Why do electric plugs have holes? You have seen them for years but what do they do? Stop believing the myths & learn what they do for yourself. After receiving multiple comments asking me to answer this question I hope you enjoy this video.
DISCLAIMER: This video, description and comments contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows us to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!
Check me out on Instagram for great photos & project updates
instagram.com/silvercymbal/
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of Silver Cymbal, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. Silver Cymbal assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Silver Cymbal recommends safe practices when working on machines and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Silver Cymbal, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Silver Cymbal.
Thank you for watching please *LIKE & SUBSCRIBE* 👍 If you need more outlets with built in USB Ports: amzn.to/3oX0rdK shown in the video
@Richard Wolfe koi koi
Its there to have a Tighter fit in the plug... if it wasnt there it would just slide out with ease!!! Thats why the holes are there.. Sounds Dumb, punching a hole through it bends the metal so it locks in the plug.
@Víðarr Kerr - From what I understood from the video, the holes themselves were a derivation of the small indentations from the original design by Hubbell. Other companies worked around Hubbell's design with the holes so they wouldn't have to pay Hubbell for his work. Both the small indents and the holes were there to secure the plug into the outlet so it wouldn't pull out easily. Modern day outlets, however, don't have any internal design that utilizes the holes in plugs to secure them in place. The holes are in fact obsolete or serve no purpose but we continue to use them because that's what people are conditioned to see. The prongs of plugs could be completely solid (no holes) and they would work just fine.
So, what were they for???????
You meant "indentation". There's no such thing as an "indention".
Yo los e aprovechado para hacer extenciones provisionales con cable jaja conecto el cable directo a los hoyos cuando no tengo extensión
Democrats have determined the holes are racist
The holes are there so that videos like this can exist.
i thought they were there to alow the tip to melt and break connection in case of short
So basically you just took a 3 minute video to say "If it ain't broke don't fix it."
So why do they have holes
Wrong..its just to save on metal..
Yes way jous.
Did I miss it? After watching your video I still don't know where the holes come from or what their purpose is.
It's actually used in the manufacturing process it makes them easier to test
So weird! I thought about this the other day and then found this while *searching* (not the NLworld algorithm) for another video 😳🤯
Despite your global survey - looking at a few sockets - most older socket designs included either a spring loaded ball bearing or a bump on the socket's wiper blades which enabled the hole in the plug to "click" into place, making it more difficult for the plug to fall out. While it is not "required" according to NEMA, it does state that if it is there it must be a certain size and in a certain place. It is therefore logical that while the hole is not a requirement it was at some time at least an "option". Before standardisation as we know it patent apps included the hole as a method of retaining the plug in the socket. When NEMA came along and started telling everyone how things should be done they had to cater for a large number of designs that were already out there - hence the line stating that if you put the hole in it should be this big and here. Do you really think that companies like Apple and Samsung would got through the hassle of putting holes in their adapter blades if there was no reason for it? This reinforces the age-old maxim "Just because you haven't seen it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist".
So we do not confuse it with the Chinese plug
Indentions??
Wow imagine thinking you were actually gonna learn something.
This was insane
They act as a catch so the plug cannot fall out. It’s friction/press Not Mechanical. The hole is round Not square because it’s easier to drill out a round hole than to punch out a square hole.
There you go - three minutes and sixteen seconds of utterly useless information. You learn something new every day.
So basically it's there because "We live in a society..."
The answer: ease of manufacturing. The holes help the prongs stay in the molding and wiring fixtures while they're being made.
correct! why did this guy make a video and post it on youtube when he did not know the correct answer? oh wait... that is what youtube is for
Why do electric plugs have holes? The answer will SHOCK you (get the joke hehe)
SB
Holes holes holes holes holes holes holes holes holes holes holes holes
You still didn't actually pinpoint what the holes are for.
Lazy manufacturing, could have saved me some life minutes here
When you buy a lamp there is a plastic wire tie going through those two holes with a warning lable attached. So that is what the holes are used for.
Very informative, thumbs up. But quit saying actually so much. It is an overused "filler" word. If you remove it from a sentence, and the sentence has the same meaning, there is the proof.
Those holes are for the flux capacitors negative ions.
Excellent work. I watched twice. Good editing & very informative.
They are there so you can ground your kids by locking up their video games and other electronics.🤷♀️
That's great, but I live in Australia and we don't have holes in our plugs, so that was kinda redundant for me.
I have a pull down cord reel that has an outlet on the end, It has a locking outlet, so that it can't come unplugged. you have to press a button on the outlet for it to release what is plugged into it. ( If the plug has the holes in it )
Huh? The hole is drilled out, no? So companies wouldnt have to "add" the material back in. It would technically be one less step in the process to leave the prongs solid throughout. Less machines, time, and probably saves money. And im pretty sure (nowadays) the holes are used to connect/extend wires without having to cut and splice a perfectly good cord. They used to be for pressure fittings to hold the plug in the socket but modern socket designs have made it unnecessary
You can buy extension cords that take advantage of those hole to hold the plug in. They have a little release button on the female connector to release
I'm gonna fill those holes and see what hap
Tldr; the same reason we still do circumcision
That hitachi wand...
Okay then , he still didn’t answer the question why are they there
Stupid!
I wish outlets would have a click into place and you'd have to press an eject button to remove them, that would save many people from accidentally unplugging it, and it would put the stress on the pegs going through the connector, not the friction-fit connectors, and they'll be less likely to loosen over time.
