Socket MK or GET?

[chillout]

Chrome chandeleirs and white downlighters- should this be matched with white or chrome sockets? And which ones MK or GET?

 

[ColJack]

always MK, tried and tested, GET are ( as far as I'm aware ) fairly new to the scene and always feel and look cheap to me..

lights have no bearing on the colour of accessories.. that depends on the decor and other fittings..

light carpet, soft furnishings, light walls etc are best matched with white
hardwood ( or laminate ) floors in darker shades, leather sofas, lots of wood and / or shiny metal things, minimalist / modern etc is best matched with silver flat accessories.
rich colours, warm and more regal setting and you're looking at brass accessories to suit whatever "period" you're trying to emulate etc..

 

[electronicsuk]

Personally I quite like the GET accessories I've used, and am a lot less impressed with MK than I used to be. Don't get me wrong, MK accessories will probably outlast GET in service, but I don't think that warrants them being three times the price of most other brands. Obviously avoid Marbo and all the other super-cheap tat.

 

[SUNRAY]

Personally I quite like the GET accessories I've used, and am a lot less impressed with MK than I used to be. Don't get me wrong, MK accessories will probably outlast GET in service, but I don't think that warrants them being three times the price of most other brands. Obviously avoid Marbo and all the other super-cheap tat.

Agreed MK are not like they used to be and are now over priced and overrated.

As an example I purchased 10 neon DSSO's when we replaced our kitchen 8 years ago and fitted 7 of them. As they have failed I have replaced them and used up all of the 10 and we now have a DSSO which has no neon. This means 4 have failed. The rest of the house has not had a single failure since its rewire 17 years ago using Volex.

 

[ColJack]

failed how?
is that a fair comparison?
do the sockets that have failed get used more often? just the neons burnt out? are they left on for longer? have the same loads plugged into? etc etc...

if you have 2 sockets side by side from different manufacturers and subject each to the exact same load and useage then you can say that the one that fails first is worse than the other..

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yes, you can say that the one which fails first is worse.

You cannot draw any meaningful conclusions about which is the more reliable make though.

 

[Click-Sure]

My stock white moulded accessories for the past 3 years has been GET, i use MK as a premium option, but GET all the way for me in terms of value for money, and i get great deals on Newlec (re-branded GET) which really clinches it for me.

 

[ColJack]

Yes, you can say that the one which fails first is worse.

You cannot draw any meaningful conclusions about which is the more reliable make though.

so I fit 2 sockets from the same maker and never use one, but use the other every day for the toaster and the kettle..
if the toaster / kettle one fails first is this a reliable indication that it is the worst of the 2 sockets installed?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Of course not.

 

[ColJack]

sorry BAS, I've re-read your post and see that I have taken it the wrong way..

I see now that your post was about the second paragraph in my post only, not the whole thing.
you were in fact agreeing that the one that failed first of 2 equally treated sockets from differing manufacturers was the worst of the 2, but that it was not a large enough cross section to be able to claim than one make was more reliable than the other.

I originally took it as disagreeing that it was not fair to say that you cannot compare sockets that are not equally treated as I was trying to get at in the first paragraph of my post.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

NP.

Maybe you need a cuppa and a lie down too...

 

[ColJack]

bloody good idea, I've got to be up at 10 in the morning..

night..

 

[SUNRAY]

failed how?
is that a fair comparison?
do the sockets that have failed get used more often? just the neons burnt out? are they left on for longer? have the same loads plugged into? etc etc...

if you have 2 sockets side by side from different manufacturers and subject each to the exact same load and useage then you can say that the one that fails first is worse than the other..

The 4 that failed:-
1. 900W microwave and dect base unit permanently plugged in and switched on failed open circuit. The side that failed was the dect.
2. Kettle permanently plugged in and regularly switched on & off, started smelling, I guess due to arcing. Socket and plug replaced.
3&4. The sockets that have various chargers & Goblux etc plugged in and out regularly, one switch jammed t'other could no longer get the earth pin in. I notice that its replacement is going the same way.
And I forgot
5. 1200W toaster permanently plugged regularly and switched on & off failed open circuit so the toaster is now in the other side.


None of them have been abused so I reckon these were a bad batch. some of the other sockets in the house get a lot more handling than those the kitchen without a single failure. Even the Homebase socket in the shed that has all the wear & tear of the 180A welder and extension lead for the mower etc that gets pulled & tripped over is still sound after 16 years of troubled service.
Elsewhere, in my work environment, I cant say that I have really noticed a pattern on which make has a higher failure rate

 

[flyingsparks]

I like crabtree when it comes to switches and sockets and other accessories. Good solid screw connections. However I found recently their sockets have been changed from a round terminal for a square one which doesn't feel so secure. Anyone else found this? Not sure on how the price compares to GET or MK?

 

[sparkwright]

I like crabtree when it comes to switches and sockets and other accessories. Good solid screw connections. However I found recently their sockets have been changed from a round terminal for a square one which doesn't feel so secure. Anyone else found this?

Yes.
They have changed them for no good reason in my opinion.
Sockets. There is too much space between the 'tunnel' and the screw, and earth wires tend to slip out unless folded over. And the terminals work loose easily when arranging the wires in the box. Crap.