ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades BS317:1928 question

I think that particular plug should be phased out in favour of the standard CEE 7/16 'Europlug' (the 2.5 amp non-grounded plug).

Other than the pins are a bit fatter, the modern version of both plugs are almost identical in every other way, same design, same sleeved pins. In fact, the modern BS version seems to be a carbon copy of CEE 7/16 with shorter stubbier pins

All shaver outlets in the UK and Ireland happily accept this plug and it's a total pain when you go to other parts of Europe and discover that your shaver/toothbrush plug won't fit any known socket outlet for absolutely no good reason.

Some toothbrush and shaver manufacturers (not all of them) still fit a moulded version of the above plug for shavers/toothbrushes sold in the UK and Ireland.

I personally think that fitting should be consigned to the electrical history books at this stage, it really serves no useful purpose.

BS1363 at least has a purpose, in so far as fused plugs are required for the final ring circuit system used extensively in the UK. (Although, it'd be quite possible to use a variant of CEE 7/7 and fused sockets)

I totally agree with all you have said above, we why keep that silly old BS 2 pin plug I do not know. They should be resigned to collections of obsolete things. I also think we could easily go down the CEE7/7 route with fused sockets for (horrible) ring circuits.

Good point. I've never actually read the whole of BS546. Does it make any reference to 2-pin connectors, either directly or by including a reference to an earlier British Standard? I'm not sure.

Thinking about it though, and confirmed with a quick rummage through my spares box, none of the 2-pin 5-amp plugs made during the 1950s/60/70s era seem to be marked with any sort of BS number.