Pre 2011 it was decent. If you look at terminals and the quality of one from that period compared to ones since, there's quite a big difference. That's the 'premium' logic plus range. There's also a 'base range' which seem fairly shite and this doomed 'essentials range'
@@nickellingham1764 You are correct quality has dropped considerably but what do you expect from a Chinese made product for the 'Essential" line of domestic kit. You get what you pay for but that doesn't mean it should be sold. The report mentioned fire risk from the component overheating, this suggests a PVC based plastic when most are a rigid no deforming (brittle) plastic like Polyether Ether Ketone PEEK for high quality electrical insulated devices or Polyetherimide - PE - ULTEM amorphous thermoplastic which softens at 200 C but has fire retarding properties. Both the above are not as easy to mould as PVC so the set up cost are high and mould and die life short. I think someone has been cutting corners in manufacturing as I find it hard to believed MK would use a plastic that would sustain a fire from the design defect in the switch and its inability to quench an arc. This looks to me what I have already experienced with Chinese manufacture and that is the job was sub sub contracted and the specification was ignored. This however is no excuse for MK not to do batch sampling. Best
Almost definitely. Trying to locate them all will be impossible. I'd imagine they would appeal to DIY people a lot. If someone brought them via a wholesaler, screwfix or somewhere they have an account, then it's tracable to a point. Sparks who know of places they installed them can make MK or whoever aware.
@@nickellingham1764 I bought one of these for myself to use as an Economy-7 „On“ lamp (It was installed on a redundant storage heater spur) and I'm glad that's all I ever really intended to use it for. When I got it out the packet it felt cheap enough, and I could see it was something I'd never recommend for general consumer use. You need to _know_ to be gentle un/plugging stuff from these things... 😳 I bought mine from Screwfix in 2020 so it'll be interesting to see if there's any trace-back and a recall notification, but then again this is easy for me as a DIY'er who installed it on his own wiring. Could you imagine the thousands of DIY'ers and handypersons who've bought boxloads of these things and then installed them in random locations as favours for friends, family, and „The old lady down the road“?... 😳
Given the scale of the recall, who's going to remember the many places _where_ they installed them?! You might record something that has obvious risks or safety-critical aspects to it - Like a fast EV charger or machine isolator - But will anybody have noted which of potentially thousands of installations they have installed the affected sockets into? 🤔 I'm lucky here, I got the easiest case of the lot: I've only ever installed _one_ - In my own home - And seeing this I know what the risk is and why it's a danger. Just isolated its circuit, and can replace it once I've gotten down Bewfix and picked up something from a trustworthy brand. 👍 Of course; We can immediately think of the commercial premesis that had several hundred of these installed, and the building/business owner screaming at their Sparky that „They're working fine mate“ and „I'm not letting you replace those, so bugger off!“ 🔌💸😣
I would sue my electrician if they refused to eat the cost; They supplied me with a product that was not fit for service, and its up to them to recover the cost from their supplier
@@JG_DNB that’s not the right cause of action, you go after the company selling the unsafe product, the poor guy installing can’t afford to go around replacing them all out of his pocket.
Your xenophobia is showing, EVERYTHING is made in china, even the good stuff. Doesn't even make sense, bad arc mitigation is a design issue not a manufacturing one.
@@SuperCloneRanger Wondered how long it would take for a lame comment like that. I'm afraid I've had plenty of both professional and personal experience of this and my Chinese partner agrees with me that this sad state of affairs exists....The good stuff is generally when western companies make great efforts to ensure quality control as part of their business model.
@@Graham_Langley CE is a European thing - Conformity Europe. id imagine that hasn't applied here for a while now. Did they lack a BS 1363 number? If so, how could that not be picked up on by MK/Honeywell?
Have never used MK Base. Since it's introduction to the "value" segment of the market it was obvious it was cheap and nasty. I do like the Logic Plus range and some of it hangs on being made in the UK.
We had the house rewired 15 years ago, our electrician put MK in, no other option: we had MK. They are sellar plugs and switches and are lasting the test of time - but they were made in the UK. Roll on two years ago and our new extension, the new electrician wished for something else, I said, MK. We now have four (out of five) failed 13 amp USB double gangs.
@@markrainford1219 Yes, absolutely: but these have failed well with in the time expected of even a cheap plug adapter with a USB outlet. MK were the best, I'm sorry to say, in my present experience, they are repeating what so many companies do: think the brand can survive a move to the Far East, report huge profits to the stock markets, and still have the same quality.
Pre 2010 / 2011 MK was decent and considered the industry standard. They only used to do a 'logic-plus' range back then. They now also do a 'basics range' which seem terrible and this doomed 'essentials range'. It's very unlucky for 4 out of 5 to fail so soon, despite them not being very good.
@@markrainford1219 My cheap one from T3mu with the 240v fast-charge USB ports seems to be working just fine... ⚡📲😇 (Though I can't understand for why, but none of my phones seem to last very long... 🔥🙃)
Sparks claiming to have never received a shock are probably lying or very new to the trade I reckon. If they only work on high voltage systems then i'd believe it. I think my worst was 3 or 4 in about a half hour when I was younger.
@ totally agree. High voltage is a different kettle of fish. Probably similar here tbf. Had 400v belt on a big underfloor heating system once that I thought sent me to the pearly gates for a second, that was bad 😂
@@Benmiles__ I've only had 230v, but a few nasty ones. Was working in a 4th floor flat, my mate turned off isolator in basement switchroom, then turned it back on an hour later to charge his phone and forgot. I began stripping out the old CU with every circuit live and got a horrible wack.
