Tool:

Outlet On/Off Switch
https://amzn.to/2GNKwJK

3-prong alternative
https://amzn.to/2GNFBbE

Transcript:

I’m Donald Bell for Cool Tools and in this video I’m going to show you this single-outlet on/off switch. I picked up a 3-pack of these for around $11 on Amazon. If you want to get these same ones, using the Amazon link in the description helps support my videos and the Cool Tools blog.

This is a very simple device. You have a 2-prong outlet connection on one side and a 2-prong socket on the other. On the top is a labeled and illuminated red rocker switch that switches power to any connected device.

These are generally handy for switching off power to things that don’t come with their own power switch. And there’s an increasing number of always-on devices that are designed this way — like Amazon Echo, or your Wi-Fi router.

By plugging into one of these, you have an easy way to switch off or reset any particular device, without resorting to unplugging it.

As a maker, where these come in particularly handy for me is for switching on and off Arduino or Raspberry Pi or LED projects. These boards don’t often have power switches, so it’s nice to be able to leave them plugged in and just toggle them on and off.

They’re also handy in my workshop. I keep my power tool battery chargers mounted on the wall and plugged in. But it seems silly to me that they spend most of their time empty and constantly glowing. With one of these I can switch my charger on just when I need it.

There are two downsides to these that I’ve found. One is that you can’t really fit more than one of these on a socket. And on a power strip, these can eat up space.

The second strike against these is that it can’t support 3-prong plugs.

For the same price, I have found a good 3-prong alternative that does the same trick and I’ll include a link for those. But most of the always-on internet of things household stuff I’ve found uses only a two-prong connection, and some older homes don’t have 3-prong outlets, so I found the 2-prong style to be more generally useful.

So that’s my story with these individual outlet switches. You can find a link for them down in the description. And remember, you can find thousands of reader recommended tools like these at Cool-Tools.org.

Find more Cool Tool reviews here:
http://kk.org/cooltools