GE 52149 Handy Switch Grounded White

Arrived new.

I used it for 2 different things:1. As designed, to add a switch. Works great and very good add-on for things like attic light and such.2. DIY project: I modded the thing to get a cable out where the toggle switch part was, and pull it all the way to a magnetic (or other type) switch on closet door. Was a best way to add an automatic light to my closets. For that I liked that it was easy to disassemble, and internal parts were easy to get around with a thick 120V wire and solder to metal conductor parts. The end result looks like a finished product.

The media could not be loaded. This is a perfect switch. I own many of both the 3-prong grounded 52149 and the 2-prong 5365 (both shown in video), and I love them. I bought a number of these to deal with vampire electronics that draw power even when off, such as my laptop power brick, old speakers, xbox, and a rarely used satellite receiver. I also use them to easily toggle lights on/off from the same location. The construction feels great, holds sufficiently tight but not too tight, is easy to tell when is on or off by a noticeable lever, has a good solid click on/off that I like, and are clean looking white.Just pay attention to the orientation of your plug to make sure the switch will be on the side you want. Honestly, either way works for me, but it is more convenient when the switches face outward or upward. As long as the ground is on the bottom, you are fine. For a flat surface, like on a power strip, then you need to pay more close attention so that the ground is oriented away from you. But even so, I have some reversed and don't mind reaching around to toggle them. But it might matter to you. Also they are white and large enough to be noticeable if you were trying to hide them.I actually like it more than my Belkin Power Conserve grounded switch because I can have several of these on the same power strip.

Bought this as a switch for our Bullet "blended". We do not like the automatic ON built into the Bullet when you twist in the "cup". Also, blending does not work as magically as shown in the commercials. You often need to turn the thing off and on to get the load fully liquid. We did not want a remote switch or the all to common ones that are so large they take up both receptacle plugs.This one is just right. Solid quality, just the right size and it is a very reliable switch sold at a decent price point.

These are very handy, especially if you run a computer with Windows. After a couple of updates to the Windows system on virtually every computer I have owned in the past 30 years, they stop shutting down on their own as they should. They go down to the point where some driver is still hung in memory and the only way to get them completely off is to either turn off the hard switch which is always in the back of the computer and impossible to get to, or unplug the power cord, what I have had to do for the past year. By plugging this little monster in between the power plug and the outlet, I just wait until windows has it hernia and won't go down any further, then I throw the switch off, wait for the power light to go out, and flip the switch back on. Next time I want to start the computer I just turn it on as usual. Saves a whole lot of work. Of course, you can use these for trival jobs like turning lights on and off but that would be rather boring.

Because the switch is at the top, the unit can only be used in the top of a two-outlet receptacle. The unit is also quite wide so in a power strip with outlets close together, it may render the outlets either side of it inaccessible. The switch has a nice, positive feel and because of the size of the paddle, there is no mistaking which way it is switched. The bottom edge of the unit, below the ground lug, is very minimal, so if this is used in a GFI outlet, the buttons are accessible.Positives: Useful for grounded plugs, can be used in GFI outletsNegatives: Only one can be used per standard two-outlet receptacle

The switch has very good mechanical action so it snaps on and off "soundly", BUT while the switch snaps to the ON position, it doesn't always make the electrical connection so the attached device doesn't turn ON. The switch lever must be "jiggled" to make electrical contact. The first one I bought got to the point where "jiggling" would not always make contact, so Amazon replaced it, and the replacement is slightly better, but still requires occasional "jiggling" when turned on.

I bought this because I have a raspberry pi wireless audio system in my living room. So I have a bunch of electronic components plugged into a surge suppressor - all crammed into the back of a cabinet where it is all hidden from sight. The problem is, every time I wanted to turn it on I literally had to crawl on my hands and knees behind the cabinet and switch on the surge suppressor that had everything plugged into it. It was ridiculous. But I couldn't just leave the big ugly surge suppressor (and all the attached wires) out where it was reachable, because it would look terrible. This little device solved the problem. I just plugged this into the wall and plugged the surge suppressor into this. Since I had several pieces of sensitive electronics attached to this outlet I definitely wanted a three-pronged plug. These types of switches with two-pronged plugs are a dime-a-dozen and can be found anywhere, but good luck finding a three-pronged switch. Nobody carried them locally. So I was happy to see it on Amazon. Now I turn the suppressor on/off at the outlet. No more crawling on my hands and knees. It's perfect.