British Plugs Are Better Than All Other Plugs, And Here's Why 

Pro tip: Concerned about stepping on a British plug in the dark of night? Simply scatter Lego around it in order to warn you of imminent pain.

Wired flex but ok

You didnt mention that the cable colours are chosen so that A “green-red” colour-blind electrician can identify them.

I'm a plumber and sometimes have to do electrical work, I've been using Tom's qoute "brown Is the colour your trousers will go if you touch it" to identify live my whole career

This guy talks about stuff that SHOULD be boring, But honestly it's really fascinating. edit : jeez this has blown up wth

Mums in Britain bragging about how smart their kids were since they got killed by an eletrical plug.

“I can’t imagine what’s worse than stepping on a plug in the middle of the night” “A land mine”

"you need to have a really inventive baby to be able to put one in there and another in there and then get a shock" honestly if a baby managed to electrocute themselves from a British plug I wouldn't even be shocked I'd just be impressed by the ingenuity of that baby

When I was a kid, if we got anything electrical for xmas we also got a plug wrapped seperately to go with it which always had a label on it saying it was from the cat 😂

Meanwhile, in the rest of the world: "So how will we make our plugs safer?" "lmao natural selection"

British news: “ we lost a genius today, they were only a year old, they electrocuted themselves by plug”

Camera operator: I didn't see that coming! Tom: no-one ever does... Mate, this guy is a low-key comic genius and I love it!! 👌 I feel like Tom could do an excellent English-style humour sketch show that's both massively informative and hilarious.

Another interesting fact is that the reason the earth wire is two colours (green and yellow) is to ensure that anyone with colourblindness can always identify it and thus ensure the earth is ALWAYS connected to the right pin.

Oh man, I can only imagine the pain of stepping on one of those plugs in the middle of the night, in the dark.

Tom Scott is old enough to have been taught how to wire plugs in school, and I'm young enough not to have ever thought of that as a common skill... and we were only born a little over eleven years apart. That's fascinating to me.

To be fair to the European plugs: if they are built according to standard the pins also are insulated far enough so you can't touch blank live metal. Aditionally the socket is recessed so you can't even reach the pins once you start plugging it in

Oh ye? Well does your plug look like a smiley face?

British plug pros: Advanced security Anti-baby electrocution Unable to touch electricity through metal by putting it halfway American plug pros: Always look surprised

During WW2 I was evacuated with my mother to a place near Bradford where all the sockets were two pin and round being a nosey kid I stuck my finger in one, well it was finger sized wasn't it, apparently I was propelled across the room at great speed and no doubt Mum had to change my nappy. Now 77 years of age I still have the scar on my index finger it must have given me an interest in electricity because I became an aircraft electrician.

1:09 - With today's standard EU equipment you can't expose live metal by half plugging. You either have an earth-less plug that has plastic neck on their pins (like UK ones) or you have an earthed plug which has full metal pins, but the plug fills the whole socket so it won't allow you to touch metal when it makes contact.

"The electricity could ground itself through you... and through your heart... which is bad..." - I love a bit of british understatement.

A video about a plug hits 3.4m views. The internet is glorious

Me: Doesn't use British plug Tom Scott: So you have chosen death

Regarding leaving plugs on the floor to hurt you when you step on them: In the UK you don't need to do that because many sockets have switches so you just leave the device plugged in but switched off. Another UK safety feature.

Can confirm that UK plugs really really REALLY REALLY hurt when you stand on them AND YOU WILL.

I remember a rhyme that was in one my science books at school: Live is brown Neutral blue Remember this rhyme Or you'll be here too Written on a gravestone

When I was 12 I opened up the base of my lava lamp to see what made it work. I saw two metal lumps, one was labeled "+" and the other was labeled "-". Clearly the + meant Put your right finger here, and the - meant Put your left finger here. So I did that. And now, 14 years later, I'm a heroin addict. Electricity is a gateway drug. Don't do drugs above 120V.

But: They are HUGE.

British sockets: *Has power button individually.* British people: _"Let me just pull it out when not in use and lay it around the floor.."_

3:05 Did Iroh teach you nothing?? You’re supposed to channel it through your stomach for this very reason!

You could also have mentioned the physical size and shape of the conductor pins. They offer a greater surface area in contact with the socket terminals over round pins. This reduces contact resistance and heating effect at higher currents.

