What Brand CU?

[imroberts]

What brand of consumer unit do you recommend for standard consumer installations? And why?

Are any manufacturers renowned for changing their MCBs more frequently, making it harder to obtain spares in future?

Or are they all much of a muchness?[/list]

 

[EFLImpudence]

What brand of consumer unit do you recommend for standard consumer installations? And why?

Hager, because they are the best.

Are any manufacturers renowned for changing their MCBs more frequently, making it harder to obtain spares in future?

Not the same thing.

Or are they all much of a muchness?

No. Some are rubbish.

 

[Robin0577]

+1 for Hager, good quality stuff at sensible prices. Also, as far as I know they've never changed their breaker dimensions and any Hager breaker fits any Hager board. MY brand of choice usually

Other options...

Eaton MEM - Decent stuff but expensive and too many different series of breakers which are not interchangeable

MK - was very good but quality has declined in recent years and again, many changes of breaker design.

Wylex - Once dominated the domestic CU market, another mighty name which has fallen. Now part of the Electrium group which also includes Crabtree, Volex & 2 or 3 wholesalers "own brands" They've had to recall a few products in recent years. Crabtree is generally considered the premium end of Electrium's range.

BG - Cheap and from what I hear not bad for the money.

Contactum - Also cheap, earlier stuff was OK for the money but went broke/got bought out a few years back and never really recovered.

Chint & various three letter acronym names from China - Don't even go there.

Some my info may be a little out of date, as I'm not currently involved much with the domestic side of things.

 

[Taylortwocities]

^^^^^^What they said ^^^^^^^

More usually you'll be having the make recommended and supplied by your electrician.

 

[RF Lighting]

Top post from robin. Nothing more to say really.

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

^^^^^ I concur ^^^^^

 

[OwainDIYer]

More usually you'll be having the make recommended and supplied by your electrician.

And if the electrician's recommending Chint ...

Or if the electrician's pricing as MEM but supplying Chint ...

 

[streetlighter]

I fit Hager consumer units for domestic installations as the go in a dream and look and feel like quality.
If i cant get a Hager for any reason i will use MK Sentry as a second choice but they are not the quality they used to be a few years ago.
Crabtree Starbreaker are nice boards but are very pricey and i cant push it too far in my area.
Chint are utter crap and fall apart as you install them

 

[dingodeano]

Doesn't anyone have any opinions about Proteus..........

 

[OwainDIYer]

Doesn't anyone have any opinions about Proteus..........

not printable ones, no.

 

[plugwash]

Anyone have any opinions on "PRO ELEC" (CPC house brand) CUs ?

 

[DaftPunk]

It looks identicle to chint/ced/mcg/ but with yet another a different brand name.

Steer clear IMO

 

[plugwash]

More usually you'll be having the make recommended and supplied by your electrician.

Personally i'd take advice from you lot over advice from some electrician i'd just found in the paper any day. Especially as you all seem to be pretty much in agreement that hager is the way to go. If you don't know what cheap rubbish is how will you know if your tradesman is planning to fit it? (he isn't going to tell you it's cheap rubbish is he)

Maybe it's different for people who have tame tradesmen.

 

[studentspark]

I like Hager, and its what I usually use, but I do have a couple of issues.
The security of the cover
Two plastic lugs, to hold the cover on, quarter a turn and its off, you could probably open it with a penny.
And a minor one. Hate the stickers that come with it.

 

[EFLImpudence]

A penny is just a very favourably priced tool.