The best 3-way extension leads, compared.
Top pick: Mscien 1 m 3-way Best value: Status 3 socket extension lead – About £7.45 with 4.6 from 2,272 reviews and a stated 0.5 m cable, without a switch premium. The cheaper 2 m Pro Elec is not the best value row. Updated October 2026.
A 3-way extension lead is a portable UK trailing socket: a BS 1363 Type G plug, a flex, and three shuttered sockets. You use it when a lamp, a router and a charger need to sit a short way from the wall plate. It is not a four-gang bar, a cable reel, or a block with no flex. Shutters should close when the plug is pulled out. Judge it on one total current, usually 13 A, not three times that. The listing should agree with itself on cable length. Switched may mean one rocker for the bar, or a rocker on every socket, and wide plugs can cover those rockers. USB and surge lines count only with a port output or a joule figure. Surge clamping does not lift the amp limit. Keep the bar indoors unless it is sold for outdoor use, use one lead per wall socket, and do not daisy-chain. Marks, fuse, flex size and length are on the [3-way extension lead buying guide](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/3-way-extension-lead/sub/3-way-extension-lead-buying-guide).
A 3-way extension lead is a portable UK trailing socket: a BS 1363 Type G plug, a flex, and three shuttered sockets. You use it when a lamp, a router and a charger need to sit a short way from the wall plate.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
How far is the wall socket?
Mscien's white 1 m bar is the dearest row at £16.99, with individual indicator switches, rear screw holes and 4.8 from 69 reviews. The title prints 2,500 W while the specification says 13 A, so use the lower figure and do not read overload-protection wording as a higher ceiling. Surge protection is claimed in special features with no joule number. Reviewers bought it for a laptop, a printer and lights, and they like being able to switch some plugs off. One calls the switches colour-coded. Sixty-nine reviews can sit at 4.8 without telling you how the bar behaves after a year. It is a switched 1 m option when the page's lower wattage still covers your cluster, and a weak pick if you want the review depth of the Pro Elec or Status files before you spend the most in this set.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want per-socket switches on 1 m and your cluster sits under the 2,500 W title figure.
Less suitable: You want a large review file, or you read 13 A on the spec as permission to ignore the 2,500 W line.
Specifications
Common questions
What cable length does the Mscien listing give?
It states 1 m. Compare the title and the bullets on the live page if they differ.
Which load figure should you use for the Mscien bar?
The title prints 2,500 W and the specification says 13 A. Use the lower figure. Surge protection is claimed with no joule number and does not raise that ceiling.
Is the Mscien bar for outdoor use?
No. The listing does not state an outdoor cable.
Etykir's black 0.5 m bar is £9.99, 4.7 from 92 reviews, with one switch for the whole unit rather than a rocker on every socket. Bullets claim child shutters, two mounting holes, ABS plastic and 3,250 W at 13 A, plus surge protection with no joule figure. A surge line does not raise the amp limit. Reviewers like the short lead on a worktop and the on/off button, and one wanted black so the bar would blend with the room, which this listing is. The compatible-devices list names kettles and microwaves, which does not change the shared 13 A ceiling. Ninety-two ratings is a small sample beside Status's 2,272 on another 0.5 m bar. It suits a half-metre run where one master switch is enough, and it is the wrong row if you need a switch per socket or a joule rating you can compare.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a black half-metre bar and one switch that kills the whole cluster.
Less suitable: You need a rocker per socket, a joule rating, or a review file in the thousands.
Specifications
Common questions
What cable length does the Etykir listing give?
It states 0.5 m. A reviewer of this short flex has called the conductor 1.0 mm².
How does the Etykir switch work?
One switch for the whole unit, not a rocker on every socket. All outlets still share one fuse rating.
Does the Etykir surge claim raise the 13 A limit?
No. Surge protection is claimed with no joule figure, and clamping is not overload protection. The bullets still say 13 A.
