Reply to post: Re: Eh?

Re: Eh?

"They do not block the socket using the earth pin

You can buy sockets that do that here."

Those are not standard and most houses do not have them. So no, the point is that they are mostly not used.

https://www.homedepot.com/c/types_of_electrical_outlets

As you can see, only new builds from 2008 require

Limited wattage --> Of course said plugs and circuits do exist, and also you can have 240v circuits. But they are uncommon. Also, normal 15A plugs and 20A plugs are different. Not in the UK.. the standard says max 13A at 240v, although the circuit has more amps available.. but that plug in W is que equivalent of a 26A plug at normal US voltages.

Touch partially plugged connectors: good for you, but it is not a random thought that made the UK and some other places to mandate partial insulated pins, as I know from when I was a small kid. It is an unnecessary danger.

Phases --> You are simply wrong, I assume that you live in the us.. and you seem to have no knowledge of how power is delivered to your house.

A link as an example:

http://www.oempanels.com/240v-single-phase-and-240v-3-phase

If you have 240v both poles are probably active unless you are on a commercial/industrial building.

You normal case is called "1P3W" and what we have in the uk and most of western europe as far as I know is "240V Single Phase 2 Wire" with "415Y / 240V 3 Phase 4 Wire (3P4W)" reaching most buildings but just a single phase being used for each individual home/flat.

Actual voltages do vary depending on countries.. right now most of western continental europe has 230v (used to be 220v) and the UK has 240v, all are 230v with some tolerance (both 220 and 240 are accepted).

So no, I am not embarrassing myself, even if I am not an industrial engineer or qualified electrician.