I really like your videos and they are usually very interresting - but this one is so wrong, it hurts :) Let us debunk your list and compare it with the CEE-System, which almost any other country in europe uses - lets focus on the universal CEE 7/7-Plug: 1) IP44-Sockets are also Guarded and you cant plug in a CEE-7/7 plug into the socket - instead of earth pushing the safety away you need to push them both at the same time, if you shove in a screwdriver in just one hole it does not work eiter 2) the Pins on the CEE-7/7-Plug are also insulated half way up, you cannot touch them anymore as soon as they are plugged in 3) your explaination is pretty much wrong: the fuse inside is useless as a safety feature and has, as you explain, just historical reasons since the UK electric wiring uses a ring system instead of single lines whic are all fused at a central point and have an additional residual current circuit breaker - of course some devices are fused separately, but there is no use to fuse the plug itself - just a waste of resources, since the cables on lots of devices are interchangeable (for example computers, printers, fridges ... - they pretty much all use the C13/C14-System) therefore UK devices which offer additional safety do not use just a little melting fuse, the use miniature circuit breakers in each plug or device. to be on the safe side, you need to test those regularly - but who does that, if he does not know the device has one? if you have just one in your home, it is way more paractical and therefore safer 4) the slack in the earth wire has nothing (directly) to do with the plug - this is, in fact, a common rule in lots of applications were you have something earthed - this wire has to be longer to be pulled out last _if_ the strain relief fails - therefore this also Applys to the CEE-System and even the device side where the cable might be hardwired Additional features which makes the CEE-System superior: 1) The Typ F Socket, which can accept the CEE-7/7-Plug has 2 Pins for earth, not just one - both are connected before the live pins even enters the holes 2) due to the ring topology of the wiring in your home, you can save resources by using a smaller wire crosssection but on the other hand you have no way to determine if the ring is poproperly closed - since there is not always general fuse (because the system relies on one fuse per plug) there is always the danger of burning your house down, if something in the ring fails and draws too much power, this cannot happen on CEE-Systems because every wire has to be dimensioned properly to the fuse it is connected to - for example if you use 2,5mm² wire, you need to put a 16 A fuse in the circuit 3) the plug itself has a tight fit in the socket and is not just held there in place by the pins, so it is safer and cannot be pulled out by accident And of course dere are disadvantages both systems share: In the past, the plugs where made form different materials, for example they used phenol formaldehyde resins for the casing - if you use modern thermo- oder duroplastics with similar physical properties, you have an unneccesarly bulky plug - also the manufacturing of the pin shape makes it way more expensive the the manufacturing process of the CEE-System-Plugs with round pins, this therefore both could be smaller and easier to manufacture This leaves one single advantage over the CEE-System you have not even mention: CEE-7/7 does not feature a polarity protection - which the UK plug in fact does - you might suggest, that this does not even matter in AC circuits, but it is a problem with faulty devices - for example if you have a lamp with an edison socket and change your lightbulb - you can never know if the outer thread of the socket is neutral or the live wire/phase - this is a problem if the switch on such device does only disconnect one of the wires to shut off the light and not both

"A really inventive baby"

Stepping on plugs is for amateurs, try laughing so hard that you fall off your bed with your bare back straight onto the pins of a plug.

Another great aspect of this design is that you can't unplug it by just pulling the wire, you have to pull the head of the plug instead. This ensures that over time the wire doesn't get damaged at the junction of the wire and plug, like most other plug types do.

I love how people are offended THAT THEIR PLUGS ARE WORSE

The slack in the earth wire, I’d never realised that before. That’s a nice touch.

We still get taught to wire a plug in GCSE Physics

In Australia, only a licensed electrician can do any electrical work. No wiring plugs, no fiddling with power outlets. My physics teacher used to say "one flash and you're ash." When Tom said that up until 1992 people had to wire their own plugs, well... my trousers changed colour too.

There is also an on/off switch on the wall socket. So that even when an appliance is plugged in, you can cut the the electricity to it.

"You were just expected to wire the plug yourself, I learned how to do it in school." Tom stays teaching me how Britain used to be an absolute lawless frontier pre-Y2K

In France (and some other european countries) sockets are designed with a 15 mm recess to prevent electrocution. So partially plugged in plugs don't expose any pins.

As an American... I do have to concede this one. I had the privilege of living in Ireland for a few years, and I did grow quite fond of the British plugs. The only thing I would also add is that the walls all have a switch on them as well! Instead of unplugging the cord when you are not using it you can just flip the socket off using the switch. I always thought that was quite cool

American plugs are still better. Here, when you buy a set of plugs, you get a free cheeseburger and an M15 rifle. Can't beat that in Britain, can ya Gov'na?

Actually European type F plug is also that safe and not have the lego-effect.

Tom's actually unscrewing that plug needlessly incorrectly, ironically missing out another safety feature... To open a plug, you just unscrew the single, largest, central screw. That's it. You don't need to unscrew the two smaller screws at the bottom... they're there to simply hold the base of the cable to prevent it from being pulled/yanked. Some plugs even have a plastic ratchet instead of the two screws to securely hold the base of the cable in situ. But damn the plugs do hurt like hell if you accidently step on one on the floor. It's something you only do once!

