I've just bought several small kitchen appliances this last week, namely a new kettle, toaster and a microwave.
I excitedly opened the packages and went to place them on the work surfaces in the same spot as my old ones occupied,... and I noticed that the flex was stretching to reach the plugs.....ok, not a problem losing a bit of length off the flex with the position of the toaster, but definitely the kettle and microwave.......I've got plenty of plugs in my kitchen, 8 to be precise (4 double ones).
So, I measured the new flex along side the old ones and it seems the manufacturers are reducing the length to save a few bob.
My microwave is now positioned in the middle of the work top, instead of at the end,( I'm not happy ) and my kettle has to clear the cabinets to prevent steam engulfing the under-cabinet lights.
I bought a steam mop a couple of weeks ago, mainly for the kitchen floor to save getting on my hands and knees, I just wanted something to whip around daily, (I have a Karcher if I want to freshen up the carpets and need more than a few minutes).......and there's that much flex attached to this mop, that it's annoying getting wrapped around my feet and it's a pain winding all this around the handle when I've finished....there's enough flex to hang mesen.
Granted, you only need one plug and lots of flex to whip around several rooms with the steam mop if you've got the type of flooring for this gadget, so, whilst it annoys the hell out if me, I can see the logic in that......but you need lots of plugs at various positions in the kitchen to place these small appliances where you'd like them, because of the reduced length in flex.
Has anybody else noticed this?
Sanji x
I've a G-Ram sweeper which doesn't have a flex and use a mop and bucket to clean my floors ..... Not much use to you am I Sanji?
Aha...thought of a short lead.....the one for my IPad !!!
My tablet, the computer type not an electrified Asprin came with a very short charging lead which was a pain, so I bought a much longer one, problem solved I thought. No it took twice as long to charge
shrimper wrote:My tablet, the computer type not an electrified Asprin came with a very short charging lead which was a pain, so I bought a much longer one, problem solved I thought. No it took twice as long to charge :que
I had the same problem with my Asus tablet, as I like to have in plugged in at the back of the settee with the lead draped over the arm and whilst I'm sat using it, I could plug it in and charge up the battery.
My son bought me a cheap extension lead and I found it took twice as long to charge up....I moaned at him about it (as mother's sometimes do ) and he bought a more expensive one, which has no detrimental effect on the charge time.
I've since changed my Asus tablet to a Sony Xperia for several reasons..... the Sony is lighter and thinner, the screen isn't a fingerprint magnet and it was impossible to see things outside in bright light on the Asus....now instead of guess work, if I use the camera on the Sony in the same conditions, I can see the subject.
I'm using the same extension lead and it works fine with the Sony.(charging up at the same rate as it would without it attached)
Shrimper, I have no idea about cables but I seem to remember that the cheapo extension cable was the same thickness as the original lead supplied with the tablet .... obviously with the correct end connections.
The second extension lead is slightly thicker and made by Belkin.
HTH's
Sanji x
I think the official excuse for short flexes for small kitchen appliances is safety.
Fiona wrote:I think the official excuse for short flexes for small kitchen appliances is safety.
Well if it is, it's failed. Our kettle ( short lead) and toaster ( short lead) both stand in front of wall cupboards located approx 12 inches above the appliances. To prevent the kettle steaming off the veneer from the bottom edge of the cupboard above, we have to pull it out away towards the front edge of the worktop and there's just enough flex. The toaster is worse, the hot air would not only melt the veneer above, but burnt toast might set the cupboard on fire. To avoid this we need to pull the toaster as far forward as possible, but the lead is pulled taut trying to stop us from doing this.
Frank wrote:Fiona wrote:I think the official excuse for short flexes for small kitchen appliances is safety.
Well if it is, it's failed. Our kettle ( short lead) and toaster ( short lead) both stand in front of wall cupboards located approx 12 inches above the appliances. To prevent the kettle steaming off the veneer from the bottom edge of the cupboard above, we have to pull it out away towards the front edge of the worktop and there's just enough flex. The toaster is worse, the hot air would not only melt the veneer above, but burnt toast might set the cupboard on fire. To avoid this we need to pull the toaster as far forward as possible, but the lead is pulled taut trying to stop us from doing this. :que
That's the same problem I have and the leads on the new appliances are definitely a lot shorter.
Is it for safety? well one way of looking at it is........if you shorten the flex enough so that it can't reach the edge of a standard work surface, then it can't be reached by small children.
On the other hand, the price of copper has gone through the roof in the last few years, so if manufacturers shorten the length of the flex and you times that by the millions upon millions of appliances made..... the savings could be considerable.
And on the other hand.....it kindda defeats the safety aspect by shortening the flex, because it causes people to use extension cables, and If you don't use the correct type of extension lead to withstand the current (amps) of electricity from a particular appliance, they can become overheated and a fire hazard...... anyway, a microwave pulls a lot of amps and is not designed to work with an extension cord, so the idea of shortening the flex on a microwave, I would lay a bet that it's a cost saving exercise.
Whatever the reason, it's peed me off not being able to put my new microwave in the same place as my old one.
Sanji x
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