Never understood why MK stooped so low with those essentials range, the MK logic plus is a tried and tested range, this is surely going to hurt their reputation...
@dieseldragon6756 The CE mark on the sockets was a warning - it must not be put on items that only comply with national standards. Swiches yes, UK sockets no.
Prefer to fit MK sockets but always the Logic Plus ones not the 'essentials' range. Just the feeling of the socket switches and the ability to leave it in a somewhat mid-position was enough to put me off before ever trying to fit one.
No name or pack drill but I did some work ten years ago for a major UK supplier of domestic electrical kit. They had reports of light pendants falling and asked me to investigate . Thermography located the problem to lack of sufficient brass plating on the push pins causing a high resistance and subsequent heating compromising the low temperature plastic material which did not meet specification given by the UK customer. Stock amounting to 700.000 units was recalled and the Chinese manufacture contract cancelled, later it was discovered that the original audited Chinese manufacturer had passed the contract on twice with no regard to the original specification being met. No compensation was ever recovered. Do not use Chinese electrical fittings . This socket failure has many similarities and comes as no surprise but disappointment especially as the base material appears flammable which steers me to conclude engineers are not doing their job by standing up to the bean counters who compromise safety by optimising product manufacture creating a substandard kit. Thousands of substandard devices are in service, what is the point of IEEE, BS, CE, TUV and other test agencies when they don't enforce standards.
So where is quality control at mk . They should bd testing so many out of every shipment. Sadly most companies products are made in China. But there is a big difference to "made in China" and "Chinese made"
Any links on what to do next if these have been installed? As I’ve fitted these in domestic and commercial places. So will mk be paying to go have them replaced?
@@TestGearJunkie. Last time I could compare UK vs Malaysian was double unswitched sockets. The earth strap rivets at the fixing holes were noticeably rougher on the Malaysian ones.
I SAID ON ONE OF YOUR VIDEOS BACK IN 2018 THEM SOCKETS WERE BAD!! AND I WAS RIGHT!! If you have a good brand and product, do not cheapen it simply because else it will come to bite you on the ass!
Ah, the cheap Chinese crap sockets. Why did MK ever put their name to these abominations..? I've used the Logic Plus range exclusively for years and I've never had a problem with any of them.
The withdrawn MK sockets in the pictures appear to have a distinctive or unusual surround. Can anyone say whether this is this the case? Can a homeowner use this to help ID the socket?
Good question! The range of pictures in the MK recall notice is limited to only two examples. I would expect front and rear pictures of each affected product.
I've only ever installed the one, hoping I still have the packet it came in. If not, I _might_ be able to pull the Screwfix order I bought it through. 🤞 For general cases where the packet was inevitably binned, I'd say treat it like a confirmed case of Covid-19 and *isolate* ASAP, then take a photo of the outlets and see if Google Lens can positively identify the model. If nothing else, Google Lens with „Find images like...“ will turf up results that'll speed up pairing product codes with visual appearance. 📸 If you have anybody with ASD/Autism to hand, they might be able to look at and reverse engineer the product codes to give you descriptions of product features from them e.g. „Two gang, double-pole switched, USB charger“ will pretty much ace it if you can visually discriminate between single and double pole switches! 👍
@dieseldragon6756 Sorry, but that's not how ASD or Autism works, unless the person already has an encyclopedic knowledge of that type of electrical fittings.
Currently replacing the sockets in my house bit by bit. Had some old 2005 sockets arc and blow through age. Seen the mk ones and they felt cheap. Anything that's going in my house for a decade or more I'll pay a decent price. It's like people buying pap consumer units. Always buy something that's built to last
@dieseldragon6756 Jokes like that fail when you get the units wrong. (Sorry). Coulombs are a measure of charge (current multiplied by time) and voltage is not considered. The voltage is significant because the same amount of charge (in coulombs) can result in different amounts of energy (in watt-hours) depending on the voltage that is driving the current.
If you’re going to use MK why would you cut corners and use the cheep stuff in the first place . I used to use MK pull switches. But as soon as they started making them in China alarm bells started ringing . I probably installed about 10 lighting ,and a few shower ones . Only to find my suspicion was correct . Almost all failed within 4 years. My wholesalers said they are so bad we don’t stock them anymore.
My old pull cord was a MK, so obviously I used a new MK, first because just the snapper was changed, let's say it's playing up, admittedly two times in a few months, the old one was fine for 8 years when we moved it, it's anyone's guess how old it is, Crabtree, Tenby and M K, were the top draw, pricey, but you could depend on them, had one fail in twenty something years of installation, Made in China, is not the problem, made in China at a cost point is, unlike our government, who favours finance and banksters, China makes sense, manufacturing and raw materials to manufacture,
It is an oversight by the OPSS that they don't make an 'X' post for every product that they recall, having just visited their actual government web page.
This happened on the LAP sockets from Screwfix. I replaced over 30 sockets about two years ago, and I had a 1Kw load in the kitchen, on a 32A circuit. It flashed, or rather exploded, I felt the explosion on my hand. Upon opening the socket, I found that the switch contacts are right next to the L & N bus bars, so when the switch arced, it flashed the bus bars and bang. Dead short. I decided to keep the sockets in place due to the hassle of trying to get them changed. But seeing this video has made me think twice about leaving them. They are safe as long as I don't switch, with a load of around 1Kw or more.
