Top 10 outlet brands

The use of electricity in apartments and private houses has long been no surprise to anyone - one of the benefits of the modern world is closely included in the way of human life. It’s not difficult to boil an electric kettle, charge the phone or simply apply voltage to the lighting lamp, but it would be much more difficult to perform such operations without intermediary devices. These can include sockets and switches - seemingly simple, but very important elements of the power supply circuit.

However, the supply of energy to lighting and household appliances is not the only function performed by outlets and switches. With the development of production methods and various design trends, they acquired the status of decorating elements, the unsuccessful choice of which could have a negative impact on the general appearance of the dwelling.

The range of such a liquid product today is represented by a huge number of foreign and domestic firms, which is why it is extremely difficult to stop at one single option. Even with due regard to the buying process, there is always a chance to choose a poor-quality model, the safety level of which is obviously lower than the prescriptions of world quality standards. Due to the high importance of the subject matter, we have created a rating of the best manufacturers of sockets and switches, the products of which meet the highest requirements of industry standards and guarantee the proper preservation of the form during a long period of use. The main parameters for selecting top nominees were the following parameters:

• the level of popularity and popularity of the company among domestic users;
• expert assessment of each company's product series;
• average service life of sockets and switches within the range of a single manufacturer;
• nominal workmanship, no fakes on the market;
• cost characteristic.

The best manufacturers of sockets and switches of the budget segment

3 Wessen

Another place in the rating goes to one of several representatives of Schnider Electric corporation, which develops budget versions of outlets and switches on the production base of the multi-known cartridge. It differs from competitors by the commitment of originality (even to the detriment of sound design sense) and the low cost of the entire product range.

According to experts, the main trend of products from Wessen is leaning towards the classics, however, some representatives of the company are externally styled as wooden coverings. The brightest representative of this current is the Wessen 59 series, designed with precise wood texture on solid and segmented models of sockets (and switches).The reverse (standard) side of the representative office is expressed by the typical Prima series, manufactured at the company's Russian plant. This specimen is distinguished by general scarcity and a nondescript (but informative) point indicator.

2 MAKEL

Turkish manufacturing company with almost half a century of experience, widely known in the Russian Federation. Its characteristic feature is the basing of production on German high-precision equipment, which makes it possible to compete even with the recognized pillars of the world market.

Any innovations in terms of the appearance of the sockets and switches from Makel do not have, while remaining true to classical standards. However, one feature can be traced in this component: in the outline of the forms, the predominance of rounded lines can be traced, which exactly fit into any design concept of a house or apartment. The main color that prevails in the assortment is white, diluted with bright (usually golden) inserts and additional structural elements (indicators, motion sensors, brightness controls or connectors). Among the most popular representatives of the company include:

• Makel Cellia;
• Makel Lunis.

1 Berker

The German manufacturer, whose activities began to actively develop almost a century ago. It is a prime example of a company that produces unpretentious products in various areas of electrical engineering with a low sales price and satisfactory quality indicators. Calling the assortment of Berker sockets and switches classic, perhaps, that is possible. But not scanty - for such an impressive history of concepts has accumulated quite a lot.

The striking difference of the German concern from the main competitors in the category is the lack of a single design solution as such: the Berker product range offers both angular sockets and streamlined, smoothly curved contours. A prominent representative of the first group can serve as the basic line of Berker B.3, sharpened to the angularity of the contour and the button segment. The second line, Berker R.1, provides consumers with a more relaxed and pleasant looking sockets and switches, made with a circular center segment under the key or connectors.

The best manufacturers of sockets and switches of the middle price segment

4 FEDE

A very young Spanish company, which began operations in 2007. I chose a very specific, but unloaded niche for the production of outlets and switches of vintage style. All the work of FEDE is connected solely with the intended style, because of which the company, though not leading sales, is remembered absolutely for any user.

In general, prefabricated products from this company are not so much - the main profit comes from trading in expensive frames, leaving the price in the premium segment. Actually, only true connoisseurs of design with a predominance of historical embellishments use the services of the company - in an ordinary house or apartment, such an elaborate element will be out of place. It is very difficult to single out any one model, since all of them somehow represent a certain visual value. The collection, Sanremo and Toscana Palace, looks most unusual in the selection, in the author's opinion, although taste is a subjective matter.

3 Jung

Another representative of the middle segment (with an emphasis on low-end series) was the German manufacturer Jung, the design direction of which strikingly coincides with a number of other German companies. At the time of its meticulousness, the firm does not deviate from the canonical type of sockets and switches, making the classic square shape the benchmark of its style.

