British and American plugs are extremely different. First there is the voltage issue, Most of the world, including Britain, uses a 220 volt system. A handful of other countries, including the United States, have 110 volt electricity, which is believed to be safer. As a result, appliances in these nations are designed to connect to a specific type of power source, and using American devices in British outlets and vice versa can result in havoc. So on top of using plug adapters if you wish to use your British item in America a voltage converter is probably going to be needed as well. Weird voltage aside. The American plug is a weedy little implement. The pins are so easily bent that you have to be careful to not even look at them the wrong way, and sometimes plugs just fall out of the wall. Despite claims that the lower voltage is supposed to be safer, you still feel like you hold your life in your hands every time you touch these plugs. American plugs do not have an on/off switch, so there is often a fantastic blue sparks display when you plug in or pull out an appliance from the (still live) plug socket. Good old British plugs have a fuse and sturdy construction, these plugs go in easily, nice and smooth, no sparks. Generally they just seem so much safer.