I've just isolated off my MK single gang essentials just to be on the safe side. Even if you're not switching it, the fault description (When being switched *or* under load) sounds to me like the switch makes very poor contact and so just a high current flow on its own could be enough to let the magic smoke out. With mine having a neon wired across L-N that's likely to be equally as cheap, I wasn't going to take any chances! 👍
That's a similar issue to what can happen with the old Wylex metal consumer units populated with rewirable fuses when the big plastic fuse cover isn't fitted.
Very interesting case. Seems taping off skylights is sufficient then, as a constant reminder? 100% safe is to close the building and have scaffolding under each skylight? Did the risk assessment mention the weather conditions where work could reasonably be carried out?
So far it looks like they've just been removed from sale, not recalled. If they do recall installed items it could be as ruinous as the Takata airbag recall.
MANHANDLE AND CONSTELLATION The problem with getting electrical shocks is that there are too many steps to isolation. Tell The apprentice a story of somebody losing their face or limb make it graphic and then show them how to test live and dead lock off that is it the story will stay with every consumer unit I promise you
Is MK 'base range' different to their 'essentials range'? I thought they must have changed the name slightly, but seems not. 'Essentials' are the accessories with the clip on flexible plastic surrounds.
The document says 2018 to 2024 but only the Essentials 2 gang ones Never fitted that range myself, if Logic is too expensive then Scolmore Mode or Hager Sollysta are fine
So sad to see companies like MK producing stuff like this. When you make quality kit, your name is everything, so you need a second “budget” brand, not using the quality brand name.
Anybody else find it strange that people would have time off after getting a shock? 40 years in industry and it was just considered the norm in your younger days. We did a lot of live working in control panels but it was never in there that would catch you out as you were concentrating it was the simple ones that catch you out. As you get older you get more cautious 🤣🤣
To many middle men so no chance, thats why they have alerted the installers. I know one thing for certain the Chinese will be paying no compensation, the factory has probably closed already. Another will open next week slate clean.
Quite so. One of the last full rewires I did wanted Built in USB outlets. I persuaded them not to simply because there was no way to switch them off and were a potential Fire risk. Not only that, but they would constantly induce switching interference on all the cables throughout the property. I won.
Mk,used nothing else years ago. But got increasingly got fed up with the design and terminal placement for ease of installation. (Hate there lightswitches) and gridswitches. Changed to click mode. never had a callback and easy to 2nd fix
4:10 " Powers up to 9500 households! REALLY Has anyone bashed the figures? (7.5MW a day per household Government Figures) This will not happen. For 1 month around mid summer at midday the panels may give maximum output unless they get too hot. No one has mentioned the micro climate of all that reflective material create a thermal which could have an effect on airborne craft like gliders. 0.0049% is 4.9 fires per 100,000 installs .
Looks like safety is being ignored for eco reasons yet again with the installation of EV chargers in petrol stations. Time and time again everyday safety is compromised on the altar of climate change. That conversion of the petrol station to a charger station is going to need some serious updates to its electricity supply. Do you have any information or analysis on what its requirements will actually be?
I think you're getting the articles mixed-up: One of them was about non-compliant charger installs at petrol station forecourts (Which are keeping the petrol, but adding „pumps“ for EVs too) and the other was about a _replacement_ charger park on the site of a closed filling station. 👍
MK used to be my go-to product. More expensive than other brands, but one could rely on the safety of British manufacture. I believe everything is made in China now? (Could somebody confirm) I read on interweb (so it must be true) that all MK stuff is now made in China but it is all tested in the UK & there are skips full of failed MK products at the UK test facility? (Could somebody confirm) I refuse to use chinlec (clue in the name) or fusebox, all cheap chinese stuff. So what brands should one use? (recommendations please) I still use MK Logic Plus sockets, switches etc and MK consumer units (I believe MK just lease th name to the box builders) German Hager looks good, but very expensive. The MK essentials stuff looks to be made of a cheaper soft plastic and is also more expensive than the Logic Plus (last time I looked)
So given how cheap the logic range is anyway why the hell would they have an even cheaper range. Am I correct logic range aren't affected 🤷🏻♂️. Starting my time in the 80's an mk double socket was about £5 for the new slimline range. They are less than that now and £5 was a lot of money back then
Even the concept of a basics range in something as safety critical as mains electrical fittings is totally wrong! I never even contemplated that one day, MK would produce cr4p, a truly depressing situation. Chinese companies just cannot be trusted, they will look you straight in the eye and say that they are making something in total accordance with spec, even putting it in writing with a cert of conformity, then just supply junk. Ask me how I know! I am more than willing to pay whatever price is necessary for MK to make everything in the UK, but unfortunately the reality is that everything in the UK is now sold to a price, not a standard. There are MK electricals all over the country, made in the UK, that are upto at least 50 years old, and still working perfectly and safely, that is something to think about. Almost everything modern is junk.
MK HAVE BEEN IN STEADY DECLINE ,ITS NO LONGER A TOP BRAND I DONT USE USE THEM ANYMORE CHINESE MATERIALS ARE NOT VERY GOOD ,,,MK JUST GOING THE GREAD ROUTE
I've never liked the Essentials range - it looks and feels cheap. You are far better off with Logic Plus - there has never been an issue with the range. It isn't worth risking safety to save a few pence per fitting.
