We buy sockets and switches correctly

When renovating an apartment, the main emphasis is always placed on the technical aspects of installing electrical points and electrical wiring, while considering the issues of choosing and purchasing clean electrical equipment to be not particularly important.
It would seem, what's wrong with that? I decided on the manufacturer Schneider Electric, ABB or Legrand, went to the store and bought the number of sockets and switches required for the project.

However, not everything in this matter is as simple as it seems. Therefore, let's look at how to purchase electrical equipment for your home and prepare you for the right trip to the store.

In this case, the main emphasis will not be on the technical side (quality of contacts, design differences). Read about this in a separate article at the link below.

We will also not advocate for this or that brand or manufacturer. Top ratings can be easily found on the Internet, and as practice shows, everything here is quite individual.

Places in the rankings change from survey to survey, from site to site. Here are examples.

Rating No. 1Rating No. 2Rating No. 3Rating No. 4

Let's talk about non-obvious points relating to all brands, collections and manufacturers, which many initially do not even think about.

When to buy clean electrical equipment?

Mistake #1

Clean electrical equipment cannot be purchased in advance.

In the old days, good products were brought in rare batches from Europe, after which they were immediately snapped up from the shelves. And the order often had to wait several months.

Today, retail chains and stores keep the entire range in stock in their warehouses. Come, choose, buy and leave.

When should you buy sockets and switches?

A universal rule is to buy a week before installation.

Of course, you can go shopping earlier, having decided on prices and assortment. But in reality, you should go shopping at the stage of wallpapering and laying the finished floor.

The main problem with early procurement is the change in the number of electrical points. During the repair process, deviations and adjustments to the project almost always occur.

At the same time, the number of sockets and switches never decreases, but on the contrary, increases. They are always added.

But once the wallpaper is already hung, it’s unlikely to change anything. Therefore, at this stage it will be problematic to make a mistake.

Manufacturers of models aimed at the economy class segment

The most famous on the world market are Berker, Wessen and Makel. If a consumer is interested in how to choose a device at a reasonable price, but with high quality components, then they should look at the products of these brands. There is already a much smaller selection of unique design solutions, but the main focus of manufacturers is on maintaining a balance between quality and price. However, this brand has separate models that are produced with replaceable external casings, which allows you to refresh the interior without resorting to a full replacement of electrical outlets.

Berker sockets and switches

Unusual design solutions are not the strong point of this brand, but in return the brand offers the buyer German reliability, safety and superior technical characteristics at an affordable price.

Product characteristics:

country of origin – Germany;
laconic and functional style;
sufficient range of frames;
high quality mechanisms;
high degree of strength and reliability;
moderate cost;

Wessen sockets and switches

A domestic brand covering more than a third of the Russian market. The design of their products consists of heat-resistant material, which increases protection from various influences and increases service life.

Main advantages:

good plastic coating;
replaceable elements and frames;
comfortable termination of wires;
quite low cost;

Makel sockets and switches

Manufacturer: Türkiye. This electrical equipment is exported to more than 40 countries. Their range includes safe and cheap sockets and switches. A tight fit of the contacts is guaranteed by strong clamps for fasteners. Based on a heat-resistant middle, which will protect the device from overheating and allow you to connect powerful household appliances, which is an important factor.

Main advantages:

low price;
full satisfaction of safety requirements;
wide selection of models;
a complete set of each product;
replaceable modules;
comfortable installation.

Werkel sockets and switches

Sockets and switches Werkel
Swedish company with production in China. It is registered in Europe, thereby complying with all European quality standards, and the location of production facilities in China allows us to reduce prices as much as possible. It compares very favorably with most competitors in price and can satisfy the needs of the average consumer. Has good reviews. The housing of the sockets is plastic, but the box is made of different materials.

Main advantages:

moderate pricing policy;
quality exceeds cost;
large selection of frames;
compliance with European standards.

