Which light switches and outlets contain no plastic, body and housing included?
This category is being vetted. Nothing here is a recommendation yet.
Where plastic hides in light switches and outlets
A switch has to keep live metal away from your hand, so its body is an insulator, and the insulator is plastic: nylon, polycarbonate or a phenolic thermoset. A brass plate or toggle is trim over that body. Behind it, the rocker or lever, the terminal housing and the face of the outlet are molded. Porcelain devices exist and are the ones to look for. A dimmer adds a circuit board sealed in its own housing. Cover plates are the easy part, in metal, wood, ceramic or stone, and their screws are steel.
What to check before you buy
- The body of the switch or outlet: porcelain, or nylon, polycarbonate or phenolic?
- The plate and toggle: brass, steel, ceramic or wood, and what is behind them?
- The terminal housing and the outlet face: named, or silent?
- A dimmer: is the circuit board sealed in a module, and what is the housing?
- The screws and gaskets: bare steel and none, or plastic caps and foam?
- Packaging: paper and card, or a plastic bag and blister?