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Wall sockets from all over the world (imgur.com)

submitted ago by Add4164

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[–]Garandir 45 points46 points ago

This is why I'm subbed.

[–]Bromagnon 2 points3 points ago

switched on

[–]neko 57 points58 points ago

I wish the :D socket was more widely-used because damn that's cute

[–]Oenonion 5 points6 points ago

Sure they look cute but that's also why they are the most deadly of all wall sockets.

[–]windowlicker9k 5 points6 points ago

The Danish one? Well, actually, they usually only have two sockets, like the one directly below in the picture. The lower socket is the ground on, wich means it's useless for smaller electric households, like a lamp or a cellphone charger, while larger things such as a refridgerator use all three sockets.¨

But yes, it is damn cute. My school's biology lab has a lot of them with drawn mustaches and stuff on them - one of them even looks like Hitler. I'll see if I can take some pictures - delivery pending.

[–]lordlicorice 2 points3 points ago

I always thought that the US "ghost" sockets were the cutest until I saw that one.

[–]M-Illusion 21 points22 points ago

I've always wondered, are we the only ones that have an on/off switch? (Australians).

[–]lord_when 6 points7 points ago

hmmm, that is interesting...

[–]bongface 10 points11 points ago

It's almost...too interesting...

[–]Bapoos 18 points19 points ago

The UK sockets always have on/off switches as well. It's not shown here though.

[–]c_malc 5 points6 points ago

Not "always"... they're optional

[–]Lazyrel 6 points7 points ago

This is insanely rare though

[–]c_malc 1 point2 points ago

Common in older properties but rarer now because the switched sockets are cheaper. Search Google Shopping for "unswitched 13A socket" They're easily obtainable.

[–]Lazyrel 1 point2 points ago

The switched sockets also have more utility which is... useful.

[–]c_malc 3 points4 points ago

Yep... switches are useful for turning things on and/or off. Unless it's something you want to be permanently on. If on the other hand it's something you want permanently off then you could just not bother wiring it up.

[–]maadvocate 5 points6 points ago

The US also often has test/reset buttons. I'm from the US and I really don't understand them. All I know is sometimes they don't work and I have to hit reset.

Also, from time-to-time you'll find a house that has the outlets wired to the light switches. This reaaaallly pisses me off. At my parents house, some do-it-yourself douchenozzle cross-wired just about every light switch in the house with only the bottom plug of the outlets. Additionally there were multiple outlets that weren't always attached and many light switches. It is impossible to tell what is on or off or how you can make anything work properly at once. Oh the ceiling lights are attached to these switches as well.

Sorry for the rant. I'd basically forgotten about having to live in that ridiculousness for 5 years and needed to let it out.

[–]VladimirPuto 8 points9 points ago

The test/reset switches are for ground fault circuit interrupters. In essence, they're a safety mechanism that detects a condition where someone might be electrocuted, and shuts the power off. Building codes require them around sources of water.

When you hit 'test', it triggers them to make sure they're working. The 'reset' button sets them right again after they're triggered.

Wall-switched outlets are very common, but there's no hard-and-fast rule for how they're meant to be laid out. Sometimes, but not always, switched outlets are installed upside-down. The 'bottom outlet switched' way is oldschool, but lots of people still do it.

[–]maadvocate 2 points3 points ago

Thanks for the info. Now that I think about it, bathrooms are the only places I've seen those test/rest switches.

[–]Tovora 2 points3 points ago

Is this why Americans in Australia always leave the socket on? TIL.

[–]DnWeava 0 points1 point ago

they are required in bathrooms and kitchens, near sinks, because of the hazards of whatever you plugged in getting wet.

[–]jnd-cz 0 points1 point ago

In new European buildings they're required to cover every socket, it''s usually centralised in the wiring box (or how is it called).

[–]Its-not-my-cake-day 2 points3 points ago

Well, according to the picture, China has one as well.

[–]t55 1 point2 points ago

You can get the European ones with switches as well.

[–]The_Countess 1 point2 points ago

i have never seen those installed in a house. only as light switches independent of the socket.

[–]t55 1 point2 points ago

Me neither, as they are quite expensive.

