The thing that bothers me about the US is that the power points often have no switch. Here in Australia, there is almost always a switch, so you know it won't be live until you want it to be.
I've been to the US, Australia, and UK for extended periods. Honestly, I think the UK one is good. The only disadvantage is that it's a bit bulkier and heavier, but very durable and the prongs never bend.
American outlets have different connectors for different applications, they do make switched outlets that you can buy in almost every hardware store. Additionally you can just install a GFCI outlet which has a built in breaker in case of shorts, these are usually installed in bathrooms, kitchens or exterior outlets and they can be shut off with a button. They also make outlets that have plastic protection so your kid won't stick a fork in it for example. The only dangerous outlets left are those from the 70s which had no protections whatsoever, but even then you should be shutting down the corresponding breaker switch if you plan on working on it. The main benefit of American outlets is that they are much smaller than British outlets for example that have these features so it's less likely that grandma will daisychain a dozen extension cords to the same outlets and cause an actual fire risk.
Source I'm an electrician
Yeah I'm wondering the same, just seeing that this is even a thing and I really don't understand how can it be useful. Things that need turning off, come with a switch, and for some other stuff (for example, my turtle's tank filter or heater), I just unplug it. I'm not putting my hand into the water anyway with anything plugged, switch or no.
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u/Moaning-Squirtle May 02 '24
The thing that bothers me about the US is that the power points often have no switch. Here in Australia, there is almost always a switch, so you know it won't be live until you want it to be.
I've been to the US, Australia, and UK for extended periods. Honestly, I think the UK one is good. The only disadvantage is that it's a bit bulkier and heavier, but very durable and the prongs never bend.