Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Tower or strip extension lead with USB and UK plugs

Updated: 23 October 2026

A laptop brick and a PlayStation plug side by side on a flat bar often leave the socket between them useless, because a UK 3-pin plug is wide. A tower extension lead with USB stands those plugs on separate faces so the desk footprint shrinks. It does not give you a larger fuse. The [extension lead with USB comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/extension-lead-with-usb) lists both forms. This page is the layout choice. Peter F. used the form, length and switch lines in that table on 20 October 2026, not a spacing lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. USB wattage stays on the charging page.

A laptop brick and a PlayStation plug side by side on a flat bar often leave the socket between them useless, because a UK 3-pin plug is wide.

Our top picks

HAFINO HAFINO 8-socket USB tower

Best overall

HAFINO HAFINO 8-socket USB tower
8.9/10about £20.62
View offer
JSVER JSVER 3-socket strip, white

Rank 2

JSVER JSVER 3-socket strip, white
9.0/10about £11.99
View offer
POWSAF POWSAF 4-socket USB block

Best value

POWSAF POWSAF 4-socket USB block
6.8/10about £9.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Flat strip and compact block
  2. 2.Tower footprint and socket count
  3. 3.Switches and lights by form
  4. 4.Still one fused plug

Flat strip and compact block

A strip is the right shape when the lead can lie along a wall and the plugs are small. The JSVER bars are about 24.5 x 5.1 cm, with three sockets and a 2 m lead, and both colours are the 10 A bar. Three sockets on a short bar leave more gap than six sockets crushed into the same length. POWSAF is about 12 x 12 cm with four sockets. Addtam is two sockets on a 1.6 m cord. The switched HANYCONY (B0CZN3W8Z5) claims two rear keyholes. AUNNO’s reviews call the sockets tight, and one buyer found the rear holes had not formed. The 20 W SE UKASE lead is filed as a strip even though reviews often call it a tower. Where a row does not state a gap in centimetres, this page does not invent one.

Tower footprint and socket count

Choose a tower when the corner has many low-power plugs and almost no horizontal space. HAFINO (B0B8J3D97J) has eight sockets, a 1.8 m cable and a 12 x 12 cm footprint. It still needs a level surface, because a taut cable will tug a narrow base. KLINTOS (B0CF5ZT8CS) has twelve sockets, listed at 22.8 x 11.5 cm, with a 2 m title that some reviews describe as 5 m. The four-socket SE UKASE tower does not state a cable length. The six-socket tower states 2 m, and its bullets describe a free-standing unit, not keyholes. The buying guide is where the plug-type cells sit beside these shapes. If a TV void is 10 cm high, neither the 22.8 cm KLINTOS body nor a standing HAFINO belongs in it.
HAFINO HAFINO 8-socket USB tower

Testsieger

HAFINO HAFINO 8-socket USB tower
8.9/10about £20.62
View offer

Switches and lights by form

Form changes how you switch things off. On the HAFINO tower, four switches each cover a pair of sockets, and a bedroom review describes a green power LED bright enough to cover, with USB left on. A strip such as the switched HANYCONY avoids that lamp. Pair switches on the other HANYCONY leave USB on. The JSVER strip uses one master for sockets and USB. The 65 W tower’s master, in reviews, cuts mains and USB together. None of these layouts changes how far apart the pins are. The best extension lead with USB page names the HAFINO tower for many plugs and the JSVER strip for a short desk lead.

Still one fused plug

A tower with twelve sockets and a strip with three sockets can share the same kind of 13 A plug, and the JSVER strips are marked 10 A. Standing the plugs vertically does not multiply that rating. Electrical Safety First’s notes still apply: one extension in one wall socket, the block supported, the cable not under a rug or a door. A tower cable across a walkway is easier to kick than a strip at skirting height. Wall keyholes belong to the strips that claim them, not to the 65 W tower’s screws. The safe use page covers daisy-chaining and heat once the shape is chosen.

Common questions

When is a tower better than a strip for USB leads?
When several large UK plugs must be live at once and a flat bar would let them block each other, and you have a level patch of desk or floor. HAFINO’s eight sockets on a 12 x 12 cm base are the clearest case in this set. A strip is better along a skirting board, under a low cabinet, or when you only have three or four modest plugs and you want the lead to disappear. USB ports do not decide the form.
Which towers are in this comparison?
HAFINO B0B8J3D97J with eight sockets and a 1.8 m cable, KLINTOS B0CF5ZT8CS with twelve sockets and a 2 m title, SE UKASE B0CZRVS7GH with four sockets and no stated length, and SE UKASE B0FVX4KV85 with six sockets and a 2 m cable. The 20 W SE UKASE lead is filed here as a strip. The other eight ASINs are strips or compact blocks, including both JSVER colours.
Will a tower fit behind a TV board?
Only if the void is taller than the tower and the cable reaches the socket without being crushed. KLINTOS is listed at 22.8 cm on one side, which is already a tall object for a shallow plinth. A 2 m strip is often the easier object to slide under a cabinet. If reviews describe a 5 m KLINTOS cable, do not plan the TV run on that longer figure unless the listing you buy states it.
Do strips handle bulky plug-top chargers?
Sometimes, if the sockets are few and the bar is long, as on the three-socket JSVER. They handle them badly when four or more outlets sit in a small block. POWSAF’s 12 cm square and AUNNO’s tight sockets are the rows to doubt for two laptop bricks side by side. A tower moves those bricks onto different faces. It does not shrink the plug. If only one brick is bulky, a strip with a spare socket between the two plugs can still be the calmer layout.
Can I wall-mount a tower?
Not as a general rule in this set. HAFINO and KLINTOS do not claim wall mounting. The four-socket SE tower does not either. The six-socket tower’s bullets describe a free-standing unit, and a review that mentions screws also says a wall mount would look odd. Keyholes are claimed on strip rows: the switched HANYCONY and the 20 W SE UKASE lead. Mount those only if the slots are actually formed, which one AUNNO buyer found they were not.

Related pages

USB-C charging on an extension lead

Extension lead with USB

Best extension lead with USB for desk, tower or laptop

Extension lead with USB buying guide and amp checks

Extension lead safety for a USB lead you already have

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. Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  4. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  5. BEAMA — Extension lead safety checklist (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  6. BSI — BS 1363-2:2023 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  7. London Fire Brigade — Cables, fuses and leads (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  8. Tech Advisor — USB-C chargers (retrieved 20.10.2026)