Brand choice

Have always found Crabtree accessories good for generous sized terminals ,the grid switch range in particular ,and also

the 45/50a cooker/shower switches,which seem sturdier than some brands.Think the new Wylex domestic breakers can

be removed without dropping the busbar,but could be wrong,but like the consumer units.

                                                                                                 Regards,

                                                                                                        Hz.

I used to like MK but Schneider are my preferred choice these days.

More Fancy ? Don't do that.

Light Fittings - Enlite but nothing else specific

DBs Hager or Schneider

I use Click accessories.  Terminals are decent, nice look, you can swap the switch modules so useful with a ganged intermediate switch.  The shower switch is a crabtree knock off so has 2 screws per terminal.  They can be fiddly to fit though as the screws point all over the place.Easy enough if there is plenty of cable to push up .  I have been using Hager CU's for a while now, reasonable design with plenty of room.  Enlight downlights and LED lamps.   I tried out some LAP golf ball LED lamps at home( Screwfix) .  Got to say i am impressed.  Used about 30 including some for my mum about a year ago.  Good light output and all still going strong.  I haven't been brave enough to fit them for customers up to now although they are significantly cheaper.



Gary

For CUs, Wylex - chiefly because the RCBOs have a switched neutral. Just makes life easy.

1. I like MK, but I wish that they didn't have the sloping upper part. Terminals will accommodate 12 mm². I also like Hager. I would much prefer that accessories have square rather than rounded corners. That's what I would put in at home, but if customer wants Screwfix's cheapest, they can have it.


2. Also MK, but they were an absolute nightmare for fancy sockets. The same innards, but apparently made to order. The 2 week lead time was 3 months in reality, which would put me off recommending them.


3. Chandelier from Murano. ? I have been very happy with JCC LED luminaires, but again, if the customer wants to spend less, so be it.


4. Somehow, I always feel that Wylex are cheap and cheerful. Perhaps that is because they look that way, but they do exactly what needs to be done. I have been a little disappointed by Schneider. Plenty of room in them, but IMHO the cover should be secured by something better than a couple of self-tappers. For 3-phase, I like Memshield - built like a battleship and wouldn't look out of place in one. I doubt that many of the SP boards get fitted in homes, but why not. BG make a very good 'garage' CU - cast rather than pressed.

I shoulda mentioned downlighters too as a separate section.


I`ll put my ten pennorth after a few more comments

Downlighters Collingwood or Enlite, JCC had a phase of reliability issues, but there Sky Tiles are spot on

Consumer units Fusebox or Hager. Fusebox also do double pole RCBOs and are good for the price plus seem to be well made.  Went off Wylex after there recall problems.

Generally fit Deta faceplates at the moment for domestic and BG for finish. Used like Hamilton but tend to be expensive and often delays if out of stock.

Hi,

Thanks for your answers.

I had hoped for a few more and differing views.

Just like we all have our own little quirks of the ways things should be done - example, doubling or twisting conductors, stripping T & E using the cpc as a draw wire etc etcthe I think we all have our preferences for brands based sometimes on folklore and a dash of our personal experience.

Of course our differing ages and therefore experiences may play a part in that.

I guess we all have our favourites and indeed misconceptions too.

I guess our peers our areas of location and the age we were brought up in plays a part.


My take is (a lot of you will have heard this before).


My working life started in 1971 (I`m 65 - yes we did even have mains electric back then! LOL).

So here is my list of  " misconceptions" :-


Regarding bog standard housewiring mainly and in our local area.

(note- around here grey T&E was thought of as "proper" and white T&E as "DIY" around here).


MK and Crabtree sockets etc were thought of as the best with MK in front because of the looks.

MK was a slim front with sharper corners whilst Crabtree was a bit chunky.

Personally I prefered Crabtree, their switched sockets were DP switching wheras MK was only SP.

Hats off to MK though with there socket shutter arrangement having an extra safety feature ref plug insertion.

I think that MK were, for years, living on their own name.

Volex was thought of as cheap rubbish and poorly made (in fact their loop in ceiling rose was just a 4 terminal choc block in a housing).

During the 80s I was introduced to Contactum and at first viewed the with suspicion but eventually, after trying a few, I found them quite acceptable (a bit chunky like crabtree but less so) . DP switching on sockets. I found them very reliable.

During the 90s I worked part time for a small wholesaler who sold to both trade & public (with a similar wholesaler nearby with similar items and ethos).

They both sold approx 90% Contactum and 10% MK due to price difference.

Any faulty returns were almost always MK not Contactum.

So I became a convert to Contactum . They suffered a management buy out a few years back and I`m unsure if the quality these days are the same although I still use them for most jobs.

MK brought in their "New Logic" range which looks sexy and indeed has DP switching sockets at last.

Although they still have some quality issues.

Pull switches, whilst MK and Contactum are OK I prefer the Click ones (a positive click which is quite loud when operating it though).

Downside of those is , when I install them I pull on/off 20 times each and find about one in twenty fails - the mechanism locks up! Those that pass my test seem to go on for years though.

Consumer units - well I was brought up on Wylex being numero uno , round terminals, two screws per way, each screw having a little dome on the pointy end helping to anchor the tail or circuit wiring in place. I an "upgrade" their circuit N terminals were changed to only one screw yet their L fuseway terminals remained two screws ? I could not see any logic in that.

I converted to Contactum consumer units and found them OK.

Recent years I have used quite a few BG consumer units and more recently found their new compact RCBOs good for space. Although I have found a few faulty RCBOs once they`ve been in service a few months.

Nowadays most consumer units of most makes I have seen have incomming terminals as two flat plates holding the tails and only one screw each - I hate those cage clamps!

Switched fused connection units, the MK ones I never liked the old outgoing terminals being a captured cup washer designed I think purely for flex. And they had different versions of outlet plat,  depending on whether you needed a hole for the flex or not, on the front of the plate. Contactum had a removeable piece for the flex hole and was at the bottom edge of the front plate which I like.

By the way, this is not an advert for Contactum but just my own choices/misconceptions.

Fluorescent fittings - I found Fitzgerald to be reasonably priced and reasonable quality.

Downlighters - I`ve never been a fan of downlighters housed in the ceiling - Yes they do look very pretty in comparison to pendants/bulkheads and some of the fancy stuff. It comes mainly from the way I`ve seen them installed , too near to joists/cables/pipework and the heat thingy with filament lamps (be it mains and 12V, even the ali reflectors), fluorescent not usually as bad and todays LED definately run cooler so I`m a bit of a Dinosaur, I admit, on downlights. Probably Aurora & JCC I view as the better ones but I especially seek other views on on downlighters.


Right that`s my prejudices and missconceptions out of the way.

I`d like to hear from others, not only those who have similar views but those who disagree with me too.

Life is a learning curve and I need more opinions.


Thanks

1/ Sockets and switches etc - plain white - Contactum, although thier pull switches are not the best.

2/ More fancy - whatever the customer wants, otherwise its just plain white moulded Contactum stuff.

3/ Light fittings - Aurora/Eterna/Contactum/Smiths Timeguard are the default. Dousing & Reynolds supplied by customer.

4/ consumer units - Used to be MK but now CP Fusebox only. Everything else is way overpriced for what it is, and considering that it most likely comes out of the same factory.