Anam sockets and switches

Sockets and switches Anam
is a Korean company bought by Legrand. Today, its marketing campaign and quality control are carried out at its European head office. Anam are economy class products of high quality. Despite the fact that they will not become an elegant decoration for an apartment, they cope with functional tasks well, serve for a long time, and do not spoil the interior.

Main advantages:

affordability;
do not spoil the interior;
quality control by the European office;
long service life.

Selecting a series and collection

At the same time, do not confuse the direct purchase of electrical equipment with the choice of collection and manufacturer.

Mistake #2

You cannot select a series of fittings at the stage of already installed mounting boxes.

Let’s say that according to the project, the builders prepared a block of 5 socket boxes in the wall.

This picture is most often observed near the TV.

You planned to install the Unica New Pure series in this place. As well as on the other walls of the room.

Go to the store, look at the specifications, and only there will you find out that the maximum number of posts in this series is only 4 pieces. The frame with five posts is in other series - Merten or Unica Studio, but not in this one.

So it turns out that you will have to urgently change everything to another collection. The same applies to switches.

The cross model, which allows you to control lighting from three or more points, is not available in every series. The pass-through dimmer from Schneider is present in the Unica New and Merten DiLife collections.

And there are many such nuances from different manufacturers. All these problems should be avoided from the beginning by carefully thinking through each electrical point and checking the specifications in the catalogs.

Many leading manufacturers have special configurator programs that are a great help in this matter.

Here’s one like Legrand’s, for example.

Which series and brand to choose

There are a huge number of series of sockets from popular and not very popular brands for apartments. Therefore, we will deal with it in this way - we will divide it into prestigious-elite and democratic-affordable.

Legrand

Schneider Electric

ABB

GIRA

Elite and prestigious brands include well-known brands - Legrand, Schneider Electric, ABB, GIRA. Their series can be divided into designer (Legrand Seliane, Gira and ABB Zenit) and popular (Legrand Valena, Etika, Schneider Glossa and Sedna).

You can read about the advantages, aesthetics and other benefits in the descriptions of these lines. Now let's note just one point. Often, when choosing, they give preference to products with metal mechanisms, which is completely in vain.

Plastic ones are just as good, but the quality of a socket or switch depends on the quality of installation and the experience of the technician. For example, the Legrand Etika and Schneider Electric Glossa series are made of polycarbonate plastic and are distinguished by enviable quality and, more than, an affordable price for “branded” products. Moreover, the cases and filling are both durable and plastic. When installing, you have to try hard to cripple them. Even squeezing his paws too hard in the concrete.

This is for the attention of “metal lovers”. And besides, the metal mechanism is not a panacea; you can install it “crookedly”, so that you have to change it soon.

Economical electrical option

Viko and IEK offer good quality at an affordable price. If you are not chasing designer innovations, doing budget renovations or changing the electrical system in a rented apartment, these products are the most suitable. It will work well for as long as it’s supposed to, and the money will cost you much less than when purchasing prestigious brands.

True, there is only one rake here, you can run into a fake. Of course, “linden” is also produced under well-known brands, but the level is so different that a fake ABB or Legrand is much easier to spot than a fake Turkey Viko.

Our store guarantees quality and sells only branded electrical installation products.

But, if you have to buy them somewhere in a supermarket or help friends choose, remember 4 useful tips.

Standards

We have two main standards for sockets and switches:

Euro or German

Italian

German is when large light switch keys and a socket, one or more, are placed in one block of electrical accessories.

This is the most common arrangement. Italian implies the same frame and two or three small switches or sockets in it.

The advantage of the latter option is that you can place a larger number of electronic points in one frame. This can be useful when there is not enough free space on a particular section of the wall.

The main disadvantage of such compactness is the high cost and inconvenience of operation.

Shape and color

What color should frames and sockets with switches be? How to choose them so that they match correctly with the color of the wallpaper and walls?

Mistake #3

Do not buy elaborate models with all sorts of curls, flowers, etc.

For an ordinary apartment with a light modern style, sockets and switches with the simplest possible shapes are ideal. As the Germans say: kvadraktish, praktish, gud