All that remains is to congratulate the idiot who designed this photovoltaic farm. Even small children know that the wind in the UK is strong, so the structures must be built with a large margin.
Good evening and Merry Christmas :) This week my guess for the challenge words is "manhandle" and "constellation", though I was considering "stonking" for a while. All the best. Cheers, Dave.
OK, that's *bad* about the MK thing: I've had the single-gang w/neon model of that socket sat on a redundant 16A heater spur for the past four years as an Economy-7 indicator and night charger. Thank Thor I very rarely use or throw the switch on it...And that I was able to safely isolate it through the RCBO it's fed from just now. 🔌🇬🇧🔥😳 Off to the trade shop for a socket from a _proper_ brand tomorrow, methinks! Hoping to goodness we can still get _Schutzkontakt_ outlets in this country... 🔌🇩🇪💯👍 The effect described at 04:30 is the same as what caused the inferno at Kings Cross Underground station in 1986 - That fire in a duct or gap at the correct angle (Around 30°) will draw air in from the bottom and fan it toward the top, creating a very fast spread. London Underground were showing us that in detail in staff fire safety inductions, mainly as there are so many 30° shafts on the network it's an effect that all staff need to know about. 🚇🔥⚠ Finally: I may not be a qualified or practicing Sparky, but I get an electric _shock_ every single month when I see just how much my energy provider thinks is „OK“ to charge me for an average monthly consumption of just 24kWh. Add in the -shareholder rob-dog tax- „standing“ charges and I'm being asked to pay about £1,42 per flippin' unit! The fact they can get away with charging a functionally disabled person that much is absolutely fc🇬🇧ing ridiculous... 🌻⚡💸😱
MK once one of the best quality equipment manufacturers now obviously in a race to the bottom.
Like everybody else, sadly.
Totally agree but when a double socket cost less than a pack of Pringles what do you expect. It is still no excuse to manufacture junk.
Pre 2011 it was decent. If you look at terminals and the quality of one from that period compared to ones since, there's quite a big difference. That's the 'premium' logic plus range. There's also a 'base range' which seem fairly shite and this doomed 'essentials range'
@@nickellingham1764 You are correct quality has dropped considerably but what do you expect from a Chinese made product for the 'Essential" line of domestic kit. You get what you pay for but that doesn't mean it should be sold.
The report mentioned fire risk from the component overheating, this suggests a PVC based plastic when most are a rigid no deforming (brittle) plastic like Polyether Ether Ketone PEEK for high quality electrical insulated devices or Polyetherimide - PE - ULTEM amorphous thermoplastic which softens at 200 C but has fire retarding properties. Both the above are not as easy to mould as PVC so the set up cost are high and mould and die life short.
I think someone has been cutting corners in manufacturing as I find it hard to believed MK would use a plastic that would sustain a fire from the design defect in the switch and its inability to quench an arc.
This looks to me what I have already experienced with Chinese manufacture and that is the job was sub sub contracted and the specification was ignored. This however is no excuse for MK not to do batch sampling.
Best
Let's face it, everything is Chinese shite these days
So will MK pay contractors to attend sites and replace recalled products ?
Almost definitely. Trying to locate them all will be impossible. I'd imagine they would appeal to DIY people a lot. If someone brought them via a wholesaler, screwfix or somewhere they have an account, then it's tracable to a point. Sparks who know of places they installed them can make MK or whoever aware.
@@nickellingham1764 I bought one of these for myself to use as an Economy-7 „On“ lamp (It was installed on a redundant storage heater spur) and I'm glad that's all I ever really intended to use it for. When I got it out the packet it felt cheap enough, and I could see it was something I'd never recommend for general consumer use. You need to _know_ to be gentle un/plugging stuff from these things... 😳
I bought mine from Screwfix in 2020 so it'll be interesting to see if there's any trace-back and a recall notification, but then again this is easy for me as a DIY'er who installed it on his own wiring. Could you imagine the thousands of DIY'ers and handypersons who've bought boxloads of these things and then installed them in random locations as favours for friends, family, and „The old lady down the road“?... 😳
So who is going to be paying for those sockets to be replaced?
Guess?!
Given the scale of the recall, who's going to remember the many places _where_ they installed them?! You might record something that has obvious risks or safety-critical aspects to it - Like a fast EV charger or machine isolator - But will anybody have noted which of potentially thousands of installations they have installed the affected sockets into? 🤔
I'm lucky here, I got the easiest case of the lot: I've only ever installed _one_ - In my own home - And seeing this I know what the risk is and why it's a danger. Just isolated its circuit, and can replace it once I've gotten down Bewfix and picked up something from a trustworthy brand. 👍
Of course; We can immediately think of the commercial premesis that had several hundred of these installed, and the building/business owner screaming at their Sparky that „They're working fine mate“ and „I'm not letting you replace those, so bugger off!“ 🔌💸😣
I would sue my electrician if they refused to eat the cost; They supplied me with a product that was not fit for service, and its up to them to recover the cost from their supplier
So far they've only been removed from sale.
@@JG_DNB that’s not the right cause of action, you go after the company selling the unsafe product, the poor guy installing can’t afford to go around replacing them all out of his pocket.
Yet again quality control left up to the Chinese who don't have that concept in their mind set. Shape up MK!
Your xenophobia is showing, EVERYTHING is made in china, even the good stuff. Doesn't even make sense, bad arc mitigation is a design issue not a manufacturing one.
