Nah, why should they be?

Sometimes you have to trust the people who design these things.

I wouldn’t have a problem with a good quality socket that was 15 years old though it would probably look old. With a built in usb charger permanently connected to the mains supply, no thanks.

***** link *****

Bear in mind that very little electronic equipment lasts more than ten years, often less than 5. So you may need to replace that whole socket several times over during the rest of your life. I suspect the first time it fails you will say sod it and just use an ordinary one. Plus the built in psu is using electricity all the time. We are encouraged to unplug even one psu not being used so what does half a dozen do to your CO2 emissions.

I expect a lot of these devices draw load all the time. Just adds to the waste of energy, particularly when there are several running 24/365. Cheap wall warts are no better if left plugged in – they don’t overheat and go on fire when disconnected from the mains!

I look on these ‘convenience’ sockets as just another energy waster.

I charge an iphone7 and iPad simultaneously each night with no signs of distress and no complaint from the devices, as the socket is limited to 2A shared across the 2 USB outlets and current limited then the iPad is probably charged at a slower rate than its maximum. It has worked well for me for a couple of years now.

Mike

Sorry, can't agree with that. True equipment based on vacuum tubes (high voltages and lots of heat), weren't reliable and early transistors were rather delicate. Three-legged fuses we called them 50 years ago.

Well-made electronics have been more reliable than mechanical items for at least 30 years. The last car I scrapped had multiple mechanical issues after 15 years – corrosion, oil-seal failures, worn-out brake disks, weeping hydraulics, leaking fuel injector, steering that clunked turning right, and a suspicion the clutch was slipping. All the electronics, and there was rather a lot, were fine.

To answer the question, I'd happily install sockets with built-in USB power supplies wherever it was worth doing. I wouldn't fit them everywhere as a matter of course. They're handy in a kitchen or bedroom for recharging mobile phones etc. The way they are designed and made makes them rather safe; very unlikely that mains voltage could appear on the output, or that enough heat would be generated by a fault to start a fire. Any trouble and they fail open circuit. The same can't be said of transformer type wall-warts; they consume power off-load, can overheat, and shorted windings can catch fire without blowing a fuse.

As always, it makes sense to avoid buying cheap and nasty.

Dave

You get what you pay for. He also strips down one from a reputable supplier

Brian

EDIT:  Personally I think the fire risk from good quality chargers is low, but how do you know something from Amazon Marketplace or eBay is what it claims to be?  The supply chain to a trade counter should be much more reliable, and these sockets put the charger inside a flame retardant housing.

Edited By Brian G on 06/07/2019 10:52:58

I’ve had a quick look at the MK and Crabtree offerings and the latter one said it was compliant with the latest regs. I generally used to prefer Crabtree stuff because it looked more modern than the MK stuff. Some years back though MK caught up and I don't mind either these days. They’re both about the same price but the Crabtree needs a 35mm back box and the MK only a 25mm. MK it is then next time I’m passing close to screwfix.

In a car load of stuff I took to the tip today were two MK double 13A BS1361 mains sockets. Both had failed by welding the contacts closed when connecting a 10A rated load (somewhat capacitative)…

Out here , the accessory insert as we call them, can be changed out at any time or replaced and swapped with what ever you want, as log as they make the modules to fit that form factor of outlet or switch. So you can have a USB charge point, or a sensor to turn on the power point or light , or it can have a timer etc. It does give you some forward protection of obsolescence. In 5 years time, the now common USB port will not be very common at all. So for that reason, we are only putting in 3 usb power points and we are getting the latest design of power point with the new form factor for the swappable components.

An example is out here a vertical power switch is cheaper than a horizontal power switch. But the vertical one, just needs the switch module turned 90 deg and it becomes the horizontal for no extra cost. Some brands don't have modules at all, so a whole replacement is required. The modules are around 2/3 the price of the cheap non module switches and power points.

I like the 2amp usb charge ports we have so far and think they are great. The area does not get warm at all and it does not take up a power point to recharge the phone.

Neil

I don't know what could possibly go wrong….

Edited By Pete Rimmer on 08/07/2019 17:10:45

That would be the Gerry Anderson USB key?

Neil