A cool guide Types of plugs in the world

Upvote for Type-F

The superior plug design
- What makes it better over a type e? Personally i prefer type e, i dont trust the springs of type f :')
- Nearly, that's the type G
That plug is only useful for a device that pays respects and nothing else.

The last one is a typo.

Type K looks the happiest.

The plug design from my country looks elegant and rational, all the rest are koo-koo-krazy-town.

-- everyone

Why would they invented a plugs that's not grounded? (Type A and C)

I fucking hate it because my country's default plugs is type C. Caused me so much trouble in damaged electronics, shocked, and the effort to make a grounded line for each individual electronics myself.

the non grounded plugs are usually only used on double isolated devices, like your phone charger.
double isolated basically means all the outputs are only referenced to each other and not to ground, so you won't get a shock by touching a usb plug, where you absolutely would if you touched live wire, where the reference is earth
- my pc case shocked me when I touched it, not a huge shock like live wires but enough for you to feel a little pain (like static shock on winter day). My phone charger also shocked me the same way when i touched the metal part of the USB head.
Remember, all this stuff started over a century ago. The main application was electric incandescent lights, which are fine to run with only two wires.
Type c is commonly used in my country for small appliances as it can be used with type E and F plugs which are used everywhere
Finland uses C and F, where F is for grounded and C is for laptop chargers and such that don't need grounding.
devices with double insulation don't need a ground connection
Does Finland use C outlets, though?
At least in the US, just about every outlet has a ground port (Type B), even if the device you're plugging in has only a 2-prong plug. I've only seen the Type A outlet in one really old building.
- Lots of old houses in the US still have a bunch of the Type A outlet. My first apartment did for most outlets.
  Now, what's really fun is Knob and Tube wiring, where the hot and neutral lines are separate wires. Which means they tended to be run in separate directions if it was convenient for the asshole from a century ago to run it that way.
Your neutral should be bonded to ground anyway. If you have current on the neutral that needs the ground path, something is wrong.
- That really depends on the network. The only connection between PE and N might be at the power station (TN-S) or there might be no wire at all (TT).
- Hi, so should I just grounded the neutral wire from the fuse box (the one that goes from the pole into the house) instead of running a ground wire to each devices?
A is much less of a pain than C. At least in most cases the plug pinches into the outlet and stays in place.
I've used C while traveling for my charger and The weight of a few cords wants to drag that fucker out every time.
Also worth noting that A can come in the polarized (one plug slightly larger, fits one way) or non-polarised (doesn't matter) variety.
Why would they invented a plugs that's not grounded?
Because the importance of grounding was something we figured out after those plugs were invented?

Thankfully Tom Scott can tell us which one is best:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q

Tom's got every right to be proud for the British plug. It's super over engineered and a love it.
- ...until you step on one due to its flat back and split your head open on a coffee table.
People in the continental Europe: "Fine. We concede the British plug is a Truly Worthy Adversary to the one true plug, Schuko (Type F)."
- I like when I go to some hotels and they have "international sockets" - basically the bastard child of all these sockets.
Type G right? Those are our counties plugs and every time I’ve watched videos people love all the safety features.
- Indeed!

Can I point out the UK BS1363 (type G) plug is the only one you can use to open a bottle of beer.

I'm not sure what that says about the UK.

German here. I'm absolutely positive I could open a beer with any of those plugs. And half of the sockets.
- A fair point, but ours is practically a bottle opener. A lot easier after a few previous bottles.

The Chad Type-G.

Not the kind of plug I was hoping for

It’s pretty much the same thing for butt plugs and drug dealers

But why male models?

What we really need is a USB-C-style reversible plug with data and variable voltage where neutral and phase never reverse and earth is always there.

Lacking that, I vote for Type N because it's small, polarised, and the pins are halfway-insulated. I don't like that the frame is symmetrical, so in the dark, the only way to tell which way to plug in is to feel the pins and the holes, same as USB-A. I reject all that hurt to step on.