The Schuko-plug design, that is common in most European countries, does have some advantages on its own. I.e. you can plug them in two directions... the earth grounding has even got two contacts! The 'live wire' issue is solved by making the plug outlet recessed (in a groove) - quite genius, I dare say

They're also really handy for opening bottles of beer.

This video was worth it for the comments. It's amazing how people become so patriotic about plugs...

I just cut off the plug and stick the individual wires into the socket

I live in Zimbabwe and the house we moved into had South African type M sockets. For some reason, depending on who or when your house was built, you either get South African type M or British type G in this country. We switched all the sockets to British type G for their safety. This also means having a box of spare plugs and a screwdriver handy to rewire any new appliances that come with type M plugs.

I was just waiting for him to pull out the *Sponsored By the UK Government*

Denmark here, we got all that, well except for the built in plug, and we don't have a risk of it landing in a way that will be painful to step on. We made that mistake already with lego!

Meanwhile in the white house: "We have the best plugs, believe me, they're tremendous"

Here in Australia we have wonderfully angled plugs so it’s completely impossible to plug in upside down, and they look nice, so there’s that too

Non-Brit here, wondering why you guys have all these plugs laying about on the floor everywhere, that you're stepping on them at night in the dark.

Now all the babies know. Thank youuu

You forgot to mention every UK plug has individual switch, so you don’t need to pull the plug to switch off the device.

I've actually seen a British plug that didn't have insulation on the live prongs. Of course, it was on an American made travel adapter designed to allow you to plug American appliances into British outlets.

Lego or Brittish Plug? Which is more painful?

perfectly designed to inflict pain on a barefoot individual.

2:05 *There is always a (insert something)-shortage in Britain*

This feature genuinely saved my life as a child trying to jam a wire coat hanger into it

Wait schools teaching something used in everyday life to prepare students for adulthood... WHAT IS THIS TRICKERY?!

Correction: The EU plug pins are, here in Germany at least, also covered in plastic half way through and the plug itself inserts into the socket so that you can’t even see any pins at all.

Euro plugs are also half way insulated and the socket is recessed anyway so you can't touch live pins.

I like the on off switch some plugs have. That allows you to easily turn off electronics that continue to use electricity when turned off. When I was a toddler here in Michigan USA I liked to put my shoe strings into the outlets. My father got safety covers for the plugs and spent a lot of time installing them. My mother told me I had figured them out within an hour of dad finishing.

The greatest plug design in the world.... .. until you stand on one.....😆😱

One reason why i hate your British plugs, is because they ARE SO FREAKING HUGE ! The EU plug (UK Shaver) is small in comparison. Also - i think its nice that the wiring in the house is protected with fuses - which means that a broken wire somewhere is more or less safe to touch.

Yeah, but, it's huge and noisy. American plugs are more slim and aren't really more dangerous. Hell, as a kid I stuck a metal thing in the socket and it hurt. I didn't do it again.

Memeulous sent me here

The German ones used all over Europe are better and safer actually, and here is why: CONTACT: As you have just shown, it is possible to put the plug upside down, which makes contact possible. Also this kind of system to open and close the protection is known to break in many cases, either rendering your outlet unusable or unsafe. Which is why European plugs are symetrical, have very tiny holes and don't have moving parts. The sequrity works differently, and it requires bot points to be pressed at the same time. Also the European wall plug is designed to be used with a special lock, that is dirt cheap, or even comes free with the plugs, that insures that only with a special plastic key can someone open the lock. Great for outside plugs, and keys. INSULATION: European sockets are actually kind of a hole, about 1,5 cm inwards, which means that when full sockets are half pluged, no metalic parts actually show up. Whith half sockets, the same insulation is applied in European plugs too. Not to mention that, by design, European plugs can be used outside in any weather. CONSTRUCTION: There is a reason we say things are "screwed'. Screws are a terrible idea in plugs, which is why European plugs don't have any. All the systems are fused in place with many layers of plastic, which means its impossible to disasseble, and adds to safety. European plugs have another advantage. As you said, Brittish households have a common circuit for all sockets, not all Europeans do that though. Every room here has its own circuit with its very own fuse which are all located on a central panel, which means that if an appliance breaks the circuit of one room, the others operate fine, and you your socket, and plug are good as new. Which is why all of the above are common in all of Europe, and its only the Earth point that is different in some countries. ADDED BONUS: Generally, European outlets come in 2 sizes, the full ones, which are 40% smaller than yours, and the half one which are TINY :O . So smaller plugs here can acomodate more devices. Half outlets are also designed in a way that full ones cant get in. Not to mention that they never, by design, land with their points up... I don't think there is any kind of pride in the plug. But the fact that half of the world uses the german plug or some variation of it, even back in the day when the UK was the exporting power of the world, proves that it is, by far I would say, a better design.

