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Comment by delta_p_delta_x | Hacker News Reader

1. There is little size difference between your choices and BS1363 plugs/sockets. They are large, I concede, but that is in pursuit of the many safety features of the plug.

2. Better have it than not. Plus, it makes for a single uniform plug design and specification that is straightforwardly adhered to.

3. IMO this is a good thing as it allows furniture to be set up considerably closer to the walls.

Funny you mention hotels, because I was in one in France not two weeks ago and it had the worst sockets I've ever seen. My phones took forever to charge, half the sockets didn't even seem to have power, and they all had this unintuitive setup where there was a spring loaded panel in the socket that needed to be twisted to get the plug in.

Now, I've seen some odd BS1363 setups, but never one this strange.

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> Funny you mention hotels, because I was in one in France not two weeks ago and it had the worst sockets I've ever seen.

My worst experience was in a hotel in the US, with the weight of my adapter and plug they just fell out of the socket. Luckily, for once Jesus saved me; the ubiquitous bible in the nightstand drawer was just the right size to prop up the adapter and I was able to charge my laptop!

Never had a problem with Schuko plugs falling out by themselves, FWIW, if anything the springs are often so tight you need two hands to pull it out so you don't wiggle the socket.

> there was a spring loaded panel in the socket that needed to be twisted to get the plug in.

Sounds like dust protection and/or "Kindersicherung"(Child safety/protection)

One can get them as an add on, to retrofit 'Schukos'.

That unintuitive setup is a common child safety measure. It's not part of the socket design, the construction is usually an inlay.

i really like Min-Kue Cho’s folding plug

https://www.dezeen.com/2012/02/20/folding-plug-by-min-kyu-ch...

1. Are we talking about the same plugs? Europlugs are significantly smaller and fit into both [1]. Grounded is larger but still way smaller than BS1363.

2. No, there's simply no point in having it for devices that don't need it.

3. My point is Europlugs give you choice, there are plugs that bend and ones that are not, your choice. BS1363 is always bent.

> My phones took forever to charge

Dude, that's not how chargers work. They either charge at full power your charger can, or do not charge at all. Well, unless your charger can supply 2000+ W to your phones, but I've yet to see a phone capable of more that 37 W. Which means one plug can charge _at least_ 50 phones at the same time, maybe even 100. Any plug is _way_ more powerful than USB can deliver.

[1] https://www.plugsocketmuseum.nl/Europlug1.html

On 2/ there is a safety point in having the grounding pin on all plugs, and it being longer than the live/neutral: in the socket side, the grounding pin opens up latches that block live/neutral, so kids can’t stick things into them..

I generally would agree it is the best plug standard for safety, but clunky and painful to step on..

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