The white Pro Elec PELB1761 on amazon.co.uk is listed at £9.99 with a switch and neon on each of the three sockets, and the star line is 4.6 from 2,748 reviews. The title prints 90 cm while a bullet says 1 metre, so you should not treat either figure as settled before the parcel arrives. Reviewers use the short flex behind a dresser and like switching each appliance off, which fits a lamp, a router and a charger rather than a pair of heaters. One buyer found the cable slightly under 1 m and said the indicator lights did not work. Another could use only two sockets for tree lights because the plugs covered the rockers. Wall-mounting slots appear in a review, though the listing itself only raises mounting as a question. It is the top pick in this set when you want per-socket switches and a large review file, and a weaker match if the exact centimetres between the socket and the unit must be known in advance.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a switch on each socket for a lamp, a router and a charger, and a short lead is enough.
Less suitable: You need a cable length the listing does not contradict, or you use wide plugs that sit over the switches.
Specifications
Common questions
What cable length does the Pro Elec PELB1761 listing give?
The title says 90 cm and one bullet says 1 metre. Treat the length as unsettled until you measure the flex.
How do the switches work on this Pro Elec bar?
There is an individual switch and neon on each socket. All three outlets still share one fuse rating.
Is this Pro Elec bar for outdoor use?
No. Use it indoors unless a listing states an outdoor cable. This one does not.
Status's white 0.5 m bar is £7.45 on amazon.co.uk, with 4.6 from 2,272 reviews and no switches. The bullets say 3,120 W while a specification line says 13.6 A, so keep both figures and still treat the lead as one 13 A circuit. A reviewer measured about 450 mm rather than 500 mm, which still suited a tight gap. Two buyers expected a rewireable plug from the photos and received a sealed moulded plug. One reviewer only noticed the missing individual switches after it arrived. Internal shutters are claimed in the bullets, and the warranty line says 1 year. It is the best value here when the socket is very close and you do not need rockers, and the wrong bar if you want to leave a router on and switch a lamp off.
Pros
Cons
Best for: The wall socket is within about half a metre and every device can stay live together.
Less suitable: You need to switch one socket off while another stays on, or the run is clearly longer than 0.5 m.
Specifications
Common questions
What cable length does the Status listing give?
It states 0.5 m. One review measured about 450 mm, which still suited a tight gap.
Does the Status bar have switches?
No. The title and bullets do not include a switch. All outlets still share one fuse rating.
Is the Status bar for outdoor use?
No. It is an indoor bar. Outdoor tools need a lead sold for outdoor use.
PIBEEX lists a 1.5 m individually switched bar at £13.99, 4.6 from 995 reviews, with 13 A and 3,250 W stated and a weight of 430 g. Reviewers praise a switch on each socket, a spare fuse in one account, and a cable they describe as thick. The listing marks wall mounting as yes. The specification mentions USB without a clear port count or output, so do not buy it as a charger. One review talks about three metres, which does not match the 1.5 m listing, so treat length as the stated 1.5 m unless the live page has changed. A first unit was returned because the seller was hard to reach, which is one account rather than a rate. It fits a switched cluster that needs a bit more than a metre, and it is a poor match if you need USB-C charging figures in the spec.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a switch per socket and about 1.5 m between the wall and the cluster.
Less suitable: You are buying for USB charging, or you need the cable length confirmed to the centimetre.
Specifications
Common questions
What cable length does the PIBEEX listing give?
It states 1.5 m. One review talks about three metres, which does not match that line.
How do the PIBEEX switches work?
Individual switches with indicator lights. All outlets still share one fuse rating.
Does the PIBEEX bar charge by USB?
The specification mentions USB without a port count or output. Do not buy it as a charger.
