Power strip, extension lead or multi plug: what is the difference?
They all add sockets. A power strip, or extension lead, puts several sockets on a cord. An extension cable puts one socket further away. A multi plug, or adaptor, puts several sockets straight on the wall socket, and fire services advise a strip instead.
3ways to add sockets
1socket on an extension cable
4sockets on Squared S1 and Circular C2
0cords on a multi plug
Three things, many names
They all add sockets, and they go by different names in different places. In British English a power strip is usually an extension lead, and the lead on an appliance a flex; American English says cord. In Sweden it is a grenuttag. The names matter less than the three shapes behind them.
| Name | What it is | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Power strip, extension lead | Several sockets on a cord | A desk, a TV corner, anywhere with several plugs |
| Extension cable | One socket on a cord | One device whose own cord does not reach |
| Multi plug, adaptor | Several sockets in a block, straight on the wall socket | Fire services advise a strip instead |
Power strip
Several sockets on a cord, so the sockets can sit where the plugs are: on the desk, under it, beside the sofa. Cubical C1 has three Type F sockets and two USB-C ports; Circular C2 four sockets and a cable set to length; Squared S1 four sockets, flat, with a magnetic base.
Extension cable
One socket on a cord, to bring power to one device whose own cord does not reach: a lamp, a fan, a speaker. Extend E1 is 2 m or 3 m, braided, rated for 3,680 W. Do not plug a power strip into it: that is a chain.
Multi plug
A multi plug, or adaptor, goes straight into the wall socket and gives two or three sockets, with no cord. It is small, but everything plugged into it hangs from that one wall socket, and it is easy to plug one into another. Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service advises a multi-socket extension lead, never a block adaptor, and Kent Fire and Rescue Service says never to plug one adaptor into another.
Which one to use
- Several plugs in one place: a power strip, plugged into the wall.
- One device too far from the wall: an extension cable, with that one device on it.
- Several chargers: one multi-port USB-C charger, such as Cylindric UX1, in a single socket.
- Never one into another, whichever it is.
Questions
What is the difference between a power strip and an extension lead?
Mostly the word. Both are several sockets on a cord; extension lead is the usual British name, power strip the American one.
What is a multi plug?
A block that plugs straight into a wall socket and gives two or three sockets, with no cord. It is also called an adaptor.
Is a multi plug safe?
Fire services advise a multi-socket extension lead instead of a block adaptor, and never one adaptor plugged into another.
What is an extension cable for?
Bringing power to one device whose own cord does not reach. Plug that one device into it, not a power strip.
What is a grenuttag?
Swedish for a power strip. A grenkontakt is the same thing, and a grenpropp is a multi plug.
Which Cords® products are which?
Cubical C1, Circular C2 and Squared S1 are power strips. Extend E1 is an extension cable. Cords® makes no multi plugs.
Sources
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, Electrical safety; Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Electricity safety; Cambridge Dictionary, flex (UK; US cord). Product figures from the specifications of Cubical C1, Circular C2, Squared S1 and Extend E1.
