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Individually switched extension lead buying guide

Updated: 23 October 2026

You are about to buy a UK socket bar so the television, the router and a lamp can stay plugged in, each with its own switch. That is what an individually switched extension lead is for. The switches do not add capacity. Peter F., editor for DIY & tools, used the twelve amazon.co.uk listings in the [extension lead individually switched comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/extension-lead-individually-switched) on 20 October 2026. Prices in those files run from £9.49 to £23.99. This is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are about to buy a UK socket bar so the television, the router and a lamp can stay plugged in, each with its own switch. That is what an individually switched extension lead is for. The switches do not add capacity.

Our top picks

Masterplug Masterplug SWSRG4210N

Best overall

Masterplug Masterplug SWSRG4210N
9.4/10about £9.50
View offer
Pro Elec Pro Elec PL15330

Best value

Pro Elec Pro Elec PL15330
8.8/10about £9.99
View offer
Masterplug Masterplug SWSRG6210N

Alternative

Masterplug Masterplug SWSRG6210N
9.0/10about £12.49
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.One plug, however many switches
  2. 2.What you can see on the plug and the bar
  3. 3.Length, gangs, surge and USB
  4. 4.Conflicts to leave unresolved

One plug, however many switches

Check the shared 13 A plug before you count the switches. A standard UK plug follows BS 1363 and carries a BS 1362 fuse, and the plug on these bars is still one fuse for the whole lead. Electrical Safety First treats a normal extension as a 13 A lead, one per wall socket, and tells you not to daisy-chain. Turning three sockets off does not give the fourth socket a private supply. It only removes those three loads from the same fuse. London Fire Brigade says a kettle, a toaster and a microwave should not share an extension. That advice does not soften because each socket has a rocker. If the job is several high-heat appliances at once, you want more wall sockets, not a longer row of switches. A joule claim is not a higher current. How those figures are read is on the surge protection page.

What you can see on the plug and the bar

BEAMA's seller checklist is still a useful shopper's list, because you can look for the marks without opening the plug. Portable socket-outlets should be to BS 1363-2, the socket-outlet part of the 13 A standard, and they should be marked 13 A with shutters that close. The plug should be to BS 1363-1, with a 13 A BS 1362 fuse. Flex of at least 1 mm² is the checklist figure up to 2 m, and 1.25 mm² or 1.5 mm² above 2 m, often with a code such as H05VV-F. None of these twelve files prints a cable code, so do not invent a conductor size for a lead whose page omits it.
Masterplug Masterplug SWSRG4210N

Testsieger

Masterplug Masterplug SWSRG4210N
9.4/10about £9.50
View offer

Length, gangs, surge and USB

Four choices sit on top of the fuse, and each one is a trade-off. Gang count is how many plugs you want to leave in, not how much current you can draw. Two sockets (XGKEGS, 1.5 m) and three sockets (Pro Elec PELB1761, 1 m) suit a tight corner. Four sockets are most of this set. Five sockets are the Mscien BW005-5M. Six sockets are the Masterplug SWSRG6210N and the Dewenwils bar. More gangs mean a longer plastic body and, on some of these leads, a wider face because each switch takes space. One Mscien USB buyer could not fit the bar in a desk shelf for that reason.

Conflicts to leave unresolved

Some rows in this comparison should stay messy. Tidying them into a simple yes would hide the reason to pause. The Masterplug SWC4210N is the clearest case. The attribute table says surge protection and 370 joules. The title and the box line do not say surge. UK reviews say the surge parts and the LEDs are not fitted. Do not buy that model number because you wanted a surge lead. The switched four-gang at £9.49 can still be a plain switched bar. It is not the SWSRG surge model that sits one product code away.

Common questions

Does a switch on each socket mean each socket can take 13 A?
No. The switches let you turn outlets off while the plugs stay in. The lead is still one UK plug with one BS 1362 fuse, normally 13 A for this set. Electrical Safety First treats the extension as a single 13 A lead. Adding the gangs together, or assuming each rocker has its own 13 A, is how a bar gets overloaded even though several switches look unused.
Is a six-gang lead more powerful than a four-gang lead?
No. Six sockets give you more places to leave a plug. They do not raise the fuse. The Masterplug six-way SWSRG6210N and the four-way SWSRG4210N are both 13 A leads with a 370 J claim. The six-way costs more in this file (£12.49 against £9.50) because of the extra sockets and the longer body, not because it can run a heavier total load.
How long a cable do I need for a desk, a TV or a room?
Measure the run and then add a little slack, rather than buying the longest lead in the table. About 1 m suits a tight desk if the listing's cable is really that long. The common Masterplug bars are 2 m. Dewenwils is 3 m. Choose 5 m, the Pro Elec PL13085 or the Mscien five-way, only when the socket is actually that far away. On the Mscien five-way, the 5 m figure includes the board.
What should be printed on the plug and the flex?
Look for a UK Type G plug to BS 1363-1 with a 13 A BS 1362 fuse, and socket-outlets to BS 1363-2 with shutters. BEAMA also looks for a flex size that rises once the lead is longer than 2 m, and for a cable code. None of these twelve listings prints that code, so an absent code is a gap, not a size you can fill in. A Type B cell next to Type G is a conflict to notice.
When is a surge claim a reason to pay more?
Pay more for surge only when the title, the table and the reviews tell the same story. A printed joule figure on the Masterplug SWSRG leads or the Addtam bar is that kind of claim. A surge word with no joules, on two Pro Elec leads and the Mscien five-way, is a weaker reason. The SWC4210N table is not a reason at all if you wanted protection, because UK reviews say the parts are missing.

Related pages

Best individually switched extension lead

How to use an individually switched extension lead

Extension lead individually switched

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Individually switched extension lead with surge protection

Sources

Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were scored on 22 October 2026. This page did not run a lab test.

  1. Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. Electrical Safety First — extension leads (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Electrical Safety First — overloading sockets (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. London Fire Brigade — cables, fuses and leads (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service — electrical safety (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. BEAMA — extension lead safety checklist (retrieved 22.10.2026)