From a user's perspective I prefer the European plugs, because they can be connected "upside down", too, making it easier to find spots for those big boxes.

At an european plug its impossible to touch anything,when its plugged in halfway

Have you seen SCHUKO socket, used in many european countries? Even more safe than British ones. And agree USA sockets are a dangerous joke

We use those plugs here in Malaysia too, never thought they were from Britain. Edit: damn this got more likes than I expected. Colonialism has brought us together lmao.

You need a pretty strong baby to open the spring loaded covers in European plugs...

i can put my european phone charger in my pocket 😉

The insulation part is by far the best part of this. As far as shudders, in the US they are called "Tamper Resistant" receptacles and are now the standard electrical code for new installs. I do like that the US plug is far more compact. The UK plugs are SO GIANT that makes things super awkward.

What you happened to left out is that European plugs (EDIT: Notice the plural. This applies to most types of plugs in the EU. It's not a type of a plug) are deeps as a damn valley and they disappear in the socket BEFORE the pins could touch live. Also, a huge pro for UK plugs is that they are polarized. Furthermore, in normal European plugs you have the same earth-is-the-last-to-pull-out rule and it works just as well. Most of the time it is indeed the longest for the same exact reason. And the fuse? If you run something like 95% of where the fuse will blow, you will have a nice little heating element that can melt the plug. Bigclive had a video on one of those.

Well, with brexit coming, those plug connecting skills may come into fashion again soon.

The european plugs are not level, they are inside a hole about 1cm deep, so no live voltage is ever exposed

I was taught how to wire a plug in 2013, but I wasn't told why it was a skill many Brits had. I had to watch this video to figure that out, for some reason?

Europeans insert a british plug upside down so they can force their plug into the live/neutral avoiding the use of converters!

4:00 - Love the quick witty comments, even in the bloopers. _"I didn't see that coming"_ -- _"No one ever does"_ 😬

yeah but the plugs are huge goddamn

Sometimes I miss the small EU plug for light electrical devices such as USB chargers (which has only two contacts without ground) in the UK. Those plugs are so bulky.

I've actually stepped on an upturned plug - it actually stuck in my foot, and in the shock, I was like "Huh. I'm a socket." Theeen the pain, and blood, and screaming came.

An elderly now ex-colleague of mine discovered he had leukemia after standing on a plug in the night. He went to the doctor once he noticed that it wasn't really healing. Thanks to that he got treatment and survived. He is currently enjoying retirement. negative to eventual positive :-)

I don't know how you would get a shock from an EU plug by plugging it halfway in. Only the tips are metal and you can't get a finger in there once the plug is far enough in to touch the contacts inside.

This is really clever design :D but one "comfort" feature I'd say is missing, in the EU you can plug the plug upside down. So if you want to power something above the power outlet you don't need to twist the cable around.

It took until 1992 for everything to get plugs!?!? What the hell?

i always struggled with getting a screw driver into the slots. all i have to do is turn the plug upside down. thank you i can now stick my screw driver in.

"You need to have a really inventive baby to want to put one in there - and another in there..." Been there, done that, had the carpet scorch marks to prove it. Guess that makes me an inventive (5 year old) baby then! :-)

These plugs are massive. The europlug is nice and slim. More plugs fit to a similar sized extension cord.

The European plugs are just as safe, if not safer. The outlet is always sunken so by the time the pins can contact, there is no way to jam your finger in there. For the UK plugs the insulation could come off due to damage, this isn't possible when the entire plug is used as insulation. You also can't put a screwdriver in because you need equal pressure on both sides to open the little covers. The fuse in the plug would be redundant because there already are fuses for everything in the main fusebox. I would even say it is safer this way because you won't have to screw open plugs when a fuse burns. People could become lazy and not close the plug properly afterwards, or they could put in a bad fuse that allows more current or they could just connect it with copper wire if there are no fuses lying around. In the fusebox it is just a matter of flipping the switch back up, you really can't do it wrong. Also you can connect plugs upside down when there is no ground needed. Super handy when trying to fit bulky plugs.

All of those safety features are present in modern European plugs, except for the internal fuse. Outlets are required to have a "well" to make sure the pins cannot be touched once they are in contact with the socket.

I love it! This video perfectly shows that the job of an engineer is not to make something that works when used properly, it's to make something that still works when the person using it has no idea what they are doing hahaha

My European plug can do everything this plug can do (minus the fuse inside… which I am more than happy about) and I can step on it without dying. I guess you have never really looked into the European plug. Also, you have the fuse in the plug because of all the old houses, and you can't stop it now, not because it's the better solution.

Just wanted to let y’all know my English teacher just put this video in class, so congratulations for that Tom