Electric wall outlet at Walmart for $.66. I think I'll pass.

[Dennis S]

billb wrote:
[quote=Dennis S]
So according to billb and GGD, Walmart is gouging people.

That's not gouging that's making a product for a market.
If you want an outlet that's going to last longer you buy one that's made to last longer.
Can you afford a Yugo or an Audi when you go to buy a car ?
That's not what I meant. I was joking that since Walmart was selling for a few cents more than the prices you and GGD posted, they were "gouging."

[NewtonMP2100]

......gas.......?????

[Racer X]

space-time wrote:
you can tell the difference between a high quality and a low quality outlet by how it feels when you plug something in. Those commercial or hospital grade outlets feel so much more secure.

You can tell when you pick one up at the store, and it weighs nothing.

I usually get the mid-grade contractor/business rated 10 packs. They feel pretty solid when you plug something in and have some decent heft. Maybe $12-15 for a 10 pack.

When I bought my house, all the outlets and switches were the beige ones. I replaced most immediately with the white business grade ones. Easy to tell which ones are new.

[GGD]

If you want to pinch pennies and are considering the cheapest ones, then think about how the outlets are going to be used. If it's behind a piece of furniture and will never have anything plugged into it, or if it's in a place where maybe something will be plugged into it once and never unplugged for many years or decades, then it really might not matter how cheaply it's constructed.

But if it's in a high usage area where things will be plugged and unplugged regularly, then spring for the higher quality ones.

Or start off with all cheap ones and wait for failures based on usage, and replace the failed ones with the better ones.

That HD outlet that I linked is made by Leviton, is UL listed and has a two year warranty. They have factories producing them, so they're getting purchased and used somewhere. I doubt that they're dangerous.

And I was joking about the Walmart one being too expensive. There have been outlets for sale in hardware stores for about 40-50 cents for as long as I can remember, usually they're in a bin sold without packaging.

[Mr645]

I would never buy those cheap outlets. I went high end at Home Depot, wanted something better made and better looking, I went for the 74¢ ones

[space-time]

The other thing to consider is labor. If you hire an electrician, they probably charge you way more than the price of the outlet. Even if you do it yourself, it still takes some time. Think about the actual inconvenience: grab tools, shut off power, replace, restore power, clean up, put tools away. It takes time. Time is money. don't save cents by using those cheap outlets. Like racer X said above, get the 10 packs for $15-20. It is well worth it.

[Racer X]

You can also but those "business" grade outlets singly too. Maybe $2 as bulk singles. I just usually do a few each time, so I either have spares already, or buy another 10 pack and have what I need for the next time. It's about wasted time. As I get older I emphasize my time over the cost. If I can spend 25-40% more, and never screw with it again, I'm happy to do it.