Electronic gadgets and appliances are such a fundamental mainstay in many of our homes, offices and garages that it can often create a false sense of security surrounding the safety of our electrically powered world.
Gadgets need to undergo thorough electrical testing to ensure they are safe to use for long periods of time, and whilst the vast majority of the devices we use pass with flying colours, there are certain products over the years that are substantially more dubious.
Here are some examples of electrical appliances and gadgets that would likely fail a PAT or similar modern safety test.
Amstrad GX4000
Alan Sugar’s first and only attempt to launch a video game console was a massive commercial flop for many reasons and is amongst the poorest selling video game systems ever made.
Amongst its many problems, from the poor controller, to the lacklustre library of video games that could be bought for nearly ten times less on the compatible Amstrad CPC computers and costing the same price as the much more successful Master System, arguably the worst problem was the power supply.
As a dedicated parts shop for old Amstrad hardware put it, the original power supply was famously unreliable, either failing, blowing up or causing damaging voltage spikes that could destroy the console from the inside, which became an even bigger issue as the system aged and became harder to find.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
One of the most infamous recalled devices in recent history, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was initially a very popular device, but this would change alarmingly quickly when a flaw in the battery’s design caused it to short circuit and run very hot, leading to fires and explosions.
This was made much worse when a new version of the device used batteries from a different manufacturer that still had the same problems.
An informal recall after the batteries began to explode quickly, particularly when one began to smoke and pop as a plane was taking off became a formal recall, with the remaining devices receiving urgent updates that stop them from functioning as mobile devices.
After further investigations, the Note 7 was discontinued entirely, with the only exception being a limited “Fan Edition” of the infamous phone which was released in selected markets in 2017.
Easy-Bake Oven
An incredibly long-running toy oven, the Easy-Bake Oven initially cooked not using a heating element but instead using the heat of a 100-Watt incandescent light bulb. This would eventually change, but only after the effects of a 2007 recall.
The problem was that the tiny front loading door was just large enough for a child to get their hand or finger into it but not large enough to easily get it out.
After over 80 children suffered burns, one of which so bad as to require fingers to be amputated, over a million ovens were recalled.
After 2011, Hasbro no longer uses light bulbs for the heating element of the Easy-Bake Oven, instead using a heating system more reminiscent of a traditional oven and is much more rigorously tested as a result.
