Plug protectors

[Roly]

When I buy an electrical gadget, it often comes with a moulded plug protector - three joined-together plastic sleeves that slide over the pins.

Just out of curiosity, can anybody explain precicely what hazards these protectors are protecting the plug from ?

It seems to me that the plug is relatively free of hazards while it's cocooned inside a specially moulded polystyrene shipping crate within a cardboard box. It only faces hazards once I've taken it out of the box and the protector has been chucked away - and even then it seems to withstand all that it's subjected to and keeps on working.

[EricP]

Scratching the goods they are connected to mainly.

[Andy Dingley]

Allegedly there was once a Chinese plug factory that received a complaint about tarnished brasswork on plug pins. So ever after, they covered them with this superfluous plastic widget.

The David Brent who complained about discoloured plug pins is paid around 3x what you get, and a silver company Merc.

[david lang]

I've often wondered that myself. The brass pins are much tougher than the plastic protector.

Mind you, I once had a machine part delivered in a box crammed full of polystyrene packaging chips - the part was entirely made of rubber :-)

Dave

[Dave Liquorice]

I'd have thought it more likely that it's to stop the sharp corners of the pins damaging the product during packing, transit or unpacking.

[Mark Carver]

....and falling onto a nice laminate floor and chipping it !

(I for one are glad one was fitted to a Christmas presie I carelessly opened too quickly)