Go to Restore and stock up on the old ones. They show up dozens at a time in boxes of used and new. Not sure what your ramifications would be if changing out over code. And if you are an electrical person, you'll know which used ones are of value.

I'm glad to hear that some get easier with time. We were really flabbergasted...had never heard of them before! Why in the world this is the new (apparently) national code is beyond me. Anything under 52"? Wow. Those are some pretty large kiddos running around with forks and scissors ;)

No kidding! We'd never heard of them either.

When I first moved into my new house, the first thing I wanted to do was vacuum. I couldn't get the plug to go into any of the outlets. I thought every outlet was broken.

The new outlets are a giant PITA.

What's funny though, is that as others have said - as you use them, they sort-of wear out.

I've only been in the house a year, and now the frequently used outlets are as easy to plug into as the ones in my old house.

So this accomplishes what, exactly?

I'm amazed all of us over 30 years old managed to survive to adulthood without all these "wonderful" safety "improvements".

When I was about 4 or 5, I stuck a hairpin into the bathroom socket. It was an experience I'll never forget and was never tempted to try again.

This sounds terrible!! I have a toddler and we just have the plastic covers over our outlets. What happened to those things?? Crazy how codes have been put in place over actually parenting.

A 5 yr old across the street blew himself across the kitchen sticking something in an outlet. No major injuries. I never used those plastic covers much as I could never get them out when I needed to use the outlet.

The idiot nanny state protects us from ourselves again.

I can't wait til we all have to have helmets surgically implanted on our heads.

All I remember was a very big blue flash and then being on the opposite side of the bathroom. I had a teensy little mark on my palm. I went out to the kitchen where my parents were, showed them my palm, and told them what happened. Bedlam ensued.

The kid across the street had his hair standing straight on his head and the outlet started on fire.

Did you know that on stair railing the ends must turn and attach to the wall on? Ours apparently dangerous handrails got grandfathered in.

Here is a photo of what I mean. You don't have to have two railings.

[Modern Staircase[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-staircase-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_745~s_2105) by Portland Staircases & Railings Portland Stair Company

Here's a fact sheet from the National Fire Protection Association. It says that the tamper resistant feature is not the amount of force needed to insert the plug, it's that both prongs of the plug must be inserted for the slots to open. This explains how the outlets become easier to use over time, yet are still considered tamper resistant.

Here is a link that might be useful: TAMPER RESISTANT ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLES

ahh, so that is what we have! lol! i just thought they were new and needed to be loosened up over time.

Tamper resistant outlets have been mandatory, whatever their height of install, in most European countries for at least 10 or maybe 15 years.

I can tell you that will get used to them, to the point that older outlets will feel like a safety hazard :-)

Stocking up on old ones does not sound like a smart idea for all kinds of liability, safety and resale reasons (in my area, lack of tamper resistant outlets must be disclosed to prospective buyers as an electrical safety hazard).

Some of these comments made me lol. Thanks for that. I honestly thought I was on candid camera (prehistoric version of punk'd). deedles..if only those helmet implants could come with a good dose of common sense ;)

I'm going to stock up. Thanks for the warning.

hahaa patrice..i could have written that first paragraph above. Soo frustrating. I hear my husband grumble obscenities every time he 'attempts' to plug something in. (Guilty here, as well ;)

Funny, how after they wear out they behave just like the old ones. So truly, what's the point? Just to tick us off in the meantime? Gee thanks. We used those plug protectors when our kids were little...apparently worked just fine!

I hate them !! Period lol

We have them, and they were confusing at first. The outlets that have been used a few times+, work easily now. Whenever I use a new outlet, I am reminded of how hard the first use can be. I just have to push, straight on, with force... It's not a big deal after the first few times. Are people assuming their broken-in outlets are not tamper-resistant since plugs go in easily? They are (or should be.) The device only stops something from going in one side.. (as opposed to prongs going in both sides.)

I really don't appreciate nanny state features, but I distinctly remember my brother sticking paper clips followed by aluminum foil in the outlets. He got hurt, but he was a mischievous little boy who was bored... Tamper-resistant outlets would have prevented his adventures.

It just amazes me that ANY of us managed to live to adulthood before any of these "safety precautions" were in place.

Any quite honestly, if a child is really looking to stick something into an outlet - well, they are resourceful little buggers, they're going to figure out how to do it, foiling the tamper resistance...while the rest of us just can't manage to plug anything in.

There is a trick for such TR socket if it is really tough to plug in, no matter how you wiggle the plug or change the angle.
What I did was, use a single flat screw driver to try one slot at a time. Due to poor quality, the mini shutter protecting the slot may not slide smoothly, so push the screw driver to force it to move. Do it many times to make it less sticky, and do the same for the other slot. Then try to push in the electric plug, you will find it much easier to get in as the shutters are smooth now.
Note that by design, the screw driver won't push all the way in as it will be blocked by the shutter controlled by the other slot. Still, for your safety, make sure not to touch the metal parts of the screw driver, and stand in a wood floor or plastic pad.

