Rewireable trailing socket: what to check before you buy
Updated: 23 October 2026
A rewireable trailing socket is the UK 13 A bar that arrives with no plug and no flex, so you can set the length yourself. This page is the order of checks: confirm the empty body, then gangs and switching, then fixing and colour, then the cable you still have to buy. Shelf prices in our [extension lead without cable comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/extension-lead-without-cable) run from about £3.84 to £12.49 on 20 October 2026, before flex and a plug. Peter F. checked the amazon.co.uk listings, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
A rewireable trailing socket is the UK 13 A bar that arrives with no plug and no flex, so you can set the length yourself.
A rewireable trailing socket is the UK 13 A bar that arrives with no plug and no flex, so you can set the length yourself. This page is the order of checks: confirm the empty body, then gangs and switching, then fixing and colour, then the cable you still have to buy. Shelf prices in our extension lead without cable comparison run from about £3.84 to £12.49 on 20 October 2026, before flex and a plug. Peter F. checked the amazon.co.uk listings, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Outlets | Wall fixing | BS 1363-2 | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Masterplug Masterplug ELS13W-01 | 1, unswitched | Not stated | Named | 9.8 | about £4.38 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Masterplug Masterplug ELS132W-01 | 2, unswitched | Stated | Not named | 9.6 | about £5.09 | View offer |
| Best value |  Masterplug Masterplug TN-MP | 2, neon | Not stated | Named | 9.6 | about £3.84 | View offer |
On this page
Trailing socket, finished lead or adaptor
Start with the title, not the gang count. A rewireable trailing socket is supplied without a plug and without a cable. You add three-core flex and a BS 1363 plug. A finished extension lead already has a moulded plug and a set length, so you are not opening a cover. A cube adaptor has no flex. It sits in a wall socket and multiplies outlets in one lump.
Electrical Safety First's advice covers a lead once it exists: one lead per wall socket, a typical 13 A rating, and no daisy-chaining. If you already have 1.5 mm² flex and a fused plug, the empty body is the point.
Gang count and switching style
Count the appliances that must be on at once. One outlet is enough for a single tool. Two cover a charger and a light if the load stays inside 13 A. Four suit a busier bench. Six only help if you truly have six plugs. They do not raise the 13 A ceiling.
That figure is the total for the bar, not per outlet. Unplug a high load such as a 3 kW kettle beside a heater. Do not feed another lead from the last socket.
Unswitched bodies here are about £3.84 to £5.34. A master switch drops every outlet. Individual rockers isolate one appliance, though UK reviews include switches that failed to open. That is not a measured failure rate. Detail is on the switched or unswitched trailing socket page.
Fixing, colour and listing fields
Wall fixing is a yes-or-no in the bullets. If they do not mention holes, do not assume a photo will add them. A floor bar gets kicked. Stated fixing lets you screw it to a board. That is not an IP rating.
Orange is so you can see the bar. These captures give it no waterproof IP code. The orange four-gang is about £8.27, against switched bars nearer £12.
A surge column that repeats 13 A is current, not joules. A BS 1363-2 line, when the bullets name it, is a claim about the socket body. It does not fuse the lead, and some rows omit it.
What you still need to buy
You still need three-core flex, a BS 1363 plug and a BS 1362 fuse, normally 13 A. BEAMA's checklist gives 1 mm² up to 2 m, and 1.25 mm² or 1.5 mm² after that. That guides the cable you add. It is not printed on every Masterplug bullet.
A £3.84 body plus 8 m of 1.5 mm² can cost more than a short moulded lead. That is reasonable when the length is why you are building it. Two-core lamp flex is wrong for earthed tools. If you cannot identify live, neutral and earth, buy a finished lead. Colours and the cord grip are on the how to wire a trailing socket page. The shed case is the trailing socket for a workshop page.
Common questions
Does without cable mean no plug as well?
On the listings in this comparison, yes. The titles and bullets say the trailing socket comes without a plug and without a cable. You supply both. Ignore a plug-type field that contradicts that title. The finished assembly still needs a proper BS 1363 plug, because a bare flex end is not a safe way to use a 13 A outlet.
Is this the same as a cube adaptor?
No. A cube adaptor plugs straight into a wall socket and has no lead. A rewireable trailing socket is the far end of a lead you make, so the flex length is your choice. They both add outlets, and they both share the 13 A limit of the circuit and the plug, but you cannot route a cube along a bench the way you route a flex.
How many sockets do I need on the bar?
Count simultaneous plugs, not the largest number in the search results. One outlet is enough for a single tool. Two or four cover most benches. Six only helps if six plugs are actually in use. Extra gangs do not increase the 13 A total printed for these bars, so a spare socket is not spare capacity.
Do I want switches on each socket?
Only if you will use them to isolate individual appliances and you accept that rockers are extra parts. Unswitched bars in this set are cheaper and have nothing to fail closed. A master switch is a middle path: one control for every outlet. If you are unsure, start unswitched and read the switched comparison before you pay the jump toward £12.
What does BS 1363-2 on the box mean for my lead?
It is the British Standard named for 13 A socket outlets. When a listing states it, that is a buying signal for the socket body, not a fuse and not a guarantee about your flex. The lead is only complete when you fit a BS 1363 plug and the correct BS 1362 fuse. Rows that never name BS 1363-2 should not be described as if they did.
Is 13 A per socket or for the whole bar?
For the whole bar. These listings state 13 A as the maximum current of the trailing socket. Two outlets switched on together still share that total. A kettle and a heater together are a common way to exceed it. Unplug a high-load appliance rather than daisy-chaining a second lead from the last socket.
When should I buy a ready-made extension lead instead?
Buy a finished lead when you do not want to choose flex, fit a plug, or check an earth terminal. Also buy one when a standard length already matches the job. A rewireable body earns its place when the length is unusual, you already own suitable three-core flex, or you want a gang count and fixing pattern that the moulded leads on the shelf do not offer.
Related pages
Sources
Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were scored on 20 October 2026. This page did not run a lab test.
- Electrical Safety First — Extension leads (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Electrical Safety First — Plugs and fuses (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- BEAMA — Extension lead safety checklist (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Heathfield LED — Masterplug Permaplug ELS132B (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- amazon.co.uk — trailing socket listings (retrieved 20.10.2026)