@@SuperCloneRanger Wondered how long it would take for a lame comment like that. I'm afraid I've had plenty of both professional and personal experience of this and my Chinese partner agrees with me that this sad state of affairs exists....The good stuff is generally when western companies make great efforts to ensure quality control as part of their business model.
@@mfr58 Its funny when someone needs to double down they're ALWAYS an expert lmao. BS expert maybe.
@@SuperCloneRanger That's why I'm qualified to have an opinion on the matter, unlike those who just indulge in ignorant virtue signalling...
I remember watching John Ward doing a skit on the MK Essentials range about 4 years ago. Can't say the recall is all that surprising.
I remember that as well, must go and rewatch it.
Same. He didn't seem especially convinced by them. 'Captive screws' - LIE...... that's obviously the least of the problems. JW is a legend❤
I commented to that video that the CE mark on the sockets was a warning sign - it doesn't apply.
@@Graham_Langley CE is a European thing - Conformity Europe. id imagine that hasn't applied here for a while now.
Did they lack a BS 1363 number? If so, how could that not be picked up on by MK/Honeywell?
@@nickellingham1764 CE marking doesn't apply to UK sockets as they comply with a national standard, not a European one.
Glad I specified the original Logic range.
It's good kit. 💪
I would have thought not catching fire ought to be one of MK's "essentials"!
You'd think the same thing about the fire extinguisher in that episode of _The I.T. Crowd,_ too... 🧯🇬🇧🔥😉
Have never used MK Base. Since it's introduction to the "value" segment of the market it was obvious it was cheap and nasty. I do like the Logic Plus range and some of it hangs on being made in the UK.
Mk used to be the best...
I think we need to consider what their brand might stand for in German. _„Mehr Krapp“_ comes to mind... 🔌💩😉
We had the house rewired 15 years ago, our electrician put MK in, no other option: we had MK. They are sellar plugs and switches and are lasting the test of time - but they were made in the UK. Roll on two years ago and our new extension, the new electrician wished for something else, I said, MK. We now have four (out of five) failed 13 amp USB double gangs.
Every socket with USB will fail eventually.
@@markrainford1219 Yes, absolutely: but these have failed well with in the time expected of even a cheap plug adapter with a USB outlet.
MK were the best, I'm sorry to say, in my present experience, they are repeating what so many companies do: think the brand can survive a move to the Far East, report huge profits to the stock markets, and still have the same quality.
Pre 2010 / 2011 MK was decent and considered the industry standard. They only used to do a 'logic-plus' range back then. They now also do a 'basics range' which seem terrible and this doomed 'essentials range'. It's very unlucky for 4 out of 5 to fail so soon, despite them not being very good.
@@markrainford1219 My cheap one from T3mu with the 240v fast-charge USB ports seems to be working just fine... ⚡📲😇
(Though I can't understand for why, but none of my phones seem to last very long... 🔥🙃)
That's MK's bargain bin range.- Avoided since its launch- Utter garbage
Yep. I use the Logic Plus range exclusively, never had an issue.
3 shocks in their whole career??! I’ve had 3 shocks in one week 😂
Sparks claiming to have never received a shock are probably lying or very new to the trade I reckon. If they only work on high voltage systems then i'd believe it.
I think my worst was 3 or 4 in about a half hour when I was younger.
@ totally agree. High voltage is a different kettle of fish.
Probably similar here tbf. Had 400v belt on a big underfloor heating system once that I thought sent me to the pearly gates for a second, that was bad 😂
Maybe you shouldn't be an electrician
@@Benmiles__ I've only had 230v, but a few nasty ones. Was working in a 4th floor flat, my mate turned off isolator in basement switchroom, then turned it back on an hour later to charge his phone and forgot. I began stripping out the old CU with every circuit live and got a horrible wack.
Why oh why does a respected name like MK get stuff made in China ?
Same as everybody else, price. Money over safety, you couldn't make it up.
1 word , profit
The w**kshop of the world
It what you get when a company is run by been counters that are only interested in the profit and not the products, customers, workers or the company.
Never understood why MK stooped so low with those essentials range, the MK logic plus is a tried and tested range, this is surely going to hurt their reputation...
Everybody said that range of sockets were cheap rubbish when they were introduced, it would appear as if they were right!
You never forget taking one out of the packet for the first time and thinking „Are you *sure* this thing qualifies for a CE mark?...“ 🤔
@dieseldragon6756 The CE mark on the sockets was a warning - it must not be put on items that only comply with national standards. Swiches yes, UK sockets no.
Are MK going to pay all the electricians labour bills?!
I never use MK and bloody glad I don't!
The Logic Plus range is excellent, never use anything else.
they used to be a safe bet - I use Logic Plus, and nothing else.. never had a failure yet.
Shocking news this week about that poor man that fell. Should have never happened 😠,
Prefer to fit MK sockets but always the Logic Plus ones not the 'essentials' range. Just the feeling of the socket switches and the ability to leave it in a somewhat mid-position was enough to put me off before ever trying to fit one.
Electricians having shocks isnt that shocking.. the public getting them is..😂
No name or pack drill but I did some work ten years ago for a major UK supplier of domestic electrical kit. They had reports of light pendants falling and asked me to investigate . Thermography located the problem to lack of sufficient brass plating on the push pins causing a high resistance and subsequent heating compromising the low temperature plastic material which did not meet specification given by the UK customer.
