MK Logic Plus vs Hager Sollysta - which one should I choose?

[Alla Musica]

Hi all,

I'm soon leaving the UK, and (as an electrical enthusiast) I'm planning to bring back a few UK switches either as souvenirs or to replace worn switches.

Now I'm struggling to decide between MK Logic Plus and Hager Sollysta (only single plate white plastic on/off switches). Could anyone please advise on which is better?

As I know so far, the MK Logic Plus is very popular in the UK, and is manufactured also in this country. The plastic is extremely sturdy and never bents. However, the switching action is not only laborious but also noisy. The slightly curved rocker doesn't fit very well with our fingers - but still more comfortable than none.

The Hager Sollysta, on the other hand, seems to be a better choice so far - the switching action is neither laborious nor noisy. Furthermore, the more curved shape of the rocker fits better with our fingers, which means the Sollysta is more comfortable to fingers. However, I can't find information on where they're manufactured.

While the Sollysta seems to be a better choice so far, are there any caveats? Or all in all, should I go for MK Logic Plus or Hager Sollysta?

Best regards,
Christopher

 

[nicebutdim]

Both are of decent quality.

MK state that over 80% of the products they sell in the UK and Ireland are made in the UK.

I'm of the opinion that Sollysta is more aesthetically pleasing, but that's subjective opinion.

Logic Plus can be purchased pretty much anywhere, wheras Sollysta isn't so widely stocked or used and for that reason it's more difficult to comment on its long term reliability.

 

[Alla Musica]

Both are of decent quality.

MK state that over 80% of the products they sell in the UK and Ireland are made in the UK.

I'm of the opinion that Sollysta is more aesthetically pleasing, but that's subjective opinion.

Logic Plus can be purchased pretty much anywhere, wheras Sollysta isn't so widely stocked or used and for that reason it's more difficult to comment on its long term reliability.

Much appreciated, nicebutdim! Thanks for the suggestion. Apart from the MK Logic Plus, any other brands / series (considered) widely available on the UK market, please?

(Also, I do agree that the Sollysta is more aesthetically pleasing than the Logic Plus, as the faceplate of the latter swells way more than the former.)

Would look forward to your reply

 

[nicebutdim]

I particularly like Legrand Synergy accessories. Very slim profile and slightly flexible, with nice terminal layout, but not widely stocked.

Scolmore Click is manufactured in the UK and similar to Logic Plus in terms of profile and availability.

 

[Alla Musica]

I particularly like Legrand Synergy accessories. Very slim profile and slightly flexible, with nice terminal layout, but not widely stocked.

Scolmore Click is manufactured in the UK and similar to Logic Plus in terms of profile and availability.

What do you mean by "flexible" - is it that the plastic gets easily bent?

The Legrand Synergy looks quite modern indeed - just personally not a fan of the rocker shapes!

Scolmore Click - thanks for the suggestion. It's just so cheap - would they be as durable?

 

[nicebutdim]

What do you mean by "flexible" - is it that the plastic gets easily bent?

The Legrand Synergy looks quite modern indeed - just personally not a fan of the rocker shapes!

Scolmore Click - thanks for the suggestion. It's just so cheap - would they be as durable?

It's forgiving if walls are slightly imperfect.

Tons of Click accessories fitted all over the UK and I don't hear of many problems. MK can be just as cheap, although tends to be sold at a premium perhaps due to brand perception and widespread availability in retail outlets.

 

[Alla Musica]

It's forgiving if walls are slightly imperfect.

Tons of Click accessories fitted all over the UK and I don't hear of many problems. MK can be just as cheap, although tends to be sold at a premium perhaps due to brand perception and widespread availability in retail outlets.

Cheers! In that case I'd get a mix of Sollysta, Logic Plus and Click.

 

[SJD]

I normally use MK Logic Plus for white accessories, but recently used Hager Sollysta for a full house rewire, as a somewhat fussy customer requested them instead.

I was quite impressed, and have considered switching to the Sollysta, what has held me back is that in the UK there are many stockists of the MK parts, but not very many of the Hager parts. Plus the best prices for Sollysta seem to be online suppliers with fairly high minimum order for free shipping, so it gets costly to just buy a few items.

I'd personally avoid mixing several brands unless you are not so fussy about having a slightly different look between different switches/sockets etc. But perhaps I'm a little OCD.

 

[loz2754]

My first choice these days is Scolmore Click for solid reliable quality at a good price. I've lost faith in MK products in general as they have let slide the quality of many of their products.

 

[Alla Musica]

I normally use MK Logic Plus for white accessories, but recently used Hager Sollysta for a full house rewire, as a somewhat fussy customer requested them instead.

I was quite impressed, and have considered switching to the Sollysta, what has held be back is that in the UK there are many stockists of the MK parts, but not very many of the Hager parts. Plus the best prices for Sollysta seem to be online suppliers with fairly high minimum order for free shipping, so it gets costly to just buy a few items.

I'd personally avoid mixing several brands unless you are not so fussy about having a slightly different look between different switches/sockets etc. But perhaps I'm a little OCD.

Thanks for sharing these stories - interesting experience indeed!

