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nod

By nod
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nod Advanced Member

nod

Posted
Posted

Our thoughts have turned to light and sockets

i have an account with an electrical supplier but get the feeling that they prefer to sell me what is in stock

 

My question is what are the best brands of fittings switches socket etc We are looking for brushed steel finish But have found online that there is a massive difference in price between brands 

we have three loft mounted extractor fans to buy

again big difference in price and I'm guessing quality 

a pointer towards a good quality brand that won't tarnish 12 months down the line would be appreciated

 

    Gary

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Onoff Advanced Member

Onoff

Posted
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6 hours ago, nod said:

Thanks for that

Great help

when I search for Hager

 I get some Hager and nexus

sre they the same company?

 

"Nexus" stuff I think you'll find is made by BG, "British General". Completely separate company to Hager.

 

Hager is French and really good gear. I've always liked French control gear tbh and grew up on Telemecanique...who are also French...now part of Schneider...who also do domestic switches and sockets under the GET name.

 

BG...very popular at the sheds and Screwfix offering consumer units and USB enabled sockets in 2 for 1 deals at silly prices. Owned by Luceco plc with a lot of the stuff made in China. I've honestly only ever used I think one BG IP65 enclosure and I seem to recall something odd about that...

 

 

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worldwidewebs Regular Member

worldwidewebs

Posted
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I've recently spent a long time looking at sockets and switches - a lot depends on exactly what you want. Schneider are very good but many (all?) of their switches have their logo printed on them. Varilight also are very good. We went for Click Definity from Scolmore in the end and are really pleased with them and they aren't expensive - unlike you though, we wanted white ones so as to try and 'hide' them

 

One challenge we did have though was that our LED lighting needs trailing edge dimmer control and the vast majority of the market is focused on the cheaper leading-edge variety. Again we wanted all-white back-plate and switches (screwless, flat-plate) and there weren't that many options. What we are doing is using the Varilight power grid modules (trailing edge) but morphing them with the Click Definity buttons and back-plate

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Dudda Regular Member

Dudda

Posted
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You can always order two or three types online to see what it's like before you go buying 30-40 more. If you can't return the ones you don't like you can end up using it in the shed, plant room, attic or behind a fridge, etc.

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ragg987 Regular Member

ragg987

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We used Schneider flat steel plate with screws. Yes the logo is printed (etched?) but is quite subtle and you will not notice once in use. This seemed a good balance between cost and looks, they were priced at the lower end of the flat steel ranges (Hager etc), we bought a whole bunch together for a good discount. Their screw-less was a big jump in price.

 

We had to replace all the dimmers.

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PeterW Advanced Member

PeterW

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2 hours ago, Barney12 said:

A +1 for the GET Ultimate range. That's what I put in the flat and they're thinner than standard and look smart. 

 

I think ive decided on Knightsbridge screwless in mat white.  

 

https://www.mlaccessories.co.uk/category/4706/matt-white

 

Both of the above are available from TLC Direct and are not expensive. 

 

We have a GET Ultimate Grid and will use matching sockets - really pleased with the quality. 

 

Do like those Matt white ones...

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ragg987 Regular Member

ragg987

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One thing to watch out for - if you want matching inserts that are not so commonly used (e.g. RJ11, RJ45, satellite, TV) check that the range you are thinking of covers these. Not all of them do. Part of the reason we went with the Schneider.

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Ferdinand Advanced Member

Ferdinand

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15 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Do you get a big discount from Buildbase?

 

Hager WMSS82 Switched Double Socket:

 

Buildbase £4.37 inc VAT

 

Gil-Lec £2.15 inc VAT

 

http://www.gil-lec.co.uk

 

Yes.

 

They were roughly comparable with other trade prices, and for me are the closest o.t.c. Hager stockist.

 

AICO mains smoke alarms with 10yr Li backup batteries were coming in at £27.30+VAT = £32.75 - which is OK but may be beatable by a few %. About 6-7% over Gil-lec - will use if I have some lead time.

 

Do not have the double socket prices to hand.

