I'm a great proponent of the UK (Type G) plug. It's wonderfully over-engineered for safety.
The plug is an asymmetric triangle shape, with a well-defined orientation that is "forever" polarised. The earth pin (at the top) makes contact first, as it is longer and physically larger. In the process of doing so, it opens two shutters on live ("hot") and neutral within the socket. The live and neutral pins themselves are insulated from the base of the plug to a distance slightly more than the extent by which the earth pin sticks out. Therefore, it's impossible to make contact with a live exposed pin, even if you drop a pin in the gap between the plug and the socket. Each plug is individually fused, with an amount that varies by each device. Cable strain relief is integral, and the wire lengths are designed such that if someone pulled the cable out incredibly hard, live breaks first, followed by neutral, followed by earth. The plastic is designed to char and not melt if burnt, and a standard 13 A (240 V) plug can take around 50 A at 240 VAC or instantaneous kV before coming a-cropper. The contact forces on the pins are far higher than a US plug. This means that a plug is very unlikely to arc in its socket, leading to less wear and tear and longer lasting plugs and sockets. I like the fact that each socket is individually switched, which further ameliorates the above. Because of the higher voltage, the maximum commonly used residential current, 13 A, delivers ~3 kW of power as opposed to the US maximum of ~1.6 kW, so you don't need a further set of incompatible plugs.
Still hurts like hell if you tread on one barefoot though.
The plug is an asymmetric triangle shape, with a well-defined orientation that is "forever" polarised. The earth pin (at the top) makes contact first, as it is longer and physically larger. In the process of doing so, it opens two shutters on live ("hot") and neutral within the socket. The live and neutral pins themselves are insulated from the base of the plug to a distance slightly more than the extent by which the earth pin sticks out. Therefore, it's impossible to make contact with a live exposed pin, even if you drop a pin in the gap between the plug and the socket. Each plug is individually fused, with an amount that varies by each device. Cable strain relief is integral, and the wire lengths are designed such that if someone pulled the cable out incredibly hard, live breaks first, followed by neutral, followed by earth. The plastic is designed to char and not melt if burnt, and a standard 13 A (240 V) plug can take around 50 A at 240 VAC or instantaneous kV before coming a-cropper. The contact forces on the pins are far higher than a US plug. This means that a plug is very unlikely to arc in its socket, leading to less wear and tear and longer lasting plugs and sockets. I like the fact that each socket is individually switched, which further ameliorates the above. Because of the higher voltage, the maximum commonly used residential current, 13 A, delivers ~3 kW of power as opposed to the US maximum of ~1.6 kW, so you don't need a further set of incompatible plugs.
Still hurts like hell if you tread on one barefoot though.