I couldn’t plug in an adaptor in what seemed to be the correct way, in a Sri Lankan hotel (type M), but it went in ok when I rotated it. As soon as it went in, the power went out in the entire hotel. It was out for the rest of the night, and as I went up the street the next morning, there was a crew working on a transformer a few blocks away. Coincidence?

Also, at the place I was working, there were 2 other types of power plug than type M. WTF?

B is mounted upside down. Also the prongs get bent easily. So definitely not B.

I would argue neither of the plugs shown in the picture and by people before me.

Ignoring current adoption, I would argue that IEC 60906-1 is the best plug. It is very similar to the Swiss plug and was intended to, at least in the EU, replace other plugs. It has quite a few advantages over the other plugs people here say are the best. It is rated at 16 A, has a compact form factor, is polarised, and has almost all the common protections except fuses (which are pretty much useless anyway). Currently it only is used in South Africa without major changes to the plug.

Compared to the Schuko (Type F):

• Much smaller. You can fit three plugs in the same space as a single Schuko plug (similar to Swiss triple outlets).
• It takes less force to plug in. Above 2.5A, Schuko plugs require a lot of force to plug in and pull out. To some extent, this is actually good for safety, but I would argue that, in the case of Schuko plugs at least, it’s too much
• It is also easier to plug in without seeing the plug since it isn’t round. Everyone who has tried to plug in a Schuko plug without seeing the holes knows how difficult it is
• It’s polarised/directional. In some very specific cases, there is a security advantage to using a polarised plug, but I think it’s also a hassle to only be able to plug in a plug one direction It also fits Europlugs (the thin, small plugs with only two pins that are very common in Europe, e.g. on phone chargers)

Compared to (Typ G)):

• Wayyy smaller
• Not a stepping hazard
• Rated for 16A (instead of 13 A)

• No Fuse (Again, pretty unecessary)

Regarding three-phase power, I would argue that Swiss type 15 (10A) and type 25 (16A) plugs are the best. These are really cool because while beeing the same size as Schuko (Typ F) plugs, they can transfer three-phase power (so 11 kW (230 V / 16A on all three phases). They also fit standard Swiss single-phase and Euro plugs. This makes plugging in large appliances like electric stoves much easier than in other countries.

For some reason this is a topic that really interests me. I would find it quite cool if most countries switched to one common plug, and I think 60906-1 would be best for that. It would also be possible to build hybrid plugs for many common plug systems during the transition phase.

Type F

Fun fact; even though China and Australia both use Type I plugs - they aren’t actually fully cross-compatible, due to differences in the thickness of the metal prongs.

China’s are thinner, so they hang somewhat loose in Australian outlets - and given they are less likely to have insulation around the plug ends, are a relatively common fire risk.m

On the other hand - Australian plugs don’t commonly fit into Chinese wall sockets due to their girth (giggitty), and often require the use of a power board or travel adapter in order to work.

Schuko (Type F) of course. The British plug (Type G) is a truly worthy adversary.

Even tho I live where type F/C is common, I know that type G is the best. Reason is that ground pin always connects first and disconnects last. This is an ultimate way to make ground pin.

Also, type F/C and some other types sometimes doesn’t have ground. There is literally not a single type G plug/socket without a ground. Simply safer.

Everything else falls out with a light breeze, G is the way forward.

F, C, E, K… Are they all directly compatible?

I really think we should give japan more shit for this. Type A is terrible on it’s own merits, they don’t even polarize it. But then they have the gall to use two different frequencies with the divide in the middle of Honshu (the big island with the major cities). And unlike reasonable people they don’t do a “50 hz gets this plug, but 60 gets a non compatible one”. No, both use the plug that North America phased out over safety concerns.

But to answer the question, type B is nice and homey, but types I and N feel a fun mix of weird and foreign but close enough to be interesting. Most of the rest just feel like various “yeah it’s a circle with two circular prongs all right”

G

I defer to Technology Connections

type I look sexy so that is the best

why are the flags so shitty compared to the map? why even include them if they’re gonna be so inaccurate

edit, wow i really fuckin hate whoever designed this

They’re all functional, but the UK’s Type G plug is the best of all plugs out there IMHO. I’m a Yankee and our plugs are fine, but the shutter design and built in fused plugs of the Type G are just…chef’s kiss.