Apartment renovation
The very first thing you need to start with overhauling an apartment is the installation of electrical wiring. Upon completion of laying wires and cables for new communications and installing junction boxes, you need to select both.
Let’s figure it out: which sockets are better to choose and what to pay attention to first when choosing sockets. In this article, we will share our experience on how to choose sockets and switches and create our rating of electrical devices.
Which sockets are best to choose for an apartment or house? Selection criteria
The main criterion when purchasing any item is to choose the optimal price/quality ratio. Since the cost of one socket can easily range from 50 to 500 rubles, we can conditionally divide the entire variety of devices into two price categories: senior – 300 rubles. for a product both higher and lower – approximately 100-150 rubles.
This review will probably be quite subjective, since it only includes those devices that we have encountered, tried and compared.
The description includes sockets intended only for installation hidden in the wall. Their appearance, maintainability and user reviews are analyzed. The article includes various manufacturers that are most often found on the shelves of hardware stores. In addition, what is important to us is the price range between brands and not the specific cost of the outlet.
The most common products from each model range of all brands will compete for the role of the most successful outlet. Regarding the collections included in the rating, we tried to compare switches and sockets in approximately the same price range. At the same time, they must not be too sophisticated, but not primitive either. The main criterion is to choose a classic model range and something that you can install in your apartment with a light heart. Due to the great popularity of modular-type socket designs (various prefabricated bases, replaceable frames, frames, etc.), we will analyze first all this category of product, taking into account the cost of a set of one socket.
Manufacturers rating
The vast majority of the brands described below have a certain popularity and about each of them, you can find separate comparative materials on the Internet. So, let’s announce our top ten contenders for the role of the best manufacturer of switches and sockets:
- GUMS
- Belarusian sockets
- Bticino
- Schneider-electric
- Anam
- who
- flaw
- Legrand
- Lezard
Let’s sum it up
Taking into account only the cost, as a result of competition, the contenders were distributed as follows: three eminent forwards and a large budget company. As a result, at the finish line, we will evaluate the characteristics in two groups of different price categories – senior and junior.
Senior Group
- Legrand
- Bticino
- Schneider-electric
In the senior community, the distribution of roles is somewhat arbitrary. Having sufficient funds and relying only on your own verbal sensations, it is not difficult to make a choice. It is important not to get lost among the variety of collections. All classic solutions from these manufacturers are almost comparable in cost. Exquisite designs are also inaccessible to the average person, as before, but this is truly a high-quality product!
Legrand ended up in first place only because of its more flexible pricing policy. Schneider Electric is slightly more expensive, and Bticino is even higher in price. But, if you pick up Bticino products, you will be able to feel that this price is not for “air”; the products of ScneiderElectrika and Legrand are still simpler. Perhaps this is because Legrandom today no longer surprises anyone, and Italian products are not yet so widespread.
On the other hand, it’s simply impossible to find fault with German quality; everything is so beautiful and impeccable that you can feel like a child who received a long-awaited toy as a gift. Simply put, any of these brands can become a worthy decoration for your apartment. If you have enough money, feel free to buy French, Italian or German – only your personal subjective feeling about this product will play a role here.
The above is, of course, not news; having long established themselves in Europe and widely known throughout the planet, these companies cannot afford to lose face. It is much more interesting to analyze the budget group.
Junior Group
- Anam
- flaw
- who
- GUMS
- Belarusian sockets
- Lezard
On the pedestal is Anam. Probably someone will think the championship is not fully deserved: the sockets are oddly shaped and the switches have huge buttons and wide margins. But, this is the undisputed leader among the contenders in terms of plastic quality, while being cheaper than competitors directly in the block version. It’s not news to anyone that installing single sockets is completely irrelevant, even if the socket is intended for one device, there must be a reserve. In addition, ANAM has significantly expanded its assortment on our market and now, in addition to the standard collection decorated in ivory color, new design solutions have appeared.
Second place rightfully goes to Makel. On the one hand, Makel, Lezard, and GUSI are practically the same thing. Here the issue of availability for replacement and cost comes to the fore; Makel is already well known in Russia. Lezard is less developed, and GUSI is also not famous, even though it has become much better with the update of the collection. In addition, all brands in this group, in addition to good plastic, have only one drawback – insufficiently well-designed contact groups: either flimsy screws and small clips, or soft and thin metal.
A well-deserved third place belongs to Wesson. This is probably the best replacement for Belarusian sockets both in design and in practical execution. In addition, Wessen has a very attractive price, which is quite comparable to the quality.
At the end of the ranking are Belarusian outlets. These products fell into last place due to their too simple design and occasional carelessness in execution: either a key falls out or the screw does not hold the cable well. In addition, some switches may make strange sounds, and if installation errors are made, problems with switching on appear over time. However, despite these shortcomings, it is optimal to use Belarusian sockets during the implementation of a budget project.
Finished DKC, but not due to poor quality. Simply, these products stand apart: in terms of cost, they are comparable to the older group, but in general, in terms of quality, they do not yet reach the same level as their competitors. But don’t think that DKC is bad. This brand has other widely known products – for example, cable channels. Therefore, DKS is an ideal solution for installation in cable ducts. Great for offices, but not the best for residential apartments. In this regard, both its special position in the ranking and its special status.
Conclusions
So, when deciding which sockets are best to choose for an apartment, first of all you need to pay attention to products in the mid-price range from well-known brands. Products from the “solid average” are seldom susceptible to counterfeiting; Russian manufacturers know how to make sockets of good quality, but they still need to catch up with foreign brands. When choosing sockets from well-known Western brands, the main thing is not to run into a fake product.