This grey and white Pro Elec is the other PELB1761 listing, at the same £9.99, with a stated 1 m cable and an individual switch and neon on each socket. The star line is 4.6 from 94 reviews, a much smaller file than the 2,748 on the top-pick page. Reviewers describe solid switches and lights that show what is still on, including in a kitchen where they switch items off standby. The listing does not contradict itself on length the way the 90 cm title does. Nothing in the amazon.co.uk reviews records a dead socket, which is thin comfort on 94 ratings rather than proof of a lower fault rate. It weighs 260 g. Choose it when you want the same per-socket switches and a 1 m figure the page agrees on, and skip it if you need the larger review sample before you pay.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want per-socket switches and a 1 m length the listing states once.
Less suitable: You want the review depth of the 2,748-review Pro Elec page before you order.
Specifications
Common questions
What cable length does this Pro Elec PELB1761 page give?
It states 1 m, without the 90 cm versus 1 m clash on the other PELB1761 listing.
How do the switches work on this 1 m Pro Elec?
Individual switch and neon on each socket. All outlets still share one fuse rating.
Is this 1 m Pro Elec for outdoor use?
No. The listing does not state an outdoor cable.
Hulker's black cube is £13.59 with a 1.6 m lead, 4.5 from 3,747 reviews, three AC outlets, two USB-A and two USB-C ports listed at 5 V / 2.1 A each, and one master switch. Bullets also say 2,500 W / 10 A while a 13 A fuse is claimed, so the lower figure is the one to plan against, and the listing says it is not water resistant. London Fire Brigade prefers a fused trailing lead to a plug-in cube. Reviews in this set say the block pulls out of the wall socket when you remove a plug, and one vacuum left the appliance pins hot. Some texts describe individual switches or a four-gang body, which do not match this three-outlet, one-switch listing, so those comments may belong to another shape. It is the USB cube in this comparison when the block can stay seated in the wall socket, and the row to leave if the sockets need to sit away from the plate.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want USB on a cube that stays in the wall socket, with a 1.6 m lead to the devices.
Less suitable: The three sockets must sit away from the wall, or you need a switch on each outlet.
Specifications
Common questions
What cable length does the Hulker listing give?
It states 1.6 m. The cube itself is the part reviews describe pulling out of the wall socket.
How does the Hulker switch work?
One master switch for all outlets. It is not a rocker on every socket. Plan to the lower load figure: bullets say 2,500 W / 10 A beside a 13 A fuse claim.
Is the Hulker cube for outdoor use?
No. The listing says it is not water resistant. It is not a garden lead.
The white Pro Elec PELB1801 is an unswitched 1 m bar at £8.97, 4.5 from 932 reviews, listed at 28 cm by 12 cm and 231 g. Reviewers call it sturdy and light, and one likes the slightly off-white body. The listing does not state a switch. A review puts the cable about 10–15 cm shorter than advertised, so the 1 m line is the page's claim rather than a checked length. Other texts say an end socket failed, sockets were stiff, or one socket would not accept a plug. Those are individual reports, not a rate. It is a plain 13 A bar for a cluster within about a metre when you do not need rockers, and a weak choice if a dead socket in the review file is enough to send you to the switched rows.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a plain 1 m bar for low-power kit and you do not need switches.
Less suitable: You want rockers, or you would rather avoid listings whose reviews mention a socket with no power.
Specifications
Common questions
What cable length does the PELB1801 listing give?
It states 1 m. A review puts the cable about 10–15 cm shorter than that.
Does the PELB1801 have a switch?
No switch is stated. All outlets still share one 13 A fuse rating.
Is the PELB1801 for outdoor use?
No. The listing does not state an outdoor cable.
BEVA's white bar is £16.14, 4.5 from 541 reviews, with individual switches, and both USB-A and USB-C. The title and bullets say 3 m, the longest stated cable in this set, at a listed 650 g. The USB-C port is stated as not supporting USB Power Delivery, so a laptop still wants its own mains adaptor in an AC socket. Reviewers report USB that died after four months, and two units whose USB-C did not work on arrival. Reviewers dispute the length, so do not treat 3 m as settled until you measure the flex. A review mentions screwing the bar to the wall. 3,250 W on the card is 13 A times 250 V, not extra capacity. Choose it when you want per-socket switches plus USB on a longer indoor lead, and skip it if the USB ports are the reason you are paying £16.14.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want switches on each mains socket and USB for phones on a lead the listing calls 3 m.
