|
 Most of us plug in, switch on and charge up everyday but with millions of cheap, substandard copies of the latest gadgets and gizmos available online it could actually be our lives that we're playing with.
An exclusive investigation by our consumer team has revealed that many items bought from online auction sites can prove so hazardous, they have the potential to kill.
Our consumer team bought a random selection of chargers - some for as little as 49 pence. We took them along to Nemko's safety testing labarotory in London, where they all failed on a purely visual inspection but it was during more thorough testing procdeures that a frightening catalogue of flaws was revealed.
We have asked Nemko's Melvyn Harries, who tested our chargers, to give viewers some tips for spotting a fake - and avoiding potential danger. Here's his advice: |
|
Top tips for avoiding unsafe chargers and adaptors |
| 1 |
Buy from a reputable retailer.
|
| 2 |
If the product itself is not marked with a brand name/logo and model name/number, be suspicious. |
| 3 |
There should be a 9.5mm gap between the live/neutral pins and the edge of the plug body. |
|
  |
|
As a quick check, place your little finger against the plug pin and you should still be able to see the edge of the plug. |
|
  |
| 4 |
On the socket part of an adaptor the live and neutral contacts should be covered by shutters. If there are no shutters and you can see the live/neutral contacts, the product is unsafe (see picture). |
|
 
|
|
More info
 Nemko tested the chargers in our trial.
Click the logo to visit their site. |
RSS
Feeds