[–]dawhisler 14 points15 points ago

Its not untill lately i saw the Danish plugs was a happy camper. Looked at em most of my life, but you know, once you see it you cant unsee it :(

[–]Upthrust 12 points13 points ago

And now I feel like North American sockets are judging me.

[–]Grindstone50k 2 points3 points ago

The Chinese ones look like Asian Ghostfaces.

[–]Curvus 2 points3 points ago

Actually that's the Australian socket. It's not shown but in China they use the same socket but it's installed upside down.

[–]Schmogel 2 points3 points ago

You sure it's not Australia being upside down?

[–]Gyro88 0 points1 point ago

Even Denmark's electrical sockets are the happiest in the world.

[–]stuntguitarist 12 points13 points ago

i just realized the american outlet looks angry

[–]Interestingly_Enough 6 points7 points ago

It looks like it just witnessed something traumatically unordinary.

[–]stuntguitarist 1 point2 points ago

specifically i thought it looked like someone took something away from them and was like "hey i was using that"

[–]ThaiSweetChilli 2 points3 points ago

It looks like me when I go through /r/spacedicks.

[–]gordo65 0 points1 point ago

It's giving your appliance a look of disapproval.

[–]jkazimir 16 points17 points ago

Got to say I love the square solidity of the Good Old British Plug. Can't stand those funny, rattly, foreign 'uns to be honest.

[–]Mish106 6 points7 points ago

Bloody right.

[–]The_Countess 4 points5 points ago

I know which ones I prefer to step on though, and its not the UK one.

[–]k4713k 7 points8 points ago

"Denmark, come here and never be upset your electronics are needing to be charged again." God damn Denmark! You have some cute wall sockets. :D

[–]goans314 18 points19 points ago

America is best

[–]TangoZippo 7 points8 points ago

The one you have for Israel stopped being used in 1989. The current Israeli one is still in that unique Y-shape but the holes are round so that you can plug in European appliances without a converter.

[–]nidarus 1 point2 points ago

Also, it's upside down from how it's usually installed

[–]SOncredible 2 points3 points ago

This is a little bit misleading for some people.
One have to know that the Danish one and the three EU sockets are compatible with each other. I think Italian too

[–]net_guy 2 points3 points ago

they are

[–]aggemamme 0 points1 point ago

The Danish plugs are slightly larger, and although they will fit in many other sockets (like the German/EU Schuko plug), they do not provide a safe electrical contact, and vice versa.

Less safely, Schuko plugs can be inserted into many two-pin unearthed sockets and into some sockets with a different form of earth connection that will not mate with the earth contacts on the Schuko plug (e.g., some variants of the Danish socket.)

I once read about hotels near the German/Danish border complaining that over-use of Danish plugs in the Schuko sockets caused them to malfunction after some time.

[–]AnomalyNexus 2 points3 points ago

Pics are totally out of proportion. Especially the South African one. Should be just a hint larger than the British one. On/off switch is also missing...pretty sure they are required by law.

[–]slllr 2 points3 points ago

Denmark looks happy

[–]Leyst 2 points3 points ago

This convinces me that living in Denmark was worth it after all.

[–]OsoHormiguero 1 point2 points ago

You have never felt true pain until you've stood on a UK plug.

[–]Bla34112 1 point2 points ago

Denmark's looks like a little happy socket.

Amerika's looks like a little concerned socket.

And China's socket looks like a racist depiction of asian people...

[–]TaikongXiongmao 2 points3 points ago

The Chinese one is upside down. Here's a pic I just took of mine. Bonus: my awesome anything-goes power strip. :D

[–]Ofgs2 1 point2 points ago

I wonder why Australia/ China are the only ones that have on/ off switches

[–]thegoldenmandenis 12 points13 points ago

Probably just the image they selected for that type of socket. Almost all UK sockets also have switches built in to them.

[–]Devon_S 2 points3 points ago

Most countries have on/off switches, it's just not a very good picture, they're all out of proportion in the picture too. I for one am yet to see a socket in the UK without on/off switches, and I've been here long enough.

[–]The_Countess -2 points-1 points ago

why would you want a on/off switch on your socket?

the device you plug in either has a on/off switch or is meant to stay on. in the few cases you want different behaviour, just pull the plug.