Stock amounting to 700.000 units was recalled and the Chinese manufacture contract cancelled, later it was discovered that the original audited Chinese manufacturer had passed the contract on twice with no regard to the original specification being met. No compensation was ever recovered. Do not use Chinese electrical fittings .
This socket failure has many similarities and comes as no surprise but disappointment especially as the base material appears flammable which steers me to conclude engineers are not doing their job by standing up to the bean counters who compromise safety by optimising product manufacture creating a substandard kit. Thousands of substandard devices are in service, what is the point of IEEE, BS, CE, TUV and other test agencies when they don't enforce standards.
So where is quality control at mk . They should bd testing so many out of every shipment. Sadly most companies products are made in China. But there is a big difference to "made in China" and "Chinese made"
Any links on what to do next if these have been installed? As I’ve fitted these in domestic and commercial places. So will mk be paying to go have them replaced?
Maybe MK should have stuck with UK and Singapore manufacturing.
They make some stuff in Malaysia, which is perfectly ok and identical to the UK made sockets. I have both here and I can't tell the difference.
Yes and with their own QA Department doing tests of their own.
@@tonyknight9912 You nailed it, they were top notch 15 years ago.
@@TestGearJunkie. Last time I could compare UK vs Malaysian was double unswitched sockets. The earth strap rivets at the fixing holes were noticeably rougher on the Malaysian ones.
@@Graham_Langley Were they MK Logic Plus..?
I SAID ON ONE OF YOUR VIDEOS BACK IN 2018 THEM SOCKETS WERE BAD!! AND I WAS RIGHT!! If you have a good brand and product, do not cheapen it simply because else it will come to bite you on the ass!
What was your reason for saying its bad ? Did you say they'd be a fire hazard due to the arc when switched on ? If so you are the son of nostradamus
Their oldest video is 5 years old . 2018 was 6 years ago , you said it on their video before they even had a video 😂 amazing
Ah, the cheap Chinese crap sockets. Why did MK ever put their name to these abominations..? I've used the Logic Plus range exclusively for years and I've never had a problem with any of them.
The withdrawn MK sockets in the pictures appear to have a distinctive or unusual surround. Can anyone say whether this is this the case? Can a homeowner use this to help ID the socket?
MK gone down the made in China route , Will deffo not be using that stuff
Regarding the MK recall. As the MK sockets are on the wall now how on earth do you get / find the product code?
Good question! The range of pictures in the MK recall notice is limited to only two examples. I would expect front and rear pictures of each affected product.
I've only ever installed the one, hoping I still have the packet it came in. If not, I _might_ be able to pull the Screwfix order I bought it through. 🤞
For general cases where the packet was inevitably binned, I'd say treat it like a confirmed case of Covid-19 and *isolate* ASAP, then take a photo of the outlets and see if Google Lens can positively identify the model. If nothing else, Google Lens with „Find images like...“ will turf up results that'll speed up pairing product codes with visual appearance. 📸
If you have anybody with ASD/Autism to hand, they might be able to look at and reverse engineer the product codes to give you descriptions of product features from them e.g. „Two gang, double-pole switched, USB charger“ will pretty much ace it if you can visually discriminate between single and double pole switches! 👍
@dieseldragon6756 Sorry, but that's not how ASD or Autism works, unless the person already has an encyclopedic knowledge of that type of electrical fittings.
Currently replacing the sockets in my house bit by bit. Had some old 2005 sockets arc and blow through age.
Seen the mk ones and they felt cheap. Anything that's going in my house for a decade or more I'll pay a decent price.
It's like people buying pap consumer units. Always buy something that's built to last
Pedant here... Energy density is measured in Watt-hours per kilogram, not Watts per kilogram.
I wonder _watt_ that is in Colombs per Pound? ❇⚖💷😋
@dieseldragon6756 Jokes like that fail when you get the units wrong. (Sorry). Coulombs are a measure of charge (current multiplied by time) and voltage is not considered. The voltage is significant because the same amount of charge (in coulombs) can result in different amounts of energy (in watt-hours) depending on the voltage that is driving the current.
If you’re going to use MK why would you cut corners and use the cheep stuff in the first place . I used to use MK pull switches. But as soon as they started making them in China alarm bells started ringing . I probably installed about 10 lighting ,and a few shower ones . Only to find my suspicion was correct . Almost all failed within 4 years. My wholesalers said they are so bad we don’t stock them anymore.
The springs rust and the sound horrible.
My old pull cord was a MK, so obviously I used a new MK, first because just the snapper was changed, let's say it's playing up, admittedly two times in a few months, the old one was fine for 8 years when we moved it, it's anyone's guess how old it is,
Crabtree, Tenby and M K, were the top draw, pricey, but you could depend on them, had one fail in twenty something years of installation,
Made in China, is not the problem, made in China at a cost point is, unlike our government, who favours finance and banksters, China makes sense, manufacturing and raw materials to manufacture,
It is an oversight by the OPSS that they don't make an 'X' post for every product that they recall, having just visited their actual government web page.
This happened on the LAP sockets from Screwfix.
I replaced over 30 sockets about two years ago, and I had a 1Kw load in the kitchen, on a 32A circuit. It flashed, or rather exploded, I felt the explosion on my hand. Upon opening the socket, I found that the switch contacts are right next to the L & N bus bars, so when the switch arced, it flashed the bus bars and bang. Dead short.
