"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...
I have lost count of the number of hedge trimmer and lawn mower Jesus
leads I have reconfigured after noticing neighbours with it the wrong way
around. Usually just after they have cut through the cable again.

My grandpa had an electric mower with a plug/socket between the short lead
on the mower and the long lead. Both the same cable, so probably the lead
had been supplied with the mower. It was the rectangular connector with
three pins in line.
https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/prod...onnector-black
When it's connected up, the plug and socket ends are almost
indistinguishable.

I borrowed it one day, and while I was mowing the lead got tangled up, so I
unplugged the lead at the connector on the mower - and was faced with three
live pins on the long line.

Someone, probably the manufacturer, had wired plug and socket the wrong way
round. I unplugged the lead at the wall and rewired the connectors the
correct way round - and kept quiet about it to avoid embarrassing my grandpa
just in case he had been the one who had wired it like that (but I don't
think it was his fault).