[–]Sirtroz 0 points1 point ago

The one from India appropriately has a third eye..

[–]audioapetersen 0 points1 point ago

Switzerland and Brazil's wall socket looks like a UFO.

[–]Gr1ml0ck 1 point2 points ago

Why are the US/Canada/Mexico the only ones that have a screw in it? Surely we can't be the only ones that are screwed?

[–]jacobtaylor1987 1 point2 points ago

Ok, so I'll bite - Why are they all different?

[–]venku122 1 point2 points ago

Each country built it's power grid differently. Each is running a different frequency and amperage of ac current also. Thats why if you plug an american appliance into another country's socket with a cheap adapter(no modulation circuitry) it will fry/burn/explode.

[–]maadvocate 1 point2 points ago

Since you seem to know something about this, why do some countries have two versus one? I know the old US ones used to be two and you still often see this. Is it grounding or what? Very curious and too lazy to google it ;)

[–]venku122 0 points1 point ago

See reply above

[–]jacobtaylor1987 1 point2 points ago

I understand the part about frequency and amperage, but why the different shapes? The Australian and British ones seem to make the most sense, in terms of firmness of grip.

[–]venku122 1 point2 points ago

American plugs used to be two pronged only. One prong was bigger than the other so the positive end would only fit in the positive socket. Modern sockets can prevent this. The other country's shapes are just different ways of ensuring that positive meets positive and negative meets negative. The U.S. system works but people sometimes will get confused and have to flip the cord around. The other designs only fit in one way. Also the third hole is a grounding hole. That is why a two pronged plug still works in a three pronged socket. No power is transferred through the third prong because. its just a safety feature.

[–]HowImetYou 0 points1 point ago

I like the danish and US sockets best

[–]thebuccaneersden 1 point2 points ago

Denmark is such a happy country, even our plugs look stoked.

[–]mtrayno1 0 points1 point ago

Australian socket looks like a drowsy version of The Scream.

[–]clingClongClan 0 points1 point ago

the usa/canada one looks offended.

[–]JoeyJoeJoJnrShabadoo 0 points1 point ago

Can't we all just get along?

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, little black BS 1363 plugs and little black Europlugs will be able to be inserted into little white AS/NZS 3112 and little white NEMA 1-15 as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

[–]SassGrass 0 points1 point ago

Japan's is by far the happiest.

[–]Mish106 -1 points0 points ago

The chinese/new zealand ones look like scream masks.

[–]waysnki 1 point2 points ago

Denmark is so happy :)

[–]mcslayer 0 points1 point ago

Wow China, way to embrace stereotypes

[–]arzen353 1 point2 points ago

so what kind of socket do they use on the ISS

[–]ravnlys 0 points1 point ago

Norway is forgotten...

[–]brandnewtothegame 0 points1 point ago

Hey North America! Turn that frown upside down!

[–]animatedradio 1 point2 points ago

Kind of a given, really, but i'm just sharing that New Zealand uses the same type of socket as Australia/China.

[–]DavidFaxon 0 points1 point ago

Not only does Denmark have a unique socket for a country with a 5.5 million population, they also have at least two variations of it.

I've seen one of IT-equipment and one for medical electronics where you can't plug in the standard plug. This is the one for IT: http://www.bn-elektronik.dk/images/imgnorm/norm_153841310.jpg

[–]Devon_S -1 points0 points ago

So, why do the USA ones stack one on top of the other? Surely it makes far more sense to do them next to each other? Then you don't have cables running down on top of each other and any coming from a distance won't be running up the wall?

[–]actLikeApidgeon 0 points1 point ago

Oh standards... what are those?

[–]Loyal2NES 0 points1 point ago

I like how all the other sockets either make a cute face or are utilitarian, but the US socket just looks disappointed as fuck.

[–]permagloom 0 points1 point ago

Even the sockets are upside down in Australia.

[–]zinco96 0 points1 point ago

i never knew that the socket kind i use was used in Switzerland.

[–]HipstersForTheWin 0 points1 point ago

Well now we know why people from Denmark are so happy.