 

Ferdinand

 

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Onoff Advanced Member

Onoff

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20 minutes ago, nod said:

I get a good discount from Buildbase I don't think they would match Gil-lec 

Great price

 

 

Good for Hager cu's too and they do the odd bits like extra N bars, blanks etc

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  • 4 years later...
Adsibob Advanced Member

Adsibob

Posted
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On 09/10/2017 at 07:16, worldwidewebs said:

We went for Click Definity from Scolmore in the end and are really pleased with them and they aren't expensive - unlike you though, we wanted white ones so as to try and 'hide' them

I'm considering Click Definity from Scolmore. How has the finish on the plates held up after 4 years of use? Would be great to get your views.

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Adsibob Advanced Member

Adsibob

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On 09/10/2017 at 07:48, Barney12 said:

I think ive decided on Knightsbridge screwless in mat white.  

Funnily enough, Knightsbridge screwless is the other range i'm considering, also in a mat finish. What's your "4 years later" review of these switches? 

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worldwidewebs Regular Member

worldwidewebs

Posted
Posted
On 24/12/2021 at 16:55, Adsibob said:

I'm considering Click Definity from Scolmore. How has the finish on the plates held up after 4 years of use? Would be great to get your views.

They do scratch quite easily, so it depends on how careful you are. They do look good (in my opinion), but I don't think they're top quality unfortunately. Would I get them again? Actually, I probably would - we aren't heavy handed and only 1 or 2 are showing marks so their aesthetics would sway it for me

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  • 3 months later...
Adsibob Advanced Member

Adsibob

Posted
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Ended up going with Knightsbridge sockets for a number of rooms, and very disappointed with the finish. Turns out there is a plastic piece which the plate needs to clip onto that is visible all around the plate and doesn't match the finish of the plate at all, because instead of being the same colour as the plate is an opaque plastic, which shows all away around the edge of the plate. It looks really bad. I'm thinking I might have to apply decorator's caulk all the way around each socket to conceal this plastic, but I fear that will make it look just as bad.
 

@BMcN I think you also got Knightsbridge sockets. Did you have the same problem? 

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Dudda Regular Member

Dudda

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You can just remove this plastic. I believe the idea of it is if you've damp walls or moisture in the walls the rubber/plastic separates the metal from the damp walls as this could cause the metal to discolor / rust. It's kinda like a washer. Just make sure the walls are very well dried out.

Edited by Dudda
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ToughButterCup Advanced Member

ToughButterCup

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Scolmore Click Mode because of all the different things that can be incorporated in the (25 - 39 mm ) backbox; 

We use all of the following

  • phone socket - primary, secondary
  • charging unit (usb)
  • data point ( we use CAT 6)
  • range of switch colours to help with visibility
  • illuminated switches
  • TV out
  • multimedia outlets (sometimes called new media outlets)
  • all of the above in interchangeable plates and modules (called Minigrid)

Be warned. ( feels daft saying that to you of all people)

I made a huge mistake: I put in too many intermediate switches - because its so easy to incorporate them in  the 'mini-grid' . I asked everyone what they wanted - switch for this and that from here, there and everywhere. Trouble is,  I know what every  switch does - but nobody (SWMBO) does : and then there's everybody else who curse me under their breath. So everyone just switches every damn light on - and of course leaves them on for me to switch off.

 

Scolmore are (were when I last looked) dreadful at pulling their offerings together in a single document for folk like us.

Here's the first link I found that might be useful to you Gary

Ian

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Adsibob Advanced Member

Adsibob

Posted
Posted
On 04/04/2022 at 09:59, Dudda said:

You can just remove this plastic. I believe the idea of it is if you've damp walls or moisture in the walls the rubber/plastic separates the metal from the damp walls as this could cause the metal to discolor / rust. It's kinda like a washer. Just make sure the walls are very well dried out.

I’m Not sure about this. Here is a photo, with my thumb lifting up the plastic “washer” in question. It d doesn’t come off completely, because it is attached centrally at either side to the plate.86FE4B3F-13B4-4F37-9489-DA61C4F82A79.thumb.jpeg.dbe025e3060af7fbcb36fabbe6ec89fc.jpeg

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