Plug versus Plug

United Kingdom, Ireland and loads of other awesome countries

The British plug solves some problems that don't exist in other plug-socket combinations. The British system is pretty much the only one in the world that is fused in the plug. This extra safety measure keeps you safe from too much current going through a mains lead and setting fire to it. But because there's a fuse on the live wire, you need to make sure the pins go in the right socket -- which is where the pyramid stack comes from. Brilliant: a problem solved that no one other plug needs to solve.

The fuse and sturdy construction prove the British plug is very clearly the safest in the world. But it's better than that, because the sockets also feature shutters that prevent children from inserting paperclips and getting a nasty shock. There's often shielding at the base of the live and neutral pins too, in case your finger slips between the plug and the wall and touches one of the pins. What's more, if you pull the cord out of a British plug, it's designed in such a way that the three inner leads disconnect in an order that prevents death.

The only time the good old British plug isn't safer is if you accidentally leave it on the floor, then stand on it while not wearing any shoes. This is a level of pain that can only really be beaten by standing on Lego, or someone giving your reproductive organs a sharp yank.

If Chuck Norris was a plug, he'd be the sturdy, kick-arse British plug. If aliens came to live on Earth, they'd almost certainly bring new types of gadget, and those types of gadget would only work when connected via a British plug.

There is only one possible criticism of the UK plug and socket system, and that's that it doesn't really look like a happy, smiling face -- the Americans can hold that over us.

Score: 10 out of 10

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