1 Gang 3 Way Light Switch - Carbon Fibre

The plate has a woven carbon fibre texture, dark and matt to the eye but with a slight tooth to the fingertips, and the rocker and its surround are picked out in chrome so the switch reads clearly against the black. There are no screwheads on the face, which keeps the front clean and lets the texture do the talking. This is the intermediate version, so it works as the middle switch in a circuit with three switching positions rather than as a simple on and off.

That makes it the one you want on a long landing, a stairwell switched at the top, the bottom and a half way point, or a kitchen with three doors into it and a light that needs answering from all of them. It sits happily in darker schemes: charcoal walls, smoked oak, black metal shelving, a home office or media room where a bright white plate would jump out at you. We reach for it in exactly those rooms, and we would keep the rest of the switching on the landing in the same finish so nothing looks like an afterthought. The rocker gives a firm, audible click, which is welcome on a stair switch used in the dark.

The body is polycarbonate with metal internals, double insulated, and rated for household lighting circuits indoors on a normal UK domestic supply. Keep a textured face looking right by dusting it with a dry microfibre cloth and, for fingermarks near the rocker, a barely damp cloth followed by a dry one; solvents and cream cleaners will flatten the weave, so leave those alone. It carries a ten year warranty. Because the pattern is subtle rather than glossy, it sits well alongside brushed metal handles and dark sockets without competing with them.

What does an intermediate switch do that a normal one does not?

It allows a single light to be controlled from three or more positions. A two way switch at each end of a circuit gives you two control points; adding this one in the middle gives you a third.

What size is the plate?

It is a square plate measuring 88mm by 88mm, with a depth of 25mm.

What current is it rated for?

It is rated 10AX and runs on a 220 to 250V supply, which suits ordinary domestic lighting circuits.

Is the carbon fibre effect printed or textured?

It is a textured finish, so you can feel the weave pattern under your fingers rather than it simply being a printed image.

Can I use it as a standard one way switch?

It is designed as an intermediate switch for multi point circuits. For a single switching point you would want a one way switch instead.

How should I clean it without damaging the finish?

A dry microfibre cloth for dust, and a barely damp cloth for marks. Avoid solvents, polishes and abrasive creams, which dull the texture and the chrome.