Less suitable: You need USB Power Delivery for a laptop, or you will only buy if the cable length is undisputed.
Specifications
Common questions
What cable length does the BEVA listing give?
The title and the bullets say 3 m. Reviewers dispute that length, so measure the flex when it arrives.
Does the BEVA USB-C port support USB Power Delivery?
No. The listing states that the USB-C port does not support USB Power Delivery. A laptop still needs its own mains adaptor in an AC socket.
Is the BEVA bar for outdoor use?
No. It is an indoor bar. The listing does not state an outdoor cable.
The black Pro Elec PELB1804 is the £4.01 row, a 2 m three-socket bar at 4.5 from 232 reviews, with no switch stated on the listing. Reviewers call it simple and good value, and one says the 2 m length fitted the job. Another calls the body a little cheap-feeling. A separate review says only two of the three sockets could be used. Cheaper unswitched Pro Elec bars in this set draw texts about sockets that will not grip or will not power, so that is a theme to weigh rather than a counted failure rate. Special features mark this one as mountable, which the 1 m white PELB1801 listing does not claim. It suits a low-power cluster that needs about 2 m and no rockers, and it is a poor bet if you want a switch per socket or a review file in the thousands.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You need about 2 m for a lamp, a modem and a screen, and you will not miss rockers.
Less suitable: You want a switch on each socket, or you are choosing mainly on review volume.
Specifications
Common questions
What cable length does the PELB1804 listing give?
It states 2 m. One reviewer said that length fitted the job.
Does the PELB1804 have a switch?
No switch is stated. All outlets still share one fuse rating.
Why is the £4.01 Pro Elec not the best value?
It is the lowest shelf price, but the score sits lower: 4.5 from 232 reviews, no stated switch, and one review that could use only two sockets.
Ten amazon.co.uk listings were scored for this page. Weights sum to 100. Shelf date 20 October 2026. Stars, review counts, cable length, switches and load lines come from those listings. There was no lab test. Under the weights, each row starts at 20. The amazon.co.uk star rating is multiplied by 10. Review count adds 22 at 2,000 or more, 12 from 900 to 1,999, 8 from 500 to 899, 5 from 200 to 499 and 2 from 90 to 199, and subtracts 6 under 90. A switch on every socket adds 8. One master switch adds 2. A cable length stated once, with no title-versus-bullet clash, adds 3. A clash subtracts 4. Two load ceilings on one listing subtract 5. Surge protection with no joule figure subtracts 2. Repeated reviews of a dead socket, a socket that will not take a plug, or only two sockets usable subtract 4. USB ports that reviewers say failed subtract 3. Cube reviews that describe the block leaving the wall socket subtract 6.
Amazon stars
40%The amazon.co.uk star rating for that ASIN, multiplied by 10. A 4.6 line adds 46. A 4.5 adds 45. A 4.7 adds 47. A 4.8 adds 48. The points follow the stored star line, not a lab measurement.
Review depth
25%Review count on amazon.co.uk. 2,000 or more adds 22. From 900 to 1,999 adds 12. From 500 to 899 adds 8. From 200 to 499 adds 5. From 90 to 199 adds 2. Under 90 subtracts 6. A high star line on a small file cannot carry this block alone.
Switches
15%A switch on every socket adds 8. One master switch for the whole unit adds 2. No stated switch adds nothing. Switched on a title is not read as a rocker per socket unless the listing says so.
Cable length agreement
10%A cable length the listing states once, without a title-versus-bullet clash, adds 3. A title and a bullet that disagree on length subtracts 4. A reviewer measuring a different length stays in the written assessment.
