Reading this thread makes me realize that there is way more stuff I hate installing than stuff I like installing.
The list is endless and includes all the aforementiond items.
ONCE in a while I will run into something and say "that's a good design".
MOST of the time I'm saying "what the $#!@^ were they thinking when the desingned/built this piece of %$&@"
I think you hit the nail on the head. The number of really poorly designed electrical items is way longer than it should be.
Ex.:
Why can't plugmold have screw terminals? For what it costs, it should be in there already. And screw-on covers would save us from having to hammer on the cover plate.
After all the years of making fluorescent lights, am I really supposed to believe no one has an idea for making sockets that don't fall out or get brittle and break apart?
Who came up with those goofy clamps in the baseboard heaters? They NEVER work. Just make a 1/2" KO and pack a plastic grommet like the fan box makers do.
What's the point of a 4" round plastic old work box that you can't hang anything from? I really don't get that one.
Ballasts with screw terminals built in. It would save a huge amount of time.
Same goes for 12V transformers. Also, front access on vertical only mounted ones would be great.
Can't anyone come up with a retrofit designed exhaust fan? If not, at least pack a template for cutting out the drywall so we're not just guessing how much bigger we need to cut the opening.
And really, does the ground screw tap have to be right up against the side of a deep metal wallcase, forcing you to take one side off to put it in? I mean, you have to cut the ends of the screws off to get it in a 2x4 wall anyway, so why put a KO dead center and offset the ground screw like that?
Do I feel better now? Nope.
