In America, our plugs are just one piece. They plug in, they unplug.
But I’ve seen that Brits have to open up the plugs, mess with stuff, screw it back together, and then use it.
Why aren’t British plugs one piece like American ones?
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We do have moulded plugs, like in America – but our moulded plugs have removable slots for a fuse. Rarely do we see a moulded plug with a fuse and no access. All electronic equipment that plugs into a UK circuit, must be protected by a fuse on the plug. It isolates an individual device in the event of a malfunction as *extra protection*, rather than relying on the homes circuit breakers alone.
Because this is required *legally*; it makes sense to keep the fuses accessible.
Whereas, these safety fuses rarely exist in American products. The safety features of the home’s circuit breakers is relied upon instead. Trips/faults show up on the circuit instead of per-device. We don’t do this in the UK, because one faulty device could damage every other item on the circuit. This is why surge protectors are such a big deal in the US, and not so much the UK.
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