I decided to keep the sockets in place due to the hassle of trying to get them changed. But seeing this video has made me think twice about leaving them. They are safe as long as I don't switch, with a load of around 1Kw or more.
LAP stuff really does seem like utter shite from what I've seen.
I've just isolated off my MK single gang essentials just to be on the safe side. Even if you're not switching it, the fault description (When being switched *or* under load) sounds to me like the switch makes very poor contact and so just a high current flow on its own could be enough to let the magic smoke out. With mine having a neon wired across L-N that's likely to be equally as cheap, I wasn't going to take any chances! 👍
That's a similar issue to what can happen with the old Wylex metal consumer units populated with rewirable fuses when the big plastic fuse cover isn't fitted.
That solar farm is a bit of a worry. Properly clamped panels should be able to withstand pretty high wind loads, > 150km/h wind.
French. 🙄
Yur, not a quick fix either. 😬
MK used to be everywhere when I went insane and left the trade
Very interesting case. Seems taping off skylights is sufficient then, as a constant reminder? 100% safe is to close the building and have scaffolding under each skylight? Did the risk assessment mention the weather conditions where work could reasonably be carried out?
Crikey. I only said that MK haven't been a well respected brand since the 90's and someone had my comment deleted... Thought police in full operation.
They were still good up until 2010/11.
So far it looks like they've just been removed from sale, not recalled.
If they do recall installed items it could be as ruinous as the Takata airbag recall.
MANHANDLE AND CONSTELLATION
The problem with getting electrical shocks is that there are too many steps to isolation.
Tell The apprentice a story of somebody losing their face or limb make it graphic and then show them how to test live and dead lock off that is it the story will stay with every consumer unit I promise you
this is an absolute outrage tbh. I have no idea if or when i might have installed these sockets in the past 6 years.
Is MK 'base range' different to their 'essentials range'? I thought they must have changed the name slightly, but seems not. 'Essentials' are the accessories with the clip on flexible plastic surrounds.
0.0049% that's a huge number across a country.
How is a solar farm not designed to withstand storm force winds. Such a waste of good solar panels.
It is a bit of a worry isn't it. Something's gone wrong somewhere. 😬
Does this apply to older MK sockets say 5 years ago
The document says 2018 to 2024 but only the Essentials 2 gang ones
Never fitted that range myself, if Logic is too expensive then Scolmore Mode or Hager Sollysta are fine
They have not factored in ever strengthening winds for solar and wind farms, which will be commonplace as the planet gets ever warmer.
How do we know if we have an affected socket?
So sad to see companies like MK producing stuff like this. When you make quality kit, your name is everything, so you need a second “budget” brand, not using the quality brand name.
Honeywell working their magic on ruining MK
I think that UK sockets are safe is a rumor. Shame on MK
Anybody else find it strange that people would have time off after getting a shock? 40 years in industry and it was just considered the norm in your younger days. We did a lot of live working in control panels but it was never in there that would catch you out as you were concentrating it was the simple ones that catch you out. As you get older you get more cautious 🤣🤣
So how many of the Efixx team have had shocks?
Manhandle & Stonking.!
How are MK going to track all these dodgy sockets down.?
To many middle men so no chance, thats why they have alerted the installers. I know one thing for certain the Chinese will be paying no compensation, the factory has probably closed already. Another will open next week slate clean.
Quite so.
One of the last full rewires I did wanted Built in USB outlets.
I persuaded them not to simply because there was no way to switch them off and were a potential Fire risk.
Not only that, but they would constantly induce switching interference on all the cables throughout the property.
I won.
It's not (yet) a full recall - they've just been withdrawn from sale.
@@G1ZQCArtwork I had to explain why a neighbour's newly fitted USB outlet was killing the Powerline signal on the same ring.
Constellation and manhandle for the two word challenge.
Personally i use Wessex brand , they look good and always work well.
Compared to the ultra robust MK products of the past the current ranges are just fragile.
Mk,used nothing else years ago. But got increasingly got fed up with the design and terminal placement for ease of installation. (Hate there lightswitches) and gridswitches. Changed to click mode. never had a callback and easy to 2nd fix
80%, that's a sobering figure. I hope everyone hears about this and doubles down on safety, especially dead testing and locking out.
4:10 " Powers up to 9500 households! REALLY
Has anyone bashed the figures? (7.5MW a day per household Government Figures) This will not happen.
For 1 month around mid summer at midday the panels may give maximum output unless they get too hot.
No one has mentioned the micro climate of all that reflective material create a thermal which could have an effect on airborne craft like gliders.
0.0049% is 4.9 fires per 100,000 installs .
You don't know what you're talking about.
Surprised at MK I suppose these things happen but they shouldnt
‘Manhandle’ and ‘constellation’ surely?
Surely right? 😉 We'll find out next Monday... 😃
This is why mk sold out
Yes they were the apitome of quality at one time !
Just how many of those sockets have been installed, MK could be in deep shit with labour costs as all will need changing.
Gaz UK.
Mk made in China and Malaysia, not surprising
Looks like safety is being ignored for eco reasons yet again with the installation of EV chargers in petrol stations. Time and time again everyday safety is compromised on the altar of climate change.
That conversion of the petrol station to a charger station is going to need some serious updates to its electricity supply. Do you have any information or analysis on what its requirements will actually be?
If they are replacing a petrol station with an electric car charging station why would there ever be a petrol tanker anywhere near?