Load, surge and fault notes
10%Two different load ceilings on the same listing subtract 5. Surge protection claimed with no joule figure subtracts 2. Repeated review texts about a dead socket, a socket that will not take a plug, or only two sockets usable subtract 4. USB ports that reviewers say failed subtract 3. Cube reviews that describe the block leaving the wall socket subtract 6.
The checks run in this order: three BS 1363 sockets, one total current, a cable length the listing does not contradict, then the switch, and USB or surge only when a figure is printed. The table is the ten stored listings. There was no lab test.
A 3-way extension lead is a portable UK trailing socket. It has a BS 1363 Type G plug, a flex, and three shuttered sockets, for a small cluster such as a lamp, a router and a charger that sits away from the wall plate. It is not a four-gang bar, a cable reel, or a cube with no cable. In this comparison the kept products are indoor bars, plus one cube that has a lead. Nothing here is sold as an outdoor lead. Start with the sockets.
The appliances share one BS 1362 fuse, normally 13 A. A 3,250 W print is 13 A times 250 V. If the listing also prints a lower wattage or 10 A, use the lower figure. A kettle plus a toaster does not fit any lead in this set.
Switched can mean one rocker for the bar. A switch per socket is a separate claim. Fat plugs can cover the rockers, so you may only be able to use two sockets. Check the photos against the plugs you already own.
Electrical Safety First says one extension per wall socket. Nothing in this set is an outdoor lead. Outdoor tools need a lead made for outdoor use and 30 mA RCD protection. A surge line does not replace that, and it does not raise the amp limit.
Buy three BS 1363 sockets, not a four-gang, a reel, or a cube with no cable. Shutters should close when the plug is out. Universal apertures are a reason to leave the listing. The total load is one circuit. Electrical Safety First treats a normal lead as 13 A unless it is marked lower. Hulker prints 2,500 W / 10 A as well as a 13 A fuse. Mscien's title prints 2,500 W beside a 13 A spec line. Status bullets say 3,120 W while a specification line says 13.6 A.
Decide whether you need no switch, one switch for the bar, or a switch on every socket. Status has none. Etykir has one master switch on a 0.5 m bar. Hulker has one master switch on a cube. Pro Elec PELB1761, PIBEEX, BEVA and Mscien have a rocker per socket. Wide plugs can cover those rockers. A reviewer of the top-pick Pro Elec could use only two sockets for tree lights for that reason. USB and surge count only when the listing specifies them.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You need three low-power plugs within about half a metre and you will not miss rockers. The Status 3 socket extension lead is the best value at about £7.45, with 4.6 from 2,272 reviews and a stated 0.5 m cable. Bullets say 3,120 W and a spec line says 13.6 A. There is no switch.
You want a router left on and the other plugs switched off. The Pro Elec PELB1761 switched bar is the top pick at about £9.99, with 4.6 from 2,748 reviews and a neon rocker on each socket. The title says 90 cm and a bullet says 1 metre.
You want a lead you can unplug, indoors, with a bit more than a metre to a TV unit. The PIBEEX 1.5 m switched bar is about £13.99, with 4.6 from 995 reviews and a switch on each socket. USB is mentioned without a port count. Do not use it in the garden.
The top pick is the Pro Elec PELB1761 switched bar at about £9.99, with 4.6 from 2,748 reviews and a neon switch on each socket. The title says 90 cm and a bullet says 1 metre, and that clash stays in the score. The best value is the Status 3 socket extension lead at about £7.45, with 4.6 from 2,272 reviews and a stated 0.5 m cable, and it has no switch. The Pro Elec PELB1804 at about £4.01 is cheaper and scores lower on a thinner review file and a review that could use only two sockets, so it is not the best value.
Status 3 socket extension lead
About £7.45 with 4.6 from 2,272 reviews and a stated 0.5 m cable, without a switch premium. The cheaper 2 m Pro Elec is not the best value row.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were scored on 20 October 2026. This page did not run a lab test.
This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through these links we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts come from stored amazon.co.uk listings. We did not run a lab test.