Do Nothing Holes ✅ Got It
45,000 Likes... for a couple of holes. Lol, nice.
So you can make one more for every 5 holes you didn't fill up. And 6 is greater than 5.
The Algorithm Brought me here....
I’ve got a high quality modern extension cord with a button to lock and unlock plugs by use of those holes, but crappy plugs get stuck in there because they are putting those holes on without any intended purpose.
Whats the device at 2.04?
The holes let the electricity get in.
Long ago (around 2007 or something back when NLworld video responses were still a thing), I saw a fake tutorial saying that you could power a TV off a AA or AAA battery. The method was to use RCA jacks in the power plug holes and the other ends using a battery. Something like that. Of course, people tried this and it didn't work, including someone using a video response.
Where I work, we have this old extension cord which has a lever you can flip which locks the plug into the cord so it can't fall out. I'm sure it utilizes those holes for that purpose. I wish this feature were present on more extension cords!
I never wondered that un til I saw this video lol
Why do 🔌 have holes? The same reason that humans have holes on their behind.
Well that was stupid... additional process in manufacturing without any good reason
I use extension cord that can be locked with plugged-in electrical accessories, the lock`s mechanism use this holes for safety and will avoid unwanted unplug! You can type in google search : "Plug locker Heavy-Duty Extension Cord".
It reduces sparks on contact from being seen as much..
I was looking at some extension plugs. On one older one, the holes are on the inside only of each leg and on another, the opposite, holes on the outside only. Both have legs that are folded over and the hole is on one side only. The 3rd has solid legs without any holes.
I dont think they drill a hole they already have it in the mold
Personally, I would prefer if they reinstalled to latching mechanism in the outlets... my chargers unplug WAY too easily and often... LoL
Honestly I liked the first answer about needing a standardized plug, so I’ll go with that one 😂
First of all, no such word as "indention." You were probably thinking of "indentation." Secondly, the holes were used in the early days to help remove any corrosion on the socket contacts as the plug would be inserted and removed.
The original patent documents clearly describe the holes as the retention mechanism the corrosion ability is a myth with no documentation supporting this.
It's interesting that the holes were originally used to keep the plug from falling out. The real question then is when and why did the manufacturers stop making sockets to take advantage of that design feature?
That's the question I spent hours on. I believe it ended around the 50s, I could not find any example outlets after that with the prongs in use and because so many companies made outlet it varied per brand so one brand may have kept it going longer. The standard itself never actually changed and since they weren't required they likely just stopped using them.
I kinda remember when I was a kid in the late 60’s and 70’s having trouble pulling plugs out of the sockets. Maybe those holes were doing their job.
NOPE....UK HAS PROPER PLUGS :]
The UK plugs were so far ahead of their time when they were created. They are excellent.
0:19 I didn't know the Italians made a mjolnir
typical USA design stupidity. You wanna see REAL STUPID ? look at product packaging in USA products. Food products packaging to be exact. Ever tried to open a food product package? Go ahead and try.
Wow, that's a modern socket / wall receptacle? Ugh...
I never knew it !
The American plug is shit anyway. The European plug and socket are the best and safest. ------------ Change my mind.
U got the reason in 0:50 when u showed the plug u over pushed it and u just got blind or idk there is a little bend fot it ... thats the 1st reason :)
Look carefully the holes are chamfered and offer no resistance to the prongs. The original plug patent included actual points that settled into the holes. Those have not existed since at least the 60s
Nope, I never wondered why electric plugs have holes.
I return appliances that don't have holes
And it's still a terrible and dangerous design.
Actually, there are some extension cords that use a locking female end. I've seen it several times as a commercial electrician. Certain drop course utilize those holes and when you plug it into a locking extension cord it does not allow the end to be pulled out accidentally. You have to pull back a release collar to be able to unplug your device.
lock out tag out loto.,. hahahaha
As a European, I don't care that much
On some level i knew this, but didn't want to admit it.
It really is obvious when they're missing. Not sure why, but it's unsettling seeing no holes.
If theres a hole theres a way
😵
With those holes you save so much steel in big production line
Open up a Hospital Grade outlet. It does incorporate the holes for retention purposes
I have opened several and none of them utilize the holes. Hospital outlets are under UL 498 and if you review this document, this is not required there either.
Most plugs have holes in both prongs, but the plug on my electric golf cart only has a hole in one.
Europeans: *what?*
So wtf are the holes for, dick? You can’t make a video like that and just leave us hanging.
“Indentions”? Is that like an intention to make a hole? Or did you mean indentations?
Probably won't see this but great vid bro I dont know have I have never seen u before
Yeah probably because of design to help electricity to get in
After all that you didn’t tell us the reason
The holes replaced the indentations that Hubell had originally used in early outlets to hold the plug in position 1:00 - what they became later is explained further in the video. Hope this is helpful.
Some extension cords have a locking mechanism in them to go into those holes so when you move the cord stays plugged
some do not have them made now
2:03 nobody actually going to talk about that lol
Convient tho if You wanted to twist wires to them or connect terminals (not advised but could be done)
Laugh in asia
Am I the only one to catch the humor at 2:03
I wonder how many countries don't have those holes? We don't in Australia.
“Fast-forward to day?” “Indentions?” Are you not a native English speaker?
Correct, I am from New Jersey
Less material saves money when 400 million units are made with a penny of metal saved each is still 4 million dollars...
I just feel bad for the person who wants to use the vibrator but can't because this guy locked it...
Thoughts in the shower be like:
“Because that’s the way we’ve always done it.”