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Individually switched extension lead: which layout

Updated: 23 October 2026

The router has to stay on, the lamp does not, and the listing only says switched. An individually switched extension lead puts a rocker on every socket. A plain bar has none. A third type has one switch for the whole unit. Peter F., the DIY & tools editor, sorted the amazon.co.uk 3-way listings in this category that way on 20 October 2026. Stars and prices are from those pages. We did not lab-test the rockers. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The table with a switches column is the [3 way extension lead comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/3-way-extension-lead).

The router has to stay on, the lamp does not, and the listing only says switched. An individually switched extension lead puts a rocker on every socket. A plain bar has none.

Our top picks

Etykir Etykir 0.5 m bar

Best overall

Etykir Etykir 0.5 m bar
7.2/10about £9.99
View offer
Pro Elec Pro Elec PELB1761 switched

Rank 2

Pro Elec Pro Elec PELB1761 switched
9.2/10about £9.99
View offer
Status Status 3 socket extension lead

Best value

Status Status 3 socket extension lead
9.1/10about £7.45
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Three switch layouts
  2. 2.When unswitched is enough
  3. 3.When you want individual switches
  4. 4.Master switch on a bar or cube
  5. 5.Choose from the comparison

Three switch layouts

Unswitched means no rocker: Status, white Pro Elec PELB1801, and black Pro Elec PELB1804. One master switch controls every socket at once: Etykir, and Hulker on a cube. Individually switched means a switch on each socket: both Pro Elec PELB1761 pages, PIBEEX, Mscien and BEVA. Three switches are not three fuses.

When unswitched is enough

An unswitched bar is enough when every device can stay live. Status B076T5GBRF is £7.45, 4.6 from 2,272 reviews, stated 0.5 m. Omitting the rockers does not change the fuse. If 0.5 m is the whole decision, the lengths are on the short 3 way extension lead page.
Etykir Etykir 0.5 m bar

Testsieger

Etykir Etykir 0.5 m bar
7.2/10about £9.99
View offer

When you want individual switches

Choose a switch per socket when a router must stay on and a lamp must go off. Pro Elec B00YA3POQI is £9.99 with 4.6 from 2,748 reviews and a neon on each socket. The title says 90 cm and a bullet says 1 metre. PIBEEX adds a stated 1.5 m at £13.99. Wide plugs can cover the rockers. How these sit against Status is on the best 3 way extension lead page.

Master switch on a bar or cube

A master switch kills the whole cluster, router included. Etykir does that on a black 0.5 m bar at £9.99, 4.7 from 92 reviews. Hulker's cube, £13.59, has one master switch and USB ports at 5 V / 2.1 A each. Plan on the 2,500 W / 10 A bullet. The cube sits in the wall socket, and reviews say it can pull out. Load and heat are on the how to use a 3 way extension lead page.

Choose from the comparison

If the router must stay up, start with B00YA3POQI unless the 90 cm versus 1 m clash rules it out. If everything can stay live beside the socket, Status is the simpler buy. If you want one button that kills the lot, Etykir is the bar, and Hulker is the cube only when USB matters and the block stays in the wall. The shared ceiling is still 13 A, or the lower wattage the listing prints.

Common questions

What is the difference between switched and individually switched?
Switched on a UK listing can mean one rocker for the whole bar or a rocker on every socket. Individually switched, in this set, means the second kind: Pro Elec PELB1761, PIBEEX, Mscien and BEVA. Etykir and Hulker are switched only in the first sense, with one master control. Status and two Pro Elec bars do not state a switch at all. Read the product details, not just the first word of the title.
Can I leave one device on and turn the others off?
Yes, if each socket has its own switch. Leave the router's rocker on and turn the lamp and the charger off. A master switch cannot do that, because it removes power from every outlet together. An unswitched bar cannot do it either, unless the lamp has its own switch that you are willing to use. The fuse is still shared, so off at a rocker is convenience, not a second supply.
Does a neon mean surge protection?
No. The neon on these bars shows that the rocker is on. Surge protection, where it is claimed at all, is a separate line, and in this set it arrives without a joule figure on Etykir and Mscien. A glow does not clamp a spike and does not raise the 13 A limit. If you need a joule rating you can compare, none of these listings gives you one.
Is an unswitched bar safer or less safe?
Neither, by itself. Safety here is the fuse, the total load, the condition of the flex and the fact you do not daisy-chain. Electrical Safety First's 13 A guidance does not change because a rocker is missing. An unswitched bar is less convenient when you wanted to drop one device. It is not a lower-rated lead. Status at 0.5 m is unswitched and still a 13 A-class bar, with its own 3,120 W versus 13.6 A wording to keep in mind.
Will a cube master switch do the same job as per-socket switches?
No. Hulker's master switch turns the whole cube off, including every USB port and every AC socket. It will not leave a router on while a lamp goes off. The cube also sits in the wall socket, and reviews describe it pulling out when a plug is removed. London Fire Brigade would rather you used a fused lead than a plug-in cube. Use the cube for USB and a single off switch. Use a per-socket bar when the devices have different hours.
Do switches add another 13 A per socket?
No. Each rocker only connects or disconnects that socket on the same fuse. Three switches do not make 39 A. A 3,250 W label is still 13 A times 250 V. If the listing also says 2,500 W, as Mscien and Hulker do, that lower figure is the planning number. You can turn two sockets off and still overload the lead with one kettle. The kettle belongs in the wall socket.

Related pages

3 way extension lead buying guide

3-way extension lead

Best 3 way extension lead for a low-power UK cluster

How to use a 3 way extension lead: load and placement

Short 3 way extension lead: measure the path first

Sources

Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were scored on 20 October 2026. This page did not run a lab test.

  1. Electrical Safety First — Extension leads (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  2. Electrical Safety First — Plugs and fuses (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  3. Electrical Safety First — Overloading sockets (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  4. Electrical Safety First — Garden (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  5. London Fire Brigade — Cables, fuses and leads (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  6. BEAMA — Extension lead safety checklist (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  7. Legislation.gov.uk — ESQCR 2002 regulation 27 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  8. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service — Electrical safety (retrieved 20.10.2026)