem by distributing most of the forces into the socket housing. Of course you need to replace that if cracked, but you avoid the danger of cracks in the prongs. Cracked or bent prongs are really a fire danger because if they don't immediately fall of (which is the good case), they might continue to be used, albeit with increased electrical resistance due to the crack. Resistance leads to overheating, overheating leads to fires. And no RCCB/SRCD or OCB will help you there. An AFDD might (if there is an arc, which might be 50% of cases), but nobody has those because they are fairly new, very expensive and only code-required in some special types of buildings (care facilities, hospitals and such).
That is why the Europlug has insulated prongs. It fits where Shuko doesn't.
You actually can not even build a non-recesed Shuko (grounded) socket, because the earth contacts are part of the housing.
Besides, none of what you propose will save someone who builds a male to male cable. Darwin awards have to be awarded.
(You repeat "is no true scotsman" in a reply, so it's not just a typo...)