Chinesium xmas lights

[myke]

Ebay listing sold by a uk seller  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/138-LED-Twinkle-Star-Curtain-Window-Fairy-Lights-Christmas-Party-Wedding-Plug-in/383771301438?hash=item595a8d563e:g:ZO8AAOSw2S1fjVZe

Well they look ace (put back in box after a quick inspection) marked double insulated  and IP44  and they are not. lights run at mains voltage (probably a capacitor dropper) and the plug top seen similar but never this small pins are undersized too. its marked 10A . Definitely going back. (not tried the magnet test to see if the wire is magnetic had seen enough)

I have tried all sorts of Chinesium in the past got some rubbish and some bargains.

 

[NozSpark]

That needs reporting to trading standards.... I’m sure that it will be illegal for sale in the UK purely on the non-compliant plug top

 

[Phoenix]

Or just send them to big clive

 

[myke]

Well just a little update seller wanted to send me a "better set"  but would take 4 week so declined eventually ebay contacted and Refunded me immediately and closed case. Noticed a lot of negative feedback after mine and the seller now has no items for sale.  

I was told to dispose of them so opened the second set the controller was open.So live terminals were exposed .  One set actually worked if you waggled the plug.

 

[phil d]

Speaking of odd and dodgy stuff going on in the far east, my mate has a Thai girlfriend and last time he was over there  he sent me a picture of an angle grinder belonging to her dad, I must try and find it again. Anyway the switch had packed up so he'd got an old 32A mcb and taped it to the grinder, apparently, he told my mate, 'it works fine, just dont touch those screws with the wires wrapped around' , lol

He also sent me a photo of a small box set into the tiled wall around the seating area by a swimming pool, the cover or whatever used to be attached had lng since gone and it was all rusty, 3 wires protruded from the box. I asked if it was live and the following day he went an bought a voltstick at a local market, yes it was live, apparently though it was perfectly safe as long as you left it alone and didn't start poking at it!

I suppose it's a bit like me really, lol. I couldn't help but wonder what they'd make of a copy of our wiring regulations, they'd probably put it to good use leveling up a wobbly table or something. lol