Flat plate vs raised sockets with screws

[morningporridge]

We're going for brushed stainless sockets but I'm not sure whether there are any pros and cons of flat plate vs raised sockets with screws? Or is is just a question of taste for the final look?

Many thanks 😊

We renovated a flat with flat plate and I would choose the slightly raised sockets with bevelled edges another time. You need the box in the wall to be perfectly flush to get the flat plates to look nice, the raised sockets are a bit more forgiving. Also, as they don't have an edge for stability they are easily bent. If you screw them in a bit too tightly (my husband thinks the world will come undone if you don't do everything up as tightly as possible!) then you end up bending the plate and you can see this from across the room. Raised plates don't do this.
Hope that helps!

@RainyAfternoon thanks, that's really useful to know. The flat sockets we've seen are screwless so wondering if this would still potentially be an issue, depending on the fitting? I assume yours had screws? Thanks 😊

Yes, I agree - we have flat plates in the kitchen, and I don't like them. They just don't sit as nicely as the raised ones elsewhere, and a couple of them have come loose in the back boxes too. I don't know if this is just because ours were cheap, but it has never been an issue with the raised ones.

@QuantumWeatherButterfly thanks - that's useful to know, I always thought the flat plate would come out too! Are your flats plate ones screwless and you raised ones with screws? Thanks!

These are the two we are trying to decide between:

www.toolstation.com/bg-screwless-flat-plate-brushed-stainless-steel-13a-dp-switch-socket/p29108

www.toolstation.com/wessex-brushed-stainless-steel-13a-dp-switched-socket/p10226

I think the links merged into each so I'll try again ....

www.toolstation.com/bg-screwless-flat-plate-brushed-stainless-steel-13a-dp-switch-socket/p29108

And ....

www.toolstation.com/wessex-brushed-stainless-steel-13a-dp-switched-socket/p10226

We have one light switch in our house which flush with the wall and I don't like it. It's not quite flush and also the white paint around it seems to get grubby really quickly.

Ours have screws. I've attached a photo. They just don't look as nice as the raised, rounded ones. This is one of the ones that loosened.

We went with flat plates in a Victorian house. Agree with others you can see every bit of wall which isn't perfectly straight. I prefer them, but I'd only get them again in a new house.

@mareep @QuantumWeatherButterfly @RainyAfternoon @Andthenanothercupoftea thanks for your comments. I think I'll avoid the completely flat ones.

Do you think these ones would still have the issues of the completely flat ones?

www.toolstation.com/bg-screwless-flat-plate-brushed-stainless-steel-10ax-light-switch/p98691

They are called flat plate but they do seem to have a slightly bevelled edge. Thanks!