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Square edge versus round edge white plastic fittings.

Sparkingchip

I went to my wholesaler this morning to stock up and ask for the usual Schneider Ultimate Square Edge accessories and the manager said they are running the stock down as “The round edge fittings are nearly the same price and most people prefer them”.

I keep the Schneider Ultimate Square Edge accessories as van stock because they match the fittings in most of the homes I work in, it’s reliable and I don’t get call backs, I have never had a complaint about them unlike other major brands whose products I have had to go back and replace (BG in amongst other).

So I have been on the Internet looking for alternative suppliers and it took a considerable time, I have now placed an order for what I could not get this morning from my wholesaler to be posted to me so the van will be fully stocked this week with a few of each fitting, but obviously it’s an issue that I cannot just call in at my local wholesaler which is between my house and the motorway to grab things at half seven in the morning as I did last Monday morning as I generally do a job then replace what I have used, bearing in mind that some days I only use around fifteen quids worth of materials so I don’t need a huge van stock, it’s variety rather than quantity.

I could switch my van stock to Hager round edge fittings, which is a pain as it means double stocking whilst I use the old stuff up and the van isn’t big enough, but the round stuff will look odd in most of the houses I work in.

What are you all carrying as van stock, square edge or round edge accessories?

 

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    I personally prefer the round edge. It doesn't look so clunky.  I use Click as i like the terminals.  Talking of which i used one of their shower switches the other day and the terminals had 2 screws.  I haven't seen that for a long time.    I still have odd switches from different brands i have used over the years in the van.  It's a bit annoying. They go eventually with odd replacements or a switch in a cupboard.  I am lucky enough to be able to use my garage to store stuff so keep plenty of stock as i get most of my second fix kit on-line.

    Gary

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    Not answering the question, but don't you need both so that you can match (as far as possible) existing accessories? A kitchen would look very odd with a mixture; other rooms might be OK.

    I prefer square edge, but can you get square edge surface-mounted pattress boxes?

    I dislike those sloping MK accessories.

    Screwfix's cheapest have square edges. They are not as bad as you might think. (However, I wouldn't fit them in my house.)

    Interested to know what you do when a householder has a problem with fancy sockets.

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    My local independent wholesaler stocks Knightsbridge. I use the accessories and have not had any problems at all. Most of my customers are not that fussy. They are just happy to get things mended. Some occasionally ask for exotic metal coloured finishes in brushed matt satin sunset pink colour, but I just say that I only stock white accessories. You can't keep everything on the van. They can have any colour as long as it's white.

     

    Z.

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    I tend to use Contactum which are round edge. Years before it was Crabtree - again round. Never that keen on the old MK Logic square edge. The new MK look good (and are at last DP on switches) but are crap. I does depend on what you are matching as apposed to a complete rewire though. Courses Horses

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    You have to appreciate some of the oddities that affect choices.

    My wholesaler stocked BG then to ”streamline“ stock supplied spacers with flex outlets in them rather than SFCU and 20 amp switches with built in flex outlets, these are more fiddly, more stock and look like a after thought. https://www.eyreandelliston.co.uk/products/b-g-8cgs-1gang-spacer-c-w-flex-outlet-0438CGS1

    Hager SFCU have the flex outlet in the front of the plate, so the cable sticks out from the wall rather than hanging do neatly  and unless you double stock there’s a plastic plug in the front of the SFCU that don’t have a flex connected to them https://hager.com/uk/products/h/wmssu83fo-13a-fcu-switched-flex-outlet

    The Schneider Square Edge Exclusive I am using have 20 amp switches with and without flex outlets, the switches with flex outlets are slightly thicker, but not enough to notice and the flex outlet is a knock out on the bottom edge so they can be used universally.

    I have had to change van stock a few times over the last twenty years, wholesalers have changed stock  lines, been taken over, gone bust  making change inevitable, but the GET Schneider have stood the test of time the best and round edge fittings are still not the norm.

    I have only had to get one lot of brushed stainless fittings in the last year, I was sent a survey with a photo of an existing fitting three weeks before I was to do the job, so I went online and ordered some, after two weeks I phoned the supplier and they weren’t even  in the UK so I ended up cancelling and get something similar locally rather than an exact match.

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    I used to use Crabtree before it was redesigned well over ten years ago, when I went through the stock in my van this week I found I still have two Crabtree flex outlet plates in their original bags. I really should try to use them somewhere after carrying them around for over ten years, but again the flex comes out of the front and it’s actually a big hole and the cable clamps to one side of it leaving a gap with smaller flexes, plus I don’t have a couple of matching back boxs leaving a limited number of places where they will look tidy. https://cpc.farnell.com/crabtree/4075/1g-cord-outlet-flush-mld-white/dp/PL11829

    The last time I changed van stock I took all the old stuff of the van, gave it back to the wholesaler and got a credit note then restocked with the Schneider from the the same wholesaler. This time around I can see myself getting stuck with trying to restock and use up the  existing.

    If those two Crabtree flex outlets had a hole in the bottom edge rather than the front I would have used them ten years ago.

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    Not an insurmountable problem, guess who owns the Tradesparky website?

     

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    Interesting. Eddie's. Via a holding company - Marlowe Holdings Investments Limited.

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    Locally Edmundsons own two electrical wholesalers, Electric Centre and Edmundson I have accounts with both, but now I’m ordering online with another of their companies TradeSparky ?

    I called in at Edmundsons yesterday morning and they said that they don't stock the square edge but can get it, I spoke to Electric Centre and need to call in and see if their own brand Acel is actually the Schneider square edge in disguise.

    Apparently square edge is so last year. 

    All a bit of a palaver for a few white plastic fittings.

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