There's a smaller version of type F that has the same frame as type N, just missing the middle pin, so it is reversible. It has the same risk of reversing neutral and phase as type F, but (while I'm no expert) that has never been a problem for me.
- C7/C8 plug it's called irc
I agree on having earth on sockets, but why do you need a earth pin on plugs if it's not going to be used
That's just USB-C with a USB PD controller. Can go up to 48V.

Type B seen some shit, and it is probably Type-I's fault. Regardless, I want whatever life strategy Type-K's figured out.

I wish the entire world would use type G. It's the objectively superior socket for so many reasons. I hate type B so much

Schuko (type F) is better than the UK plug. UK plug is huge, and schuko has same safety features, except the fuse, which is not needed if your houses would be build better.
- Local fusing provides notable advantages, even without ring finals. In particular, one failed appliance doesn't necessarily take out the whole circuit, and lower draw appliances can be more closely fused (e.g. 3A) reducing available fault energy.
It's absolutely overkill for many applications, with its integrated fuse, and that's why I love it. It is indeed objectively best.
- Rest of Europe doesn't like or use type G. It is bulky, can be used as a weapon, can only be plugged one way and compensates for shitty wiring that no one else needs or wants.

G is the best, we have a working ground pin and make a good flail

Not just a working ground pin and flail, there's a fuse right there in the plug for extra protection and it's easy to lay them on the floor and make fun traps that are worse than standing on Lego!
- And also, backwards comparability with that Italian 2 pin one with those plastic bits

Schuko Type C/F (compatible with E) is the best, hands down.

Why are there so many that lay flat with prongs up????

Because when it's plugged in (as it usually is) it lays closer to the wall and needs less clearance.
- Oh! That actually makes a ton of sense lol
oh that? that is so you can learn a lesson

Type B: °⌓°

It's the saddest because it's the safest.
- It's definitely not the safest

If you view them as a sequence of faces, it’s a decent representation of robotripping

Where's the weirs tri-pin 240V one for US?

What do you mean? A twist-lock
- Something like this.

Type A 😶

Type B 😦

Type K 😁

Cant we all just agree that IEC 60309 is the superior plug for obvious reasons.

Imagine that on the end of your phone charger
- Extra quick charging with 25kw of power
800 amps is almost enough to run Roblox at 23 fps
It is definetly the superior plug for everything outdoor and or higher power.
Its way too bulky for smaller devices.
Here in Germany we have type F and C, where C is used for low power devices and also fits into the F socket, but not the other way around.
So even the type F plug would be too big for smaller devices.
Can't plug it in with one hand. The cover needs an opening mechanism.

One day it will all be USB-X

One day, all power will be wireless and we'll all just be cool with having treatable cancer.
- How else would my 5G microchips be powered.

Voltage and a pin out would be cooler

Voltage is 220/240/250v, unless it is American or some parts of Central and South American where we use 110/120/130v.
The big pin is the earth(usually middle), left is usually neutral, and right is hot.
- Japan is 100V
- People get this wrong all the time. North America is 120V for the usual outlets, but what comes into your house is 240V split phase. You get 240V in places you want 240V, like electric stoves or clothes dryers.
  Exception is apartments, especially those with elevators, which use three phase. Then you combine two legs to get 208V and your electric stove is kinda shitty.

Why couldn’t they look like their corresponding letter

Type G is UK and we have the best plugs in the world. Go watch any videos on YouTube discussing all the safety features. Work of art they are.

