Switches and Sockets

Any of the reputable brands will be fine. I've used MK throughout the house but whatever style and button clicking action your prefer is the right one.
 
Electrician here.

I swear by Volex. It's what I put in my own home I'm replacing something. I find MK to be too expensive for what they are and a bit overrated too.

Volex and Crabtree are basically the same things so get either.

Another good brand is Schneider. I've fitted those in my house too in the kitchen and they're high quality. They're used in a lot of commercial builds but you'll probably have to go to a wholesaler to get those rather than a DIY shop.

The difference is in the quality of the materials both inside and outside. Cheapo sockets will have plastic that will stain and go yellow with age, the terminals will likely be quite small to save money and long term you might get more problems with corrosion.

Don't cheap out on switches and sockets, you'll only end up replacing them all again.

Most house builders strike a deal with a manufacturer to supply their parts on site. It means we are contractually obliged to use certain brands and I've plenty of experience with them all.

The ones I'm using right now are DETA. You should avoid these like the plague, they're absolute junk. Seriously, utter garbage.

Sometimes I get other trades asking if I can spot them a spare socket for their house, I have to ask them if they seriously want this trash in their homes.
 
I've gone with Schneider electric in my extension and intend to replace my old stuff to match.

However Kiyoshi is spot on with:
Kiyoshi said:
Any of the reputable brands will be fine. I've used MK throughout the house but whatever style and button clicking action your prefer is the right one.
Click to expand...
 
I used MK in my previous house solely based on the fact I preferred the lower profile, had no issues.
 
Wow, so many opinions! Thanks guys, really appreciate the feedback thus far. Crabtree/Volex look decent on price vs. quality, but I think I will pop down to B&Q to test before I buy in bulk.

I think I understand the whole 1 way/2 way/Intermediate switch thing; what are your views on socket converters? the socket behind my TV is only a single, and I could do with it being a double.
 
Mike1983 said:
I’ve not found any negatives so far on the ones made by LAP from Screwfix.
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This nearly all 1000 sockets and switches I've used have been LAP and just ONE of them failed on me!

They are very good value for money, but part of me wishes I had used the silver sockets on my own build.
 
TallPaul1878 said:
Electrician here.

I swear by Volex. It's what I put in my own home I'm replacing something. I find MK to be too expensive for what they are and a bit overrated too.

Volex and Crabtree are basically the same things so get either.

Another good brand is Schneider. I've fitted those in my house too in the kitchen and they're high quality. They're used in a lot of commercial builds but you'll probably have to go to a wholesaler to get those rather than a DIY shop.
Click to expand...

I'm supprised you are happy with volex, they seemed cheap and nasty to me, and I had a head shear off on of the terminal screws... they might be better since then though.

Schneider, never used them for accessories... what name were they under before the take-over re-branding. I like their acti-9 disboards (previously merlin gerin) though, however price prevents them being used on most jobs!

MK were very good quality at one time, so so much now, and as you say, their price doesn't fit what you actually get these days, they are trading on their past and they get away with it because they are specified in many commericial builds.

I generally like the click products (made by scolmore) the hager offering (previously ashley) isn't bad either, however it is not as good as the old ashley stuff (thats a re-occuring theme)
 
Adam_151 said:
I'm supprised you are happy with volex, they seemed cheap and nasty to me, and I had a head shear off on of the terminal screws... they might be better since then though.

Schneider, never used them for accessories... what name were they under before the take-over re-branding. I like their acti-9 disboards (previously merlin gerin) though, however price prevents them being used on most jobs!

MK were very good quality at one time, so so much now, and as you say, their price doesn't fit what you actually get these days, they are trading on their past and they get away with it because they are specified in many commericial builds.

I generally like the click products (made by scolmore) the hager offering (previously ashley) isn't bad either, however it is not as good as the old ashley stuff (thats a re-occuring theme)
Click to expand...
Most everything is garbage these days. Most housebuilders are contracted to exclusively supply one particular brand. So when I was working for Lovell then everything was Le Grand, formerly Tenby. I'm using DETA on Countryside Homes at the moment. Persimmon always used Volex accessories with Wylex consumer units.

What I have noticed in the last 10 years is the race to the bottom from all manufacturers. As the site supervisor most of my time is devoted to dealing with customer care works and replacing faulty accessories. I had a spell where every doorbell transformer would just burn out, then there were MCBs that all needed returning. At the moment I'm dealing with a spate of faulty downlights, so far I've had to replace about 50. About 6 months ago every socket that I received had the terminals incorrectly labelled up so Live was mixed with Neutral.

Everything is trash these days and it's a thankless task trying to find something worth spending money on.
 
Not seen it mentioned here, but currently redoing our entire house with ones from TLC by Knightsbridge.

Pretty good price per unit, and build quality seems good from what I've seen so far.
 
Ended up looking at MK vs Crabtree in Screwfix. The switching 'felt' more positive on the Crabtree, and the terminals looked easier to wire up, so I went with them. Replaced:

4x 1 Gang 1 Way
2x 1 Gang 2 Way
2x 2 Gang 2 Way

Happy with the results. Funnily enough most of the old switches were Crabtree, but very old.
 
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