Aldis this Sunday

[robgraham]

've not seen the 4w mains adaptor that plugs directly into a socket before - anyone any experience with this.

Rob

[Andy Burns]

No. Presumably that knob attempts to lock the thing in place? But From the look of it, you could accidentally apply a *lot* of leverage to the plug part, snapped-off pins anyone?

[Dave Osborne]

It looks like it has some kind of built-in clamp to stop it falling out of the socket (which would be at best an inconvenience and at worse a significant safety issue). The clamp may or may not work effectively and safely and it may or may not be possible for the sockets to be live without the clamp working properly.

For sure, I wouldn't buy one.

[Toby]

The description says... "Unit rotates to allow fitting in confined spaces"

so I expect that thing is just a means for that, rather than a clamp.

I have seen ones before that don't rotate, they just plug in.

[Cicero]

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There are variants available - I have a couple with a fifth 'plug-through' socket which plugs directly into the wall socket. I've had no problems but I wouldn't recommend them where they can be knocked by small children, dogs, etc.

Although it probably doesn't apply to most people on this group there is the obvious danger for the less-well-informed of overloading the whole thing which appears to be one of the more frequent causes of electrical fires.

Cic.

[Andy Dingley]

Would they be OK for a school workshop?

[whisky-dave]

I brought a 3 & 4 way one.

trouble I have with them is that when plugged in they don';t always lay flat as it depends on what's below. It might work for some skirting boards but others might just makle the block unstable and likliy to fall out. I got them with the idea that at least no one would fall over a trailing lead. Teh 4 way one had a cut-out too.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Andy Dingley saying something like:

An Inspector (by the name of Hansen) Calls.

[Roger Chapman]

I don't know about these paticular items but the 3 gang permanent sockets are fused at 13A and I would have thought 13A protection would have been essential in this case where they plug into a single socket rather than being hard wired into a spur or ring main.

[Cicero]

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Ideal, I think, in some places - more clinical than a dumbbell.

Cic.

[The Medway Handyman]

We have the same thing in our kitchen, although it didn't come from Aldi. The knob & button aren't a clamp, they allow you to rotate the pins so the entire thing can be either portait or landscape and eithet above or below the socket. The picture shows it above, ours is below cos the socket is under a cupboard. Had it for ages, no problems.

[Scott M]

Couldn't think of anything worse. Better off with a trailing one with mounting holes if it's likely to be in one place for a length of time and you don't want it on the floor.

[dennis]

I have some of these

better than the plug in ones.

[Peter Parry]

They are a classic illustration of the dangers of letting numpty politicians out unattended. Part Pee quadrupled the price of having extra sockets installed so it created a market for these cheaper alternatives instead.

That they were going to be far less safe than the vast majority of even DIY sockets was far beyond the limited comprehension of Prescott and other Nulabor pocketliners.