PLMN

Will be leaving for Italy next month and the hair appliance question has been lurking in the back of my little brain.

(I am posting this question here because the voltages will make a difference on performance? Is that correct?)

I want to buy a "travel" hair dryer and POSSIBLY a "travel" iron.

I have short, very curly hair and sometimes I like to blow it straight. Does anyone have any suggestions on what brand and model would be a good choice? Under $50 would be wonderful. The smallest one that will get the job done.

As for the iron, I may or may not want to take one. (I would never want to find myself in a position that has me burning holes in anyones carpet although I would of course fess up!)

I just have an aversion to wrinkles. Although I have tried to purchase wrinkle free and wrinkle resistant clothing I want to be prepared for the wrinkles I am sure will happen anyway. I would like to think I should not care about the wrinkles, after all who REALLy gives a cr*p. But alas, I know myself well enough to know that it will drive me crazy not being able to get rid of the wrinkle in my non-wrinkle stuff.

Sooo- if I WERE going to take a "travel" iron, which one should I take? A salesperson at the no wrinkle store said what about a steamer. I have seen those little hand held steamer things.

zippo

LOOK AT THE PLATE.
The electrical needs of any mains appliance are printed on the plate beside the mains inlet.
EG my shaver works on any voltage from 12V to 250V, AC or DC, 50 or 60 Hz.
This is normal for much consumer equipment nowadays, otherwise the maker has to make different versions for each country.
Older equipment may have to be adjusted by the user - again, look at the plate.

You can only adjust the voltage, not the Hz, but only very few older devices need the correct Hz.(eg old record decks whose speed was controlled by the Hz)

UK voltage used to be 240V but has been lowered over the years & will eventually be 220V, same as the rest of Europe.220V devices work fine here.

SAFETY
If you have to buy a transformer (to convert the voltage) check the power rating.Again, look at the plate.
This may be in Watts or KVA but low voltage devices usually give a
maximum current in Amps (A) or Milliamps (mA) (NB: 1A = 1000mA)
Never use a voltage convertor without checking this, cheaper unprotected units can go on fire if asked to supply too much power.
Adapters (used when your pins dont physically fit into their socket) are not the same type across europe as sockets vary.
TRAVEL STEAMER IRONS
I have one, it cost about $20, works off any voltage.I think the make is Rowenta...cant see it right now.

PLMN

Okay, I will look at the plate. But how does that translate into the "power" I need to sufficiently blow dry my hair in the shortest amount of time?

Thanks for the suggestion on the travel iron/steamer. I will look into that one.

spiegelcjs

Well after much discussing this is what I have decided. I believe that most of the places we are staying will have a hair dryer as we are staying at hotels. While we are in Europe I am going to buy a hair dryer that I will pack away with my other travel gear so that I will not have to go through the convertor and adaptor issue each time. For travel in the US the one I have works fine. I am sure that Conair, etc. makes a travel dryer I can buy while there.

Anyway that is my way of solving this problem.

LynFrance

That's definately the best solution,spiegelcjs.I bought a travel hairdryer in France about 6 years ago and it was a great investment.

I always found that using a dual voltage hairdryer in Europe turned the dryer into one of those wimpy things found in most hotels both here and abroad.....maybe okay for very short hair but hopeless for the longhairs!

catsmeow

I did a search for "voltage converter uk" and got this thread. Unfortunately, I'm still confused. I'm going to leave my hair dryer at home, but I MUST take my curling iron with. Also, I have a Sony digital camera that I need to recharge the batteries for nightly. I will be traveling to the UK and the Netherlands.

My Helen of Troy SelecPro curling iron reads, "120v AC 60Hz 26 Watts". Not dual voltage, I don't think.

The power adaptor for my Sony camera reads, "AC In ~100-240v 50/60Hz 11W".

I own a Samsonite Travel Converter/Adaptor Kit (model #6235). It is a 1600 watt converter.

If I understand correctly, I will need to use the converter AND an adaptor plug for the curling iron. I will only need the adaptor plug for the camera. Does this sound right?

I guess if I go out and buy a new curling iron that is dual voltage, then I would ONLY need to bring an adaptor plug, correct?

Also, does anyone know if the UK and the Netherlands use the same adaptor plug?

Thanks!

goatee

Check out http://users.pandora.be/worldstandards/electricity.htm - it shows pictures about the different plugs. If your appliance says AC In ~100-240v 50/60Hz then all you need is the adapter to make your plug fit into the outlet. My international cell phone was just like this. It automatically detected which voltage to use.

Be careful when choosing a transformer or whatever they're called. The one I bought was useless to me in France and Spain because the outlets there are recessed into the wall, while the transformer would only work if the holes were flush against the wall. Plus, it would not have been able to accommodate the ground prong that comes out of the outlet in France (see the pictures on the site, Type E outlet)

kybourbon

catsmeow - the UK and Netherlands do not use the same adapter so you will need 2 different ones. Not all transformers/converters are created equal as I discovered in Italy a few years ago when my curling iron wouldn't heat/work but my hair dryer and travel rollers did. Some converters have a high/low switch and some don't and some switch automatically. The one that wouldn't work for my curling iron was rated 50-1600 watts(look on the back). I bought another for the next trip that has the high/low switch and on the back it says - low setting - 0-25 watts for electric shavers/curling irons/radios etc.. high setting - 26-1875 watts for hair dryers/irons/steamers etc.

catsmeow

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to see if I can't find a dual voltage curling iron. Failing that, I'll look for another converter (since mine says 50-1600 on the back). I have both the adapters I need, but not the right converter.

Thanks again.

greecie

I am going to Heraklion, Greece next month and wondering if a dual-voltage hair dryer 120/250 volts will cause a power outage. Comes with an adapter. Thanks.

wliwl

I see this is a very old thread, but I was wondering if anybody out there has actually brought their rechargeable movie cameras, digital cameras etc. to France and Italy and recharged them successfully just using the plug adaptor thingy. Thanks.

Robespierre

Not a camera, but my iPAQ Pocket PC recharges just dandy in England, France, Switzerland, and Holland with its standard 120-240v charger and a plug adaptor.

ira

Hi wl,

If your chargers say 110-240 V, you need only a plug adapter.

I have done this in France and Italy.