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The knife is Russell-Hobbs, ECO1255, model 13892.
I work for a charity which receives (among other
things) electrical goods
which must be tested before we can give them to
recipients. The PAT meter gave weird results: normally
when the device being tested is switched off the meter
says "lo load", but on this knife it did not
do so. I tested further:
when the knife is off, the resistance between live &
neutral is ~~ 1/2 Megohm. So if you leave it plugged
in & switched off, it will
draw a continual leak current 1/2 ma. (that is an
estimate: I dont have a
meter to measure this). So I opened it up &
the supply wires go
into a PCB which I assume is for radio interference
suppression. And this PCB is upstream of the switch.

Please: is the knife supposed to be made this way
or is it defective?
Am I right in my belief that this violates
the Regulations?

thank you RM Damerell
 
Most likely a class II item in which case the single pole switching could be in either phase or neutral (seems to be something that our European cousins - until October - have adopted )
 
Did you also check inside the plug?
Sometimes the flex can be damaged under the cord grip and needs to be cut and made off into the plug again
 
many electronic , rather than simply electrical, devices have a small continuous draw whilst on standby. you should be careful doing high voltage (insulation) tests on such an appliance. it can damage the components and turn a perfectly safe and functional appliance in to a piece of weee.
 
Thank you who replied. Plug is moulded so I cannot check it,
but while the knife was open I did check correct polarity.
R-Hobbs sent an email: it is faulty.
I will probably rewire to put the PCB downstream of the switch.
 
just plug it in. chickens, ducks and pigs don't care which pole cuts their heads off.
 
Thank you who replied. Plug is moulded so I cannot check it,
but while the knife was open I did check correct polarity.
R-Hobbs sent an email: it is faulty.
I will probably rewire to put the PCB downstream of the switch.

I'm a big fan of recycling stuff and avoiding chucking stuff away, but I would think carefully before modifying a product, especially if it is to be sold/given to someone else.
 
If you modify it from manufacturer's specification you are voiding the CE certification and also becoming the "manufacturer" of that appliance.
 

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