Voltage in UK and France

Old Sep 16th, 2014, 11:11 AM
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Voltage in UK and France

I have been a voyeur on Fodor's forums for months now and finally decided to create an account. Every single question that I have had has been answered by simply searching the forums for information. Fodor's is an amazing wealth of information! Thanks to all who contribute their two-cents worth! You are definitely worth your weight in gold to those of us who are not experienced in foreign travel. I will be travelling with my husband and two kids in October to Paris for business. We will be stopping in London for about five days to sight see. I will have access in both London and Paris to European hair dryers, however, I need my own curling iron. I will not be bringing my own, as it does not appear that it has dual voltage, nor am I confident about purchasing a convertor for it. My plan is to buy a curling iron in London, but I don't know if the voltage is compatible with France? Or am I going to have to buy one in London and another in France? I do understand that if it is purchased in London and is compatible with French voltage, I will have to get a plug adapter at the very least. Thanks for your input!
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 11:14 AM
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You only need a plug adapter to use a UK electrical item in France & vice versa - or most of the world for that matter
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 11:30 AM
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Buy it on Amazon before you go. There is no reason to waste sightseeing time shopping for something like that. Look for dual voltage (actually, they sell dual voltage curling irons at Target, FYI) or 220v (which won't be usable in the US without an additional adapter).
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 12:42 PM
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So, NewbE, anything that already has dual voltage does not need a convertor? I was under the understanding that dual voltage was fine for electronics, as their electrical usage was minimal but for hair dryers and curling irons, you needed some sort of convertor so that you didn't fry the electrical wires even with the dual voltage. Am I making sense with what I'm asking?
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 12:54 PM
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Yes - dual voltage 'works' but not that great -- especially if you need the highest temperatures. Most of the time they work just fine (no, you wouldn't need a coverer - just a plug adapter) . . . BUT the 5% or 10% failure rate can be disastrous, either destroying the curling iron or blowing the circuits in the hotel/B&B.

I'd go w/ your plan and buy one after you are in Europe (Or - you can buy a European version on-line ahead of time). They are easy to find and it wouldn't waste much time - Pop into Boots in London if you are there first (Boots is almost literally on every street corner in London)
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 12:55 PM
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Well, not really, but if I understand your question, here goes:

Dual voltage appliances do not need a converter, period. There is a switch or dial type thingy that you have to move from "120v" to "220v".

What you WILL need are plug adapters--they fit over the prongs of the American plug, like so:
http://www.amazon.com/Watson-Adapter.../dp/B004WJMRRE

(Not necessarily recommending that one, it was just the first one that came up.)
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 12:59 PM
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Dual voltage means they are converted, otherwise what purpose would that mean? I have a hair dryer that is dual voltage and it runs a little faster in Europe, so I run it on low (which I think you are supposed to do). I haven't taken it in a long time as the places I stay all have hair dryers nowadays, pretty much, and I don't wash my hair that often.

I've never had any problem using it in France or UK or Netherlands.

YOu can't convert something that already is converted, there is a switch on mine that changes the voltage. You do need an adapter plug to alter the socket, of course.
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 12:59 PM
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janisj, HUH? I have never had a dual voltage appliance fail, so your advice has me utterly stumped. Blown circuits? Fried curling iron? "Disastrous"? LOL.

All I can think is that this happened to you once and now you protect yourself against it, which is certainly fair enough, but that doesn't mean that scaring travelers about a fluke occurrence is reasonable. I once blew a circuit in my house in the US when a hair dryer died--but it happened once in my lifetime, so it's not something I warn others about.

I stand by my advice. Buy a dual voltage curling iron before you leave, and a prong adapter and enjoy your trip. Buying a 220v appliance that can't be used at home makes little sense to me.
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 01:37 PM
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>>anisj, HUH? I have never had a dual voltage appliance fail, so your advice has me utterly stumped. Blown circuits? Fried curling iron? "Disastrous"? LOL.
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 02:15 PM
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JanisJ, calm down...nobody is being "nasty" to you
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 02:34 PM
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Dukey: Newbe has a habit of discounting most things I post - so that >>janisj, HUH? I have never had a dual voltage appliance fail, so your advice has me utterly stumped. Blown circuits? Fried curling iron? "Disastrous"? LOL. >but that doesn't mean that scaring travelers about a fluke occurrence is reasonable.
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 03:14 PM
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Terribly uninformed? Perhaps about YOUR electrical disasters, janisj. Having lived in Europe--yes, lived--and having experienced zero such mishaps, I do not find your advice reasonable, and I was right about the fact that you now protect yourself in ways everyone else need not because YOU have had weird disasters. Most people won't.
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 03:30 PM
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frankly not sure much of this is helpful to the poster wanting to know about appliances. I would totally agree to buy one with duel voltage here in US before leaving...no time to waste in London looking for what you want. As for things blowing fuses not likely with the duel voltage however I would say that on my hair dryer there are two setting high and low and frankly the high when in Europe seems a bit too strong and gets very very hot in the machine and I always go back to low...so I would just go with lower settings while in Europe to avoid any problems. Cant'speak to curling irons...sounds like too much work when on vacation.
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 05:55 PM
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Actually you can easily pick something up at Boots if you aren't terribly fussy. Do 't know where you are staying, but there are,arguably, Boots within easy walking distance of almost any hotel in the centre of London, so it's not like you'll be spending much time searching for a place that sells such items. I'm always stopping in a Boots when in the UK. I just like the stores. Of course, it's your decision. I have bought hair dryers and other such tools once I arrived in London and have brought them from home too.
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 06:33 PM
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Many thanks for all of the input. I'll take a look here to see what I can find that has dual voltage. If not, there is a Boots not far from the place we are staying. I agree, who wants to fuss with hair, however, I like using the straightening iron to smooth out the "bed hair."
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 06:59 PM
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My thinking is that unless you travel to Europe often--and of course some do--having a 220v appliance is less useful than a dual voltage one. I use my dual voltage hair dryer as the spare in the guest bath, for example. But you could keep the one you buy at Boots for your next trip... bon voyage!
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 07:01 PM
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And actually, Lois2, my advice here has been factual and useful, and so has that from others, so unless you failed to read the whole thread I don't understand your remark, <frankly not sure much of this is helpful to the poster wanting to know about appliances>
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 07:13 PM
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I once had a dual voltage hair dryer on which the 110 to 220 adjusting button refused to budge. It now resides somewhere in a Dublin landfill. I purchased a quite inexpensive 220 in New Ross. Before the trip I had purchased online a 220 "flat iron" for the curly-haired granddaughter.
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 07:41 PM
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"I have a hair dryer that is dual voltage and it runs a little faster in Europe" It's because of the difference between 50 and 60 cycles, which corresponds to the voltage.

If you plug you computer in, you will hear it humming in Europe, but not in the States.
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Old Sep 17th, 2014, 07:49 AM
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You can buy a dual voltage device at home and adapter plugs to suit both the UK and France or you can buy a 220 volt device in the UK and buy an adapter plug for France at the same time. Both ways will work.

If you chose to buy a dual voltage device at home, pay attention to the comments saying to run it on low. Anything that produces heat (hair dryer, iron, curling irons, etc.) will run hotter on 220V than on 110V. That is where the burning out, frying, blowing up, etc. can come into play.

Personally, I would buy a dual voltage at home and adapters for it. There is no need to be overly concerned about a one of 3% personal experience by one person. The plural of anecdote is not data.
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