Rewiring Query FTB

Newuser0

Sockets wise, one electrician uses BG and the other uses LAP.

Both good brands? Or one better than the other?

baldelectrician

Newuser0 wrote: »

Sockets wise, one electrician uses BG and the other uses LAP.

Both good brands? Or one better than the other?

LAP are B&Q / Screwfix own brand and are not good

I go on other electricans forums and there was a thread about these sockets- will try and get a link.

Newuser0

Thank you,

I tried searching it online, but a lot of the forums start talking about MK or Crabtree etc.

I just want to know between BG or LAP lol

baldelectrician

The thread is in a trade only area, I am talking to the mods to have the thread moved in to the public area.

The posts are quite non-complimentary about B G so thats why they are in a private section.

Newuser0

Thank you!!

So if you were given a choice between BG and LAP, which one would you go for?

jamesperrett

Newuser0 wrote: »

Thank you!!

So if you were given a choice between BG and LAP, which one would you go for?

Sorry for butting in to someone else's conversation but I'd go for neither. Given the cost of parts is just a tiny percentage of the cost of the job I'd go for something better - MK was always the standard recommendation when I sold this stuff but I understand that they're not as good as they used to be.

Go back to the electrician and ask for a quote using better quality fittings.

Newuser0

That’s okay James, any help is appeecited.

Say I did do that, what brand should I be asking for? Hager? MK? Sneijder?

Thanks

baldelectrician

Newuser0 wrote: »

Thank you!!

So if you were given a choice between BG and LAP, which one would you go for?

Neither

I use Hager and find it excellent

You won't see Hager at the sheds as they won't sell to places where they feel their brand is devalued.

Hager is more costly but it is decent quality, you get what you pay for

MK is now tat, it used to be good.
I fitted a MK light switch a customer bought and said I had a Hager in the van but she wanted the MK

Once I had fitted the MK i operated the switch and the middle bit fell on the floor. It snapped in but she said- I see what you mean.

baldelectrician

I have copied and pasted the text from a couple of posts on BG Nexus sockets.

I have removed the details of the posters, some of the discussion is of a testing and technical nature.
On the part about the testing- the readings should be the same each time you test on a particular socket or acessory.
The fact they are varying means there are contacts on switches that are a bit hit and miss (actually)

The posts are from the same thread but from different users.


So did a little job yesterday installing customer supplied BG nexus cooker switch and 6 white plastic BG switches did an R1&R2 on the cooker circuit at the hob and I got 1.99kohms did it again at the socket on the front of the cooker switch and got 0.09 so clearly something had gone wrong somewhere. Took the switch off thinking I’d been a pillock couldn’t find anything. Screwed it back up turned it off and on again hey presto reading of 0.11 at the hob. With each cycle on and off the reading got higher or lower. Same story with their white plastic sockets was doing an R1+R2 on the ring and one half of the socket would give me 0.14 and the other half 0.70 and even 1 with absolutely no continuity on one side no matter how many cycles I did on the switch. Thankfully I had some decent sockets on the van and a cooker switch replaced them all again and tested all good. It’s shocking especially for a brand which heavily targets the DIY market where the only tests are the bang test and a martindale if your lucky. What hope in hell has a homeowner with no test gear got of finding this? If they are that bad new what about when they’re a few years old. They were all brand new and sealed in their packets so it’s not as if dust or grit has got into the contacts or anything. Advised the customer to take them back and email BG as now they’ve basically had to pay me twice for the same job once to put in the BG and then to put in alternatives.

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I used some BG stuff once; DP Sw FCU which isolated the neutral when turned off but not the Live. Bit worrying really.

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I went for a load of BG Nexus accessories on 15 flats. Reason I went for them was because the customer wanted brushed with grey insert. I found them poor quality...switches were fed and trying to get the terminal screws to catch the conductors adequately was a right PITA. It felt like the screw wanted to push the conductors out. I wouldn’t use them again just like their boards

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Newuser0

Legend baldelectrican, really appreciate it!

I’ve gone ahead with a Hager consumer board 18 edition with surge protection.

I had to settle with click mode sockets and switches as I was getting quoted silly prices for the Hager

I’ve read decent reviews of click mode switches so hopefully I made the right decision!