Whilst I'm currently in the UK, I'll soon graduate and return to China (my home country). As an electrical enthusiast, I'm keeping a few UK switches as souvenirs. Now Chinese households generally use wide rocker switches (e.g. Schneider S-Adora, Chinese: 施耐德 如意), and recent years also see the emergence of frameless wide rockers.

(Schneider S-Adora)

Thus the British small rockers would be such an "exotic" wonder! At the meantime, British single plates would fit perfectly into Chinese backboxes and this has enabled me to install plenty of Varilight V-Pro dimmers at home in China.

But even for installation, I personally don't mind using different series / brands, provided that either they are far apart from each other to be visible at the same time, or if it's impossible not to do so (e.g. combining Varilight dimmers with 5-gang switches, as in my profile picture).

Cheers!

 

[Alla Musica]

My first choice these days is Scolmore Click for solid reliable quality at a good price. I've lost faith in MK products in general as they have let slide the quality of many of their products.

Agreed - I watched John Ward's YouTube video "MK Essentials vs MK Logic Plus" the other day, which reveals significant quality distinction between the "budget" and "premium" ranges!!! Hopefully, the MK Logic Plus is still reliable in the present day...??? (What do you think?)

 

[pc1966]

I only do a small amount of work and it hardly ever involves style matching / interior design aspects, but would agree with the above as my choice is usually the MK Logic Plus range (widely stocked) or the Scolmore Click (our local wholesale place does them).

 

[pc1966]

Whilst I'm currently in the UK, I'll soon graduate and return to China (my home country). As an electrical enthusiast, I'm keeping a few UK switches as souvenirs.

I would imagine that our switched sockets & fused plugs would be more of a novelty!

How standardised are socket outlets in China? (i.e. is there one type that is used most places)

 

[Alla Musica]

I only do a small amount of work and it hardly ever involves style matching / interior design aspects, but would agree with the above as my choice is usually the MK Logic Plus range (widely stocked) or the Scolmore Click (our local wholesale place does them).

Cheers! (Now it turns out that Logic Plus and Click are among the top choices in the UK...

 

[pc1966]

Cheers! (Now it turns out that Logic Plus and Click are among the top choices in the UK...

If you ask the public you will get a different answer!

• Most folks on this forum will go for better quality (so less call-backs to fix things), coupled with a reasonable cost.
• Most non-electrical friends of mine chose solely on looks!

 

[Alla Musica]

If you ask the public you will get a different answer!

• Most folks on this forum will go for better quality (so less call-backs to fix things), coupled with a reasonable cost.
• Most non-electrical friends of mine chose solely on looks!

Same - I'm also aiming for better quality (rather than look) and that's why I keep asking about durability / reliability.

As a foreigner in the UK, I do find the qualities of British wiring accessories truly amazing (despite its slightly archaic look - I do like the look though!). Back home in China, I'm already using 13 Varilight V-Pro white plastic dimmers (I brought all of which with me on returning to China). The oldest one has been in service for over 4 years, and not even one scratch on the faceplate!!! The newest ones are in my profile pic, installed a year ago.

 

[pc1966]

Back home in China, I'm already using 13 Varilight V-Pro white plastic dimmers (I brought all of which with me on returning to China).

Wow - that is a lot of light-controlled rooms/areas!

The oldest one has been in service for over 4 years, and not even one scratch on the faceplate!!! The newest ones are in my profile pic, installed a year ago.

The Varilight V-Pro is also my go-to choice for dimmers, as much due to the (relatively) good behaviour with LED lamps.

 

[Alla Musica]

I would imagine that our switched sockets & fused plugs would be more of a novelty!

How standardised are socket outlets in China? (i.e. is there one type that is used most places)

Yes - fused double- / triple-pole switches would be truly a novelty! I've also thought of USA switches - unfortunately the faceplates don't match in size, and the switches aren't designed for our voltage (220V)!

Unfortunately, Chinese and British plugs / outlets are not interchangeable so I'm less interested in switched outlets so far.

In China, a standard outlet would look like below:

Bi-pin at the top, and tri-pin at the bottom.

The bi-pin at the top suits both flat pins (Chinese standard) and round pins (EU unearthed bi-pin).

However, there seems to be no exact standard on how far apart these two should be apart.

 

[Alla Musica]

Wow - that is a lot of light-controlled rooms/areas!

The Varilight V-Pro is also my go-to choice for dimmers, as much due to the (relatively) good behaviour with LED lamps.

I'm a bit OCD so I'm having all the lights in the bedrooms dimmable. So I started with 3 in the master bedroom, one in the second bedroom in 2019.

As you said they worked really well with dimmable LEDs, and so in the same year I added another 2 in the master bedroom.

In 2020 on return following the COVID I added another 2 in the second bedroom.

In 2022 I added 3 to the living room as I wanted a bit of ambience there! Too many gangs within just four backboxes meant it was impossible to give each gang one independent dimmer so I grouped them by their purpose (general lighting, or, decorative), i.e. collective dimming + independent on/off.

Been enjoying it!

 

[nicebutdim]

My first choice these days is Scolmore Click for solid reliable quality at a good price. I've lost faith in MK products in general as they have let slide the quality of many of their products.

I'm not a fan of MK distribution, which are no longer MK/Honeywell products, but can't fault their standard accessories.