I just replaced outlets - wanted white instead of the almond I had. I thought I'd never get the KA mixer and my iPad charger plugged in the first couple of times, but thank heaven it does loosen up to be doeable.

Not all of them get easier to use with time. We have those circuit interupter types in the bathrooms and they are a royal pain. Installed in 2008. To plug in the hairdryer takes me at least 15 seconds of wriggling up and down while applying a lot of force. The same for removing the plug. Totally ridiculous.

An old thread, but I hate them, too. For some reason, our computer is the one thing that refuses to plug in. Get this- I'm wiring up my detached barn, and I have to use them in there, too. Never mind that there will be several exposed 240V outlets which are NOT TR, and have much bigger openings to entice a child. Of course, my shop is no place for an unsupervised child, what with a lot of dangerous machinery around that a curious child could start up. Here's a thought- supervise the children (It'll never catch on).

cppjavapythonr - did you truly just recommend sticking screwdriver into an outlet to "loosen them up"?

It's so amazing we made it though childhood.

I see I posted about my hatred of these things nearly 3 years ago, up thread.

Well just wait - they get worse in time!

Now my most commonly used outlets will not hold the freaking prongs in. Yep, that's right, the plug now only sits very loosely in the outlet, - and in fact when I'm vacuuming, the plug is half-hanging out of the wall with metal showing. That HAS to be safe, right?

3 years later and I still hate these things.

Any suggestions when nothing you try will work, I can't plug in my microwave

2400 kids get electrical burns every year by putting something in an outlet that doesn't belong. On average 9 kids due a year from the same thing. One study showed that 2 to 4 year olds could get the plug in covers off in ten seconds or less, but couldn't get anything into a TR plug.

Like mentioned above they are designed so someone can't stick the wrong something into one side so the principle behind it is equal pressure on both sides straight in. Of course you have to be mindful of the one prong bigger than the other thing which is not something new. That being said if you're sure you don't have any 4 year olds lurking or have suicidal tendencies (brought on by trying to use these plugs) you could always plug a multi-plug adapter in then plug into that.

I can't stand them. I have arthritis in my hands and don't have enough force to push the plug in. So, I leave most of my appliances always plugged in, all the time. I used to unplug appliances when not in use. Saved electricity since many appliances have a small draw to keep them on demand. Also safer for fires since sparking or shorting can occur is plugged in. I wish the government would get out of my house. So now I use more electricity and have increased fire danger. Same problem of "child proofing" med containers. The government has become way too child focused. It ignores those of us who made it through childhood without their help.

All you need to do is watch this YouTube. You rotate it back and forth works immediately. https://youtu.be/qz1zKuMZu0g

What a short-sighted invention and an even worse regulation! Let's see--we are required to have outlets at certain intervals, but, alas, we can't use them...This stupid situation requires us to use force to plug in a simple appliance. Using force around electricity is NEVER a good idea, especially with a plastic housing that could be shattered. I just spent an hour trying to plug in one thing. It looks like I am going to have to hire a handyman or electrician to jam a multi-unit receptacle into the existing plug. Not only expensive, but it defeats the whole purpose of the original outlet.

I can only use about half my plug-ins. This is the stupidest thing I have every been unknowingly forced to have. First one I couldn't use I used a screwdriver on and that was the end of the plug-in. I found many standard plug-ins and have started replacing the useless ones. Like all liberal ideas, they don't work.

This is ridiculous --- I am going to end up destroying most of my plug ends trying to put them into these "tamper" resistant outlets. These are out of control. I tried to get to the You Tube referenced above but cannot find it. I cannot use more than half of the outlets in my house that was built 5 years ago. Our lower-level was finished with new outlets 2 years ago. Has nothing to do with brand --- they are all created equally difficult - many impossible!!

Just updated a bathroom and of course had to install new outlets. Thank goodness for this thread because I couldn't figure out why I couldn't plug in my electrical appliances. Thanks to the video link from jahenderson22, I was able to figure out the "trick". I am not sure how someone with a disability, like a tremor, will manage. Thanks to all of you for your suggestions.

Have these in home we just moved into yesterday and have broken the covers on about half the plugs I used...can see behind the plug now. Reminiscent of the gas cans with the nozzle that makes you spill half the gas you are trying to get in the lawn mower...liberals controlling design with no mind toward effectiveness. See California power grid and forest management.

Tamper resistant outlets have been used in children's pediatric wards for over 20 years. They were designed and patented to Hubbell, Inc., which is based in Connecticut. They may be a pain in the neck, but let's leave politics out of this, especially when the assumption is wrong.

K M:

Ugly countertop air gaps are apparently only saving lives in California. How has the rest of the country managed to not die without them?

Getting angry and frustrated every time you attempt to plug something into an outlet is a perfectly normal reaction to our we-know-better-than-you nanny state. Hopefully we'll see that anger and frustration transmogrified on November 3rd, 2020.

And how are the rest of us managing to use the new plugs just fine without being overly dramatic and dying of frustration.

Response to Joseph Corlett LLC: Don't know where you are getting that statement, and, again, it's not political. If you look upward on this thread, you will see I also am frustrated with the plugs. But if I'm going to get permanently angry it would be about something like world hunger. Have a nice day, okay?