However, such a serious limitation in no way affected the breadth of the range - on the contrary, the creation of artificial "barriers" allowed the company to create many variations of the same plan. So, by expanding the key (or space under the connector) of the model model A500, Jung developed the LS990 series with a thin frame that perfectly matches the design in the Hi-Tech style. In the same vein, other variations were created, based on the details of the boxes, thickening and thinning of their free edges, as well as the diversity of the geometry of the keys, plugs and connectors.

2 Gira

Gira, which developed activities at the very beginning of the 20th century, was not able to move away from the canons of the form of sockets and switches, smoothing the corners, but still taking square boxes as a basis. Despite this fact, the assortment and diversity of the series cannot be called boring: where the forms put their powers, design and design continue to hold a solid audience.

Yes, Gira’s country coverage is not as large as, for example, ABB (approximately 36 vs. 100), however, given the scale of the German company, this is a very solid indicator. In their reviews, consumers often praise the strength of the design of boxes, keys and connectors, while noting the average cost level with a smooth (serial) transition to premium. Among the most popular products of the company are the Linoleum Multiplex and E2 product lines of different price categories, which are not devoid of design refinement and high quality.

1 ABB

ABB was formed by the merger of two well-known (in its time) firms - the Swedish brand ASEA (founded in 1883) and the oldest Swiss concern Brown, Boveri & Cie, which opened a little later (in 1891). The goal of such integration was the possibility of a massive “seizure” of the market with its own products, which was naturally crowned with success and sales in more than 100 countries around the world.

Consumer reviews consistently include ABB among the grandees of the production of sockets and switches, the cost of which is at about the same level as the market average. Their design is characterized by freshness and great variation from ordinary angular classics to quite pleasant combinations of square frames and round keys / connectors. Among the first (classical) variations one can distinguish the Dynasty series, decorated in the form of paintings and suitable for expensive interiors of houses and apartments. As more universal switches and sockets, consumers prefer to choose the Impulse series, which is not without elegance and "highlight" in the form of streamlined contour lines.

The best manufacturers of sockets and switches premium segment

3 BTICINO

The main competitor of Legrand for market leadership in recent years is the bright Italian company BTicino, the foundation of which falls on the year 1898. The main feature of this brand has become a methodical, step by step, verified work on improving the manufacturability of products. It was she who subsequently allowed the company to practically be the first to launch the creation of smart outlets, and it was she who brought the design solutions to the current state.

Consumers in their reviews note a good selection of materials characterized by durability and minimal tendency to loosen fasteners during long-term operation. From the point of view of design, everything is just as good, but subject to consideration of models with less sophistication in terms of design - such (at least on mock-ups) look frankly out of place. As a good example of the most popular models of sockets and switches, you can mention the Living Light series (as the simplest option) or Axolute (for more sophisticated designs).

2 SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

A strange coincidence, one of the oldest corporations for the production of electrical equipment occupy leading positions in the premium segment.That was also Schneider Electric, who crushed a good half of the German market and took more than a dozen large companies under its care. His "trick" is a continuous expansion of the range of available series with small changes in the principle of color and color combination.

Literally, every Schneider Electric line can be considered a company's property, so choosing one for the representative office is quite difficult. Great sales figures are accompanied by the Unica series, which combined as many as five (!) Design ideas. Not devoid of refinement and line Odace, connectors and keys which have a rounded shape. To complete the picture (and in fairness), we note the presence of such beautiful models as Glossa, Blanca and Sedna, the form of which is very similar to each other.

1 LEGRAND

For several years, the permanent leader of the premium segment of sockets and switches is the French company Legrand, which has shown crazy consumer coverage in more than 180 countries of the world. Under its patronage, dozens of smaller brands are flourishing, which use the same resource and technical base as the French grand.

As for the own product range, here, perhaps the most extensive field of experimental and standard models created for any design trend is revealed to the buyer. User feedback suggests a high working resource of Legrand's sockets and switches, high-quality (not fading with time) material and ease of installation in the whole variety of options. As the most successful examples of products from the manufacturer can be called the line Legrand Galea Life, made in the standard angular form (but with a non-standard color palette) and Legrand Valena Allure, the elegance and sophistication of which is particularly emphasized by a pleasant complex design.

Popular vote - who is the best manufacturer of sockets and switches?
We vote!

Legrand

Werkel

Schneider Electric

ABB

Gira

Simon

BTicino

Makel

Wessen

Berker

Jung

FEDE

Total votes: 306

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