Eh, the fusing on the plug is a dealbreaker for me, especially with that load potential
Other features are present in AU (three pin safety, switched outlets, etc)
- The fuse offers per device protection, as well as per room/area.
  E.g. you have a lamp that draws 1A. It's cable is rated for 3A. It has a malfunction and starts drawing 10A. This won't pop a breaker, but will overload the cable. Eventually it could catch fire from overheating. If it has a 3A slow blow fuse, it will kill the fuse before it kills the cable.
  It also helps to isolate problems rapidly to 1 device.
- The fuse is part of why it's the safest.
- What? You’re against a fuse in the plug? So you’d rather the circuit breaker cuts off everything if one thing fails?
  Edit: After searching online it’s not even a debate. The UK has the best plugs.
  Germany and Australia also have highly regarded plugs but still ranked 2 and 3 respectively.
They are extremely sturdy and safe, but they are too large and unwieldy. Infinitely better than the schuko plug though. No idea what kind of insane people thought a circular plug that has to be plugged in one direction a good idea. Always fun to spin around your plug hoping your prongs are lined up.
- a circular plug that has to be plugged in one direction
  Two directions since it's reversible, unlike Type G. Also the guides on the left and right help a lot with alignment. But none of these are perfect, really. If Type L was recessed and had shorter prongs then maybe...
  Or just standardize USB-AC.

Type D and M been smoking some shit

Type M user here. Meh, it works

This has got to be only the most common plugs around the world.

I’m only familiar with US standards but this doesn’t seem to cover our other plugs for higher voltages.

It's missing the European high voltage plugs as well.
Google NEMA receptacle types and you'll find all the ones you're missing.
This is a pretty coarse international thing, NEMA is more specialized to North American receptacles. "Type B" is a NEMA 5-15R, for example.

They misspelled typo

Remember, all sockets are Type C if you push hard enough.

Edit: this advice applies equally to USB.

Did some travel recently and was exposed to some new plugs after using type A/B all my life. Big fan of type G, hated E/F.

You hated the shukko?
WTF?
As a life long user of type e, can i ask what you hated about it? Really curious tbh

I was really hoping this was about electricity and I'm not disappointed.

I sometimes wonder if other parts of the world label their local specification as Type A.

Type B has definitely seen some shit. And type K stands for kute I'd guess?

Type B should be Type O. Looks so Negative.

I've never known any of these to be identified by letters. Where I am in North America, I tend to refer to receptacles by their NEMA code.

Type I best. I don't have anything to back that up but also it does stay in pretty good and it's my one so yeah

Type J needs least space, is secure and fully compatible to type C. Don't see why you'd need something else.

I like f and it also is compatible to c. not the least spacious though, just what I'm used to

Would it be possible to put a fuse inside type F (schuko) and C (europlug) plugs like they do with the G (british) plug?

You don't need a fuse with modern installations. Still, if needed, there are options that have it in the wall plug.

You can definitely see who named these.

military engineers?
- Americans. Same reason US country code is +1. I have done zero research to back this up.

I think you've got a typo in your graphic

that's right, the best one

You're missing Type 0 Negative

https://youtu.be/KgkBWZXVLyk?si=IBZIttVaC_4q6r6U

Type 🅱️ gang

Type G masterrace represent! The UK may have shit food, shit weather, shit people, shit politicians, shit culture and a shit economy but at least we've got good plugs...

Except when the unplugged cable lays prongs-up and you stab your foot by stepping on it. E and F are clearly superior. The switch on the socket will not convince me otherwise.
We don’t have shit food, you can buy all kinds of food here.
We don’t have shit weather, it depends what you like. I imagine rain is good for a lot of things and species.
Everywhere has shit people, but far more good people than shit people. It’s just shit people are more news worthy.
We do have shit politicians though but where doesn’t. Particularly when it comes to the working class or Palestine.
We don’t have a shit culture, you might be hanging around the wrong people. I’ve been to many Pro-Palestine protests in Manchester and we have all kinds of diverse people.
Not sure about the economy, that seems to be a global issue.
I’m not trying to be jingoistic about my country cause I’m really not. I will support any country the same as my own and although we do have issues with racism and stuff, it’s the minority of people.
- We also have a highly developed sense of sarcasm. 😁