Why the wide prong on a plug?

[salty]

Wet, okay Mr. Picky?

[Doug Miller]

Submerged, it isn't going to make one bit of difference which way the plug is inserted in the outlet.

[Bryce]

I suppose that's why we end up buying the new improved model!

[Stormin Mormon]

The sky is falling down! We must tell the king!

(I spend more time scrolling through idiot bottom posted messages than I do on reversing plugs.)

[DerbyDad03]

Let's try my math:

It takes me less than a minute grab the bottle of White-Out and put a white dot on a black plug - or a magic marker if the plug is white.

Since all the receptacles in my house are installed the same way, all the plugs go in the same way - "dot up".

BTW - do you really plug things in 10 times a day on average? And that's just 2 pronged "things". I could go days without plugging a single 2 pronged device in. It would take an awful lot of "make up" plug-ins to average 10 if you miss a day or two here and there.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Kist curious, what do you plug in ten times a day. I bet I don't change more than one plug in a week. Maybe I can retire early with that 10 hours a year savings.

[DerbyDad03]

"Submerged" is so much more dramatic than "wet".

[Doug Miller]

If you meant "wet" why did you write "submerged"?

[Bert Byfield]

Polarized plugs is a good idea, but making both sides of the plug feel the same was a mistake. There should be a tab or something so you can feel the right way without all the trial and error.

[salty]

Just to upset your delicate balance.

[Dan Espen]

how do I respond to

this idiot...

Oh, I know, I'll put

the hell, I feel

like

because

it doesn't matter what anyone

else is

doing.

What I do is

right and everyone else is an idiot.

[Sam E]

and stupidly believing that one problem (posting location), automatically negates another problem (reversing plugs).

The idiots aren't the ones bottom-posting.

The idiots aren't the ones top-posting.

The idiots are the ones calling others idiots because of their posting location, while simultaneously creating a worse problem (posting your sig in the wrong place, interfering with quoting and replies).

"So, the 16-ton weight falling on you today means the 9-ton weight falling on you last week didn't hurt at all. I'm dropping ONLY the

9-ton weight, because that one doesn't hurt :-)"

[Mark Lloyd]

Don't forget to multiply that time by the number of plugs you do this to.

You'd still have to LOOK at the plugs, possibly taking the time to turn on a light. Even if you could feel the dots, it'd still take time to feel them, turning the plug around if necessary.

And (again, since too many ignore it) Don't forget to multiply that time by the number of plugs you do this to.

BTW, My last two cars have had 2-edged (rotationally symmetrical) keys, so you don't have to waste time turning the key around to use it.

I guess I plug in 2-prong (polarized) plugs about that often (an average of 10 times a day).

[Mark Lloyd]

Many polarized plugs have both the prongs the same where they come out of the body of the plug, then one gets smaller (corners cut off) and the other gets larger. You should be able to feel that.

Of course, that still takes time (and don't forget to multiply by the number of plugs you insert).

[mkirsch1]

Because there is only one company that makes the plugs, and it's cheaper to make just one kind of plug and send it out to everyone than to make two kinds of plugs and keep track of who is buying what type of plug.

[The Daring Dufas]

GEEZ! And I thought the other guy was silly.

TDD

[DerbyDad03]

re: I guess I plug in 2-prong (polarized) plugs about that often (an average of 10 times a day).

'splain that please.

[DerbyDad03]

Nice try...

A quick scan of my office shows at least 5 different kinds of 2 prong plugs.

Granted, some of the plugs are at least a few months old so that one company may have bought everyone out since then...

I kid because I care.

[Phisherman]

The wide blade is the neutral. The smaller blade is the hot side. It may not make a difference if the two are reversed, but not always.

[TWayne]

Expecially with, say, an old TV or radio. With new electronic gear, defeating the plug so you can plug it backwards will usually result in loss of operations some how; e.g. deficient spike/surge protection on a laptop, picture problems on a TV set, interference & noise on a radio, etc.. Personally I've never seen one misused. Anything that's not a proper Class II appliance always has the polarized blade, proper Class II devices do not.

Long discussion over nothing though.