[–]ElectroFlasherFilms 0 points1 point ago

Wall sockets? I see robo faces of doom!

[–]MikandRich 0 points1 point ago

why are canada,USA and mexico so angry?

[–]cank3r 0 points1 point ago

We can't even decide to have the same wall sockets, goddamn it.

[–]spock84 -1 points0 points ago

The American one always annoys me when I'm visiting. The plugs don't sit firmly enough in the socket. There's no mechanism to hold them in place. This is especially noticeable when using adapters that extend a few cm more from the wall than simple plugs, which of course end up at an angle. I would also imagine that this is could be a safety issue, as even an infant has enough strength to pull stuff out.

[–]zoomdaddy -1 points0 points ago

Norway looks so happy!

[–]caferr14 0 points1 point ago

TIL Denmark has the happiest looking wall sockets.

[–]waltonsimons 0 points1 point ago

Denmark has the happiest electricity in the world.

[–]JK3107 0 points1 point ago

So that's why the Danish are the happiest people in the world.

[–]greenzyme 0 points1 point ago

Now show us girl's "sockets" from all over the world.

[–]serosis 1 point2 points ago

Looks like three countries do not believe in grounding. Sorry, two countries.

[–]penguinturtlellama 22 points23 points ago

The Japanese sockets are just ungrounded forms of the North American types...much like their porn and game shows.

[–]Old-Ben-Kenobi 0 points1 point ago

The sockets are the same and you can use most devices without much of an issue, but the electricity is actually a different frequency and voltage. It completely screwed me up at first because it affected the time on my clock.

[–]korhojoa 0 points1 point ago

No, not always. It depends on where in Japan you are. Frequency, which controls how fast it ticks changes depending on where you are. The small voltage change (-10v) shouldn't do anything to something as simple as a clock.

[–]Old-Ben-Kenobi 0 points1 point ago

The frequency is what screwed up my clock, although there were other items that had issues due to the voltage. Most notably my stove didn't work until I got a converter to adjust the voltage. Also I think they use 20 V less than the US.

[–]Grue 2 points3 points ago

I live in Russia and the grounded sockets (like the German/Euro socket) are pretty common here. However in older buildings, like the one I live in, there's no grounded wall sockets, which kinda sucks. The holes in a Soviet-style socket are also thinner than plug prongs on many appliances that expect a Euro socket, and those are often widened with a drill...

[–]serosis 1 point2 points ago

Actually that is something I have witnessed here in America as well. Older houses sometimes have ungrounded sockets, they look just like the Japanese sockets but with only a set of two, not three.

In some cases I have found that the ground exists and is either hooked up to the "shell" of the socket or is left unhooked. Which is what the "ground lifter" adapters are for. They have a little loop at the end of the adapter to connect the ground via the plate screw.

[–]hover888 1 point2 points ago

I only see two without grounding, the Japanese one and the Russian/Euro one.

[–]FranklinWearsPants -3 points-2 points ago

The Swedish one. So cute.

Edit: Danish, the Swedish flag is similar, but yellow and blue.

Sorry, I knew it was Scandinavian and took a shot in the dark.

[–]SkjoldborgS 11 points12 points ago

Swedish? removes gloves THERE IS NO DAMN SWEDISH ONLY SOCKETS IN THERE! You are thinking of the danish one

Source: drunk dane

[–]FranklinWearsPants 1 point2 points ago

My apologies.

[–]SkjoldborgS 5 points6 points ago

I forgive you. Go in peace.

[–]ahaltingmachine 2 points3 points ago

That's Denmark, bro...

[–]YouOompaLoompa -1 points0 points ago

Aliens.

[–]RedSquaree[M] -2 points-1 points ago

Removed.

title comnts points age /r/
Wall sockets from all over the world 2022coms 2300pts 10hrs pics
Outlets. 58coms 130pts 4mos pics
The electrical sockets of the world 4coms 8pts 4mos WTF
Never knew there were so much kinds of outlets out there... 10coms 10pts 11mos pics
Denmark is the clear winner 329coms 612pts 11mos pics
Denmark has the happiest electrical outlets 32coms 101pts 6mos pics

[–]nge6425 0 points1 point ago

This reminds me of a cruise ship...