Dunno Daisychain - must be you're just a lot smarter than me.

We're now seven years in, and this thread is back for a 3rd run. And I still hate these plugs with the hatred of a thousand suns.

There are now a few outlets I can no longer use, because they don't hold the plug in at all. The frequently used ones basically wore out. If I try to vacuum, the plug falls out of the wall as soon as the cord moves at all.

I'm not sure I see this as a totally political issue, and I also hold no hatred for people who have different political ideas than I do. I don't see the need for snark on this. If you don't have a problem with your new "safer" electrical outlets...bully for you. But that doesn't negate the fact that for some of us, they don't work well at all in a whole variety of ways.

As I said in a post above from a few years ago - as I'm vacuuming the plug is half hanging out of the wall with metal showing. The new SAFER plug doesn't seem very freaking safe to me.

Up in Canada, Have these in our new home as well, what a PIA!! Last time I checked, USA politics are, for the most part, kept south of the 49th. Safe to say, electrical codes and Outlets are not political.

Safety should always be a priority. But it should not outweigh usability. The best design is both usable for all and safe for all. Having to choose between a safe but unusable outlet or a usable but unsafe outlet is ridiculous and a false dichotomy. (And please don't argue that the old outlets were safe for you. That's nice. But it's not pertinent.)

Hey all you engineers! Design a decent outlet!

WOW! I was looking for something else related but glad I stopped and read these comments because they sure made my day. Still laughing! Bottom line: You can't plug in an outlet and it's everyone's fault but yours.

You're angry and it's the government's fault because YOU can't plug in an outlet.

You collectively spend hours trying but don't spend a single second researching how because YOU can't plug in an outlet. (For those who don't know how to plug in an outlet, I'll give you a real quick tip as I'm apparently an expert with this when I tried it with a virgin TR plug we installed earlier this week - you get the plug, you stick it in the outlet evenly, and push the plug into the outlet. If the plug goes into the outlet in full, you are successful! If it didn't go into the outlet, pull the plug back, and try it again using those first steps until you're successful. After 4 unsuccessful tries, you need to realize that you have more things to worry about than government regulations and bringing politics into YOUR inability to plug in an outlet).

2 different users talked about sticking screwdrivers inside (1 of them suggested doing this inside of a *live* outlet) because they can't plug in an outlet.

It's apparently the "liberal's" fault because YOU can't plug in an outlet.

And someone even had the gall to claim that they are able to lick a stamp and put their ballot in a mailbox even though they can't even plug in an outlet. Or is the challenge of sending a letter the actual reason why it's being fought so hard by those who appear to not even be able to Plug. In. An. Outlet?

The problem isn't the outlet here...

Never heard of these, but sounds awful. Regulations have ruined jobs, cars, dairy, and now power outlets. Every second fidgeting and fussing reduces quality of life. Ergonomics and ease of use are important to ME. Power outlets are not safe. When a child outgrows safety covers it's time for education.

Hello people, when your outlets wear out and don't hold onto plugs anymore they aren't hard to change. Good commercial quality single gang outlets are available for like $3 at the hardware store for a 20a outlet, less for 15a. 20a GFCI is like $18. You can even get ones with integrated USB plugs to charge things, integrated surge suppressors, ones that connect to wifi, you name it.

Turn the breaker for that circuit off, make sure it's off by plugging something in and verifying it's inoperable. Then remove the wall plate, unscrew the outlet from the electrical box, and remove the wires. Read the instructions that came with the new outlet(s). Wire it per the instructions, 15a ones usually push into the back easily, 20a for at least the last 20 years requires the side post style where you need to use pliers to make a j hook around a screw and then screw it down tight for every connection. Both ways are easy. You need philips head screwdriver, flathead screwdriver, some pliers, needle nose pliers, a little patience. When you're done replace the screws and wall plate, go turn the breaker back on, then plug something that isn't valuable in and see if it's operable. If it is you're done, if not check your work after turning the breaker off again. If still no joy give up and call an electrician.

I have the similar new outlets. I figured out how to get the plug into the outlet after numerous tries. I reviewed the You Tube video as posted previously, and it was also helpful.

I am 87 and cannot plug anything in them so have been told by my daughter to leave plugs in all the time. I wish I had my old ones back. I have been using a extension lead from dining room. The new idea is stupid

All made in China right? Yeah.. junk and bad idea. The new doorknobs also suck. Looking to find some older knobs to replace the new ones. Having to pull the door closed twice is difficult with hands full.

This thread is now back for a 4th run. I posted how much I hated the new outlets 8 years ago....and they get worse with time. Still hate them. The end. 😆

(PS - before the "delightful" new outlets came on the scene, I'd never needed to replace an outlet in many decades on this earth. They were innocuous little things in the wall, simple in design, and simple to use. No one needed to watch a YouTube video to learn how to use one, and no one would have suggested I needed to replace something like 30 outlets in a brand new(ish) home because they've worn out and no longer hold a plug in. From normal use. So yeah, mark me down as not a fan.)