I think you're getting the articles mixed-up: One of them was about non-compliant charger installs at petrol station forecourts (Which are keeping the petrol, but adding „pumps“ for EVs too) and the other was about a _replacement_ charger park on the site of a closed filling station. 👍
Manhandle and Constellation
Great guesses as always Mark. 😃
MK used to be my go-to product. More expensive than other brands, but one could rely on the safety of British manufacture.
I believe everything is made in China now? (Could somebody confirm)
I read on interweb (so it must be true) that all MK stuff is now made in China but it is all tested in the UK & there are skips full of failed MK products at the UK test facility? (Could somebody confirm)
I refuse to use chinlec (clue in the name) or fusebox, all cheap chinese stuff.
So what brands should one use? (recommendations please) I still use MK Logic Plus sockets, switches etc and MK consumer units (I believe MK just lease th name to the box builders)
German Hager looks good, but very expensive.
The MK essentials stuff looks to be made of a cheaper soft plastic and is also more expensive than the Logic Plus (last time I looked)
So given how cheap the logic range is anyway why the hell would they have an even cheaper range. Am I correct logic range aren't affected 🤷🏻♂️. Starting my time in the 80's an mk double socket was about £5 for the new slimline range. They are less than that now and £5 was a lot of money back then
Manhandle & constellation 😊
Nice guesses Eusty! 😃
Even the concept of a basics range in something as safety critical as mains electrical fittings is totally wrong! I never even contemplated that one day, MK would produce cr4p, a truly depressing situation. Chinese companies just cannot be trusted, they will look you straight in the eye and say that they are making something in total accordance with spec, even putting it in writing with a cert of conformity, then just supply junk. Ask me how I know! I am more than willing to pay whatever price is necessary for MK to make everything in the UK, but unfortunately the reality is that everything in the UK is now sold to a price, not a standard. There are MK electricals all over the country, made in the UK, that are upto at least 50 years old, and still working perfectly and safely, that is something to think about. Almost everything modern is junk.
I've been told the strategy is to slowly reduce quality until the customer complains then go back one step.
Manhandle and constellation
Great guesses, listen to next Monday's show to see if you got it! 😃
Its niglon/knightsbridge or nothing
Manhandle and Constellation?
Excellent guesses! Make sure you dial in to next week's show to see if you're right. 😃
If you are an electrician who fitted these cheap MK…… silly billy😅
MK HAVE BEEN IN STEADY DECLINE ,ITS NO LONGER A TOP BRAND I DONT USE USE THEM ANYMORE CHINESE MATERIALS ARE NOT VERY GOOD ,,,MK JUST GOING THE GREAD ROUTE
You probably typed that shouty comment on a device made in China. They can do quality. Obviously not in the case of these sockets though
Made in China, what a surprise!
Manhandle. Constellation.
I've never liked the Essentials range - it looks and feels cheap. You are far better off with Logic Plus - there has never been an issue with the range. It isn't worth risking safety to save a few pence per fitting.
Manhandled and constellation
Great guesses, tune in to next week's show to see if you got it! 😃
MK outsourcing to China ? I really hope not .
Manhandle, constellation
Words are manhandle and constellation
Great guess! Tune into Monday's show to see if you got it. 💪
And probably went bust and started up again.
Constellation and manhandled
Constellation, stonking
Great guesses Robert! Listen to next Monday's show to see if you're right. 💪
man handle and constalation
All that remains is to congratulate the idiot who designed this photovoltaic farm.
Even small children know that the wind in the UK is strong, so the structures must be built with a large margin.
manhandled & constellation
MK made in China???
Sobering & constellation
Ah made in China - quality kit !
Good evening and Merry Christmas :) This week my guess for the challenge words is "manhandle" and "constellation", though I was considering "stonking" for a while. All the best. Cheers, Dave.
Great guesses Dave, stonking seems to be a favourite word of scriptwriter Ray! 😃
MK essential range is cheap and cheerful and more to the point crap.
OK, that's *bad* about the MK thing: I've had the single-gang w/neon model of that socket sat on a redundant 16A heater spur for the past four years as an Economy-7 indicator and night charger. Thank Thor I very rarely use or throw the switch on it...And that I was able to safely isolate it through the RCBO it's fed from just now. 🔌🇬🇧🔥😳
Off to the trade shop for a socket from a _proper_ brand tomorrow, methinks! Hoping to goodness we can still get _Schutzkontakt_ outlets in this country... 🔌🇩🇪💯👍
The effect described at 04:30 is the same as what caused the inferno at Kings Cross Underground station in 1986 - That fire in a duct or gap at the correct angle (Around 30°) will draw air in from the bottom and fan it toward the top, creating a very fast spread. London Underground were showing us that in detail in staff fire safety inductions, mainly as there are so many 30° shafts on the network it's an effect that all staff need to know about. 🚇🔥⚠
Finally: I may not be a qualified or practicing Sparky, but I get an electric _shock_ every single month when I see just how much my energy provider thinks is „OK“ to charge me for an average monthly consumption of just 24kWh. Add in the -shareholder rob-dog tax- „standing“ charges and I'm being asked to pay about £1,42 per flippin' unit! The fact they can get away with charging a functionally disabled person that much is absolutely fc🇬🇧ing ridiculous... 🌻⚡💸😱
Manhandle and Constellation
Manhandled and constellation
Manhandle and constellation