BS 1363 - Folding Plugs

Folding Plugs

Due to the size of the BS 1363 plug, attempts have been made to develop a compatible folding plug. As of May 2011 two of these have been approved for sale, the SlimPlug and the ThinPlug. SlimPlug is available only as part of a complete power lead terminating in an IEC 60320 C7 unpolarized connector. In 2009 the ThinPlug received a "Red Dot" award for product design, the first products incorporating it are due to go on sale in June 2011. Another design concept, the Folding Plug, featuring a pivot which allows the plug's pins to be aligned vertically, won the Brit Insurance design of the year award in 2010, but as described in the promotional video it does not meet BS 1363, and has not been approved for sale in the UK as a plug. In 2012 a USB AC adapter was introduced with folding blades compatible with a BS 1363 socket.

• Folding plugs

• The SlimPlug folding plug

• The SlimPlug folding plug with pins retracted

• The ThinPlug folding plug

• The ThinPlug folding plug with earth pin folded