A French plug....like this one...made by Legrand. It's specifically for the French market, not the combination Schuko/French plugs (already have those).

It looks somewhat like this - doesn't have to be _exactly_ like this one:



Also looking for a two-pin round hole UNEARTHED wall receptacle like this one:



and the earthed French version:



I will, of course, pay for how much they cost in the store and also the postage. Just let me know how much I owe you. Thanks!!

[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 02-22-2003).]

We have them here in belgium in a different brand. The plug is combination schuko/french but the sockets are the french type.

[This message has been edited by Belgian (edited 02-22-2003).]

As long as it is a reputable brand, it doesn't matter.

Are the French-only plugs even sold in Belgium or just the CEE-7/7

It is maybe possible to get the French only type plug from Legrand, but it's not common. It depends how many you need. Since I would have to order it specially for you, I doubt that it would be possible to order only one piece. May I ask why you insist on this type. Can't the French/Schuko type do the job?
I use only reputable brands. The French/Schuko type plug that is used most common here is from a brand called Vynckier which belongs to the GE power control group (yes, General Electric). Their website is www.gepowercontrols.com
The socket that is most common here is from a Belgium brand called Niko and their website is www.niko.be
We have two types of earthed type, One flushed with the wall and one not. We call them diep and undiep. We also have the unearthed type.
I hope that this info is of help to you.

Well...I just wanted that particular style because it looked weird...and i did like the ring-handle - it's no big deal.

But if it's going to be a hassle and expensive then don't worry about it. I have CEE 7/7 plugs at home that work perfectly.

Are the surface mount earthed and un-earthed outlets readily available? I noticed Niko did have them in their website. I'd be interested in buying one of each.

Yes, from Niko everything is available.

That's cool....I wonder if they'd sell directly to someone in the USA. I didn't see anything on their website.

Or how would I go about getting them? I just want one surface mount unearthed and one surface mount earthed.

I've sent you a e-mail.

LOL! I LOVE the prewired double outlet! I've hardly ever seen companies offer something that obviously useless. It really isn't that hard to cut a length of wire and connect the receptacles while mounting them! And having them prewired just raises the price.

It might make some sense for DIY stuff and DIY is pretty popular in France.

Ragnar,

I think it's a smart idea. It does speed up installation. If you're a contractor, you want to get the job done and move to the next instead of wasting time.

You don't want to be sitting on the floor with wire cutters and cutting and trimming tiny bits of wire.

I actually think it would be better if those interconnecting wires were molded inside the device instead of sticking out the back like that.

These are the guts of the device in question:

Double outdoor sockets are made this way, with 1.5mm2 wires, at least the ones ELSO make. One single plastic casing but on the inside it's like two sockets.

Well, I didn't say it's useless, but I've wired single receptacles into double or triple gang boxes like this for ages, and I think the prewired stuff is a little over the top. And I didn't look, but in most cases the severely raised price isn't justified. In simple words, most such stuff I've seen is DIY "make up", and way too expensive for what it actually is.
And remember, these things are backstabbed, so the procedure goes: Cut wire, one cut with strip pliers, and push into the terminal. Finished. Less work than pushing the device into the box, centering it, leveling it and tightening the claw screws.

CLAWS???

How do these things manage to not tear out of the box when you pull a plug out?

I always thought they were attached with screws that fit into little projections on the inside of the box - like the British and American metal boxes. That would seem more secure than these claws.

Can someone provide a good picture of a Continental device in its box and how it gets mounted and showing the claws at work? Seems very interesting.

You tighten the claws hard. They work decently, as long as the box hasn't worn out. If you don't tighten the claws hard enough first time, the socket will come out sooner or later. Repeat this a few times and there is little left of the box. Claws are used on old boxes, not on the modern ones. Modern boxes have a turnable ring holding the screws. This way you can adjust the device when fitting it, so that it levels with the floor/door/wall/whatever.

The claws have been dropped on the latest generation of devices, which means that you will have some extra work to fit them into old screwless boxes. I know some device manufacturers still stick to claws, e.g. Kopp.


Try taking that picture if you can

[This message has been edited by C-H (edited 02-27-2003).]