Jim,
Mk have been going down hill since their famous 20% off promotion. Since that time, they realised they had to cut the product cost in order to compete (having LA's Health Authorities etc as god-given clients is no longer enough), and have made stuff cheaper and cheaper.
The pendant drops they do are exactly the same as 89p ones from Denmans, but with MK printed on the clear rose base.
Their plateswitches are now cheap n nasty- the switch modules now have terms all in line, like those old rectangular Italian switches from yesteryear.
I have given up with at least 75% of MK gear - especially the atrocious Sentry. What a load of Lobbocks!
I have only fitted one recently, and it was a pain to do. The MCB's are still not vertical......AWFUL!
Can't believe how shoite they are.
And the grid components - I got a grid fuseholder recently and took 8 back because I couldn't get them open. You expect the grub screw to open the fuse carrier relatively easily, don't you?
Well, I got there in the end with them, but how can you expect the client to fiddle like that? The 8th one opened easy as pie...dreadful QC. Shocking.
In the late 70's/80's, I used to think MK were shocking price-wise, but worth paying for the quality. I mean, remember the old logic switched spurs with the removeable fuseholder - quality with a capital Q.
But now, pah! They are total carp and I can't see them getting better, only worse.