Bryant Electric 9450FR 50 Amp 125/250V NEMA 14-50R Flush Straight Blade Receptacle, Black

This receptacle costs more than the ones at the big box stores (about $50 vs $15), but it's worth it. I ran a Leviton for almost 2 years for my EV charging, and it worked okay until recently, when it started overheating and reducing my charge rate. I had read many times how those receptacles were inferior for sustained charging, but it seemed to work fine until it didn't. I pulled it out of the wall and checked the connections, and while they were tight and there were no external signs of excessive heat, something was obviously wrong. So I bit the bullet and bought this one. It's out there in the garage right now, charging away at 24A on my 30A circuit (80% rule). No overheating, no issues, charging fine. Why is this one better? 1. It has heavy-duty everything, including stronger clamps for the plug blades and more overall surface area for better electrical contact. 2. Instead of screws to clamp the wires directly (and chew the strands up as you tighten them down), the Bryant has a clamp system that squeezes the wires between two pieces of copper. That holds them tighter and keeps the wire strands contained in a copper "V" clamp (see photo). 3. It's over-engineered. The receptacle is overall bigger and deeper than the cheaper ones, providing more mass to dissipate heat, and it's rated for more amperage than you need. This is one of those things where paying more is a smart move that will make your charging setup safer and more efficient. Bottom line - Pay more now and save yourself troubles (and maybe even a fire!) down the line.

Never used

My electrician installed the Leviton brand of this receptable, which is likely OK for clothes dryers, electric ranges, etc. However for the frequent in/out usage of my Tesla charging, the receptacle began to get very warm. My car advised of the high temp condition and slowed the rate of charge. Switched to the Bryant, which is made by Hubbel, and now it never gets hot. The internal copper contact surfaces are much larger and more sturdy than the cheaper Leviton. Bryant is about 3X more expensive than Leviton. The Hubbell is about 5 times more expensive. Don't go cheap.

Your top choice if installing a plug for your electric car, or anything else that uses this type of plug for that matter. My electrician was impressed, and compared it to the store bought Leviton he brought, noting this plug was much more robust. For the small amount extra this plug cost to buy, it's a no brainer. Be sure to get the matching wall plate.

If you’re installing a 240v EV charger, you’re going to need this. Don’t get the ones at the big box retailers. The price can be tempting but they are not industrial grade that can handle an EV charger. I’ve seen those low quality plugs melt because of consistent use. This one is great. You can instantly feel the difference in build quality and weight. I’d order this again if I’m installing an EV charger outlet.

Big and hefty, double wipers all around. Should be reliable BUT note the offset between the electrical contacts and the neutral blade socket, at the bottom. That offset means the blade contacts and receptacle overlap area is not matched like the other sockets but is reduced, increasing the potential for resistive heating. This is puffed up bad design, like putting a too big nut around a fine-pitch bolt or a Mack truck body around a Chevette engine. WTH! It’s not the camera angle. Is a Hubbell 14-50 the same? I guess the design is ‘adequate’ since folk are not reporting issues. But I have some doubts about this. Are they just building big around small guts to get more money money money?

I twice tried to order a Hubbell and twice had to return as the two vendors both shipped cheap Chinese knock-offs. Then I found out that Brant's are the same thing as the Hubbell. So I bought it here and it overall seems good. One reviewer here maybe also got a knock-off as they said theirs had flat screws, not Allen screws. And theirs said "Assembled in USA" rather than "Made in USA". Well, I finally got the correct part. The Brant I received says "Made in USA" and it has Allen screws. You need to use the correct cover plate. The Leviton SL701 stainless steel cover plate available here on Amazon, fits correctly. Though I understand some electric codes specify using galvanized rather than stainless for exterior applications. But on the Bryant socket I received, the screw-holes for the cover plate seemed to come stripped. I can't really tighten the #6-32 screws to hold the plate on properly. I thought maybe #8-32 screws might work, but they are too big. I could try to re-tap the holes for #8-32 screws and get some oval head screws, but I probably will just leave it as is. You might not have the same problem. (Hopefully...)

When I was researching to install a nema 14-50 prior to buying a Tesla, I read about the difference in the quality between Hubbel/Bryant and the cheaper ones at Lowe’s/Home Depot. After reading the horror stories, I checked my friend’s outlet he bought from Home Depot and when he was charging his car, it was noticeably warm, even hot. So I decided to pay the little extra and when I got this Bryant outlet, I could immediately tell the difference in build and quality. When I charge my car, it doesn’t even remotely heat up like the cheaper outlets. Invest in this for safety and just peace of mind.