I gave up on the original locking IEC design because the release button wasn't at all obvious and 'helpers' used to pull ever harder in trying to remove the connectors, risking serious damage!
The current design is a lot better with its big red handle... but still most people have no idea about the release mechanism, so damage is still a real possibility.
If I was using gear in situations where vibration was an issue and plugs might accidentally become disconnected I'd certainly use the locking IECs... but I don't, so I don't. The standard IEC has proven to be perfectly secure enough for me in normal applications.
I think IEC cables multiply in the dark when no one is looking... and then when a critical mass is reached they all migrate to someone else's collection!
It wasn't long ago that I struggled to find an IEC cable in the studio, but I recently had a 'stock check' of my cable collections as part of the necessary tidy up for the studio rebuild and discovered dozens of IEC cables lurking in the shadows... so I've added them to the large box full already stored in the 'man cave'. I'm expecting them all to have disappeared again before the new year!
H
