In short: Legrand is the French electrical equipment group, born in Limoges in 1865 in a porcelain workshop, behind the Legrand power strip for your raclette table. At Raclette Club, we are not talking about its light switches but about its rotating 6-outlet power strip, the discreet accessory that saves you from running an extension cord across the living room.
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The brand in a nutshell
According to Legrand, it all begins in 1865 in Limoges with a tableware porcelain workshop. The business is taken over in 1904 by Frédéric Legrand, who gives the company its name. From 1919, the company makes wooden and porcelain switches, then, after a fire in 1949, refocuses on electrical equipment. The first foreign subsidiaries arrive in the 1960s, the stock market listing in 1970 and the entry into the CAC 40 in 1987.
Today, Legrand describes itself as the “global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructure”, with more than 38,000 employees in 90 countries and about 300,000 references, according to its French website. The headquarters is still in Limoges. So we are a long way from raclette: Legrand makes neither grills nor raclette pans, but it is one of the brands you most often find behind a French wall outlet, and so, indirectly, behind plenty of cheese nights.
Video
Video: Legrand France on YouTube. Official short video on the brand’s Limoges origins.
Video: Les Echos on YouTube. Report by the business daily Les Echos on the group’s history.
Video: Legrand France on YouTube. Official video on the Legrand power strip range (not specifically reference 049454).
Legrand power strip at Raclette Club
Legrand does not make raclette grills: its product at Raclette Club is a tabletop power strip.
| Model | Type | Who it’s for | Review | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 049454 rotating power strip (ASIN B09BJWC5CP) | 6-outlet grounded power strip, indicator switch, 1.5 m cord, 16 A | Tables where the grill is far from the wall outlet | Review coming soon | Check the price on Amazon.fr |
What we think
A power strip is not glamorous, but it is often what is missing on raclette night, when you discover the nearest outlet is behind the couch. On paper, the 049454 has what it takes: six grounded outlets, an indicator switch you can operate by hand or by foot according to the retailer Domomat, a 1.5 m cord and outlets that swivel to fit bulky plugs. The Legrand name is reassuring too, for an object that will spend the evening a few centimeters from a heating appliance.
Two reservations. First, reference 049454 does not appear on Legrand’s website: it may be an old reference or a distributor version, so check the specs on the seller’s listing before you buy. Second, a power strip does not create power: a raclette grill, an electric fondue pot and a kettle plugged in together can exceed what it can handle. The basic rule: add up the wattages, never plug a power strip into another one, and fully unroll the cord.
Which model should you pick?
- To plug the grill in at the middle of the table: the 049454 rotating power strip, with its switch to cut everything off in one move at the end of the night. It is part of our selection of essential raclette accessories.
- For a raclette and a fondue at the same time: add up the wattages printed under the appliances and compare them with the maximum shown on the power strip; if in doubt, use two different wall outlets.
- For the rest of the evening: on to our recipes, from Traditional raclette to The raclette crepe.
Frequently asked questions
What is the warranty on the Legrand 049454 power strip?
The retailer Domomat states a 2-year warranty for this power strip. We did not find a Legrand listing for reference 049454: check the warranty shown by the seller at the time of purchase.
Can you plug a raclette grill into a Legrand power strip?
Yes, provided the total wattage of the plugged-in appliances stays below the maximum shown on the power strip, the cord is fully unrolled and you do not plug one power strip into another.
Where can you buy a Legrand power strip?
The rotating power strip on this page is sold on Amazon.fr, and Legrand power strips can also be found at big home improvement stores and electrical equipment distributors. Check the number of outlets and the cord length, which vary by reference.
