converters
 

okay... this is a question for females :D As far as blow dryers go... do converters really work... b/c i've heard otherwise. I have a very small 120v/240v travel blow dryer and a 1600 watt converter. Should I just save some packing room and buy one over there?

Smalls- Good question! A woman must worry about these things! The last time I was in London I brought my regular hairdryer and a converter. It worked nothing like what it does at home- it was like someone was blowing air through a straw at my head, and about fried my dryer. This time, our hotel has hairdryers in the room- we just plan on using that.<BR><BR>On a side note, I don't know where you are traveling to, but London was extremely damp- I would suggest that you take a good defrizz product with you.

Hi<BR>I haven't had great luck with American hair appliances in Europe, either dual-voltage models, or single voltage plus converter. As mentioned, the wattage is definitely weakened. I had a curling iron melt on me once.<BR><BR>Does your hotel have its own hair dryers? that's a big help. Even if you buy a new hairdryer, bathroom outlets will usually accommodate only shavers, not hair dryers, so you may end up moving furniture in your bedroom in order to get to an outlet.

Yes... i'v already been warned about the frizz-effect over there :D I'm a college student and will be staying in a Dorm at a university there for the majority of the time. So no, a hairdryers won't be provided i'm sure. Looks like I'll be buying one first thing when I get over there. I'll probably be going to a few other countries during the weekend which could be an extra twist.

smalls, <BR><BR>you don't want to use a 1600 watt converter with a 120/240 appliance. You should be fine with the small blow dryer as long as you change the voltage from 120 to 240. If you leave the voltage at 120, when you plug it in, it will fry.<BR><BR>After several trips to Europe, my wife's 120/240 hair dryer and curling iron work just fine.<BR><BR>Just remember, you will need a plug-in converter for Europe that has two round prongs, and for England, a three-pronged plug-in converter. The England one looks similar to the plug on your electric clothes dryer, but only a smaller version.

For years I used my dual voltage hair dryer, but the &quot;low&quot; setting operated as &quot;high&quot; - I never had the courage to try &quot;high&quot;. Last year I bought a European dryer and love being able to use the &quot;low&quot; setting.

I would buy a new hair dryer. You can get them pretty cheaply. You could probably even buy one online now if you don't want to worry about it when you get there.

I have a hairdrier I bought in Ireland last year - is the only thing I need a plug adaptor?

I hit the enter button too soon - I meant to say - is the Ireland hairdrier the right voltage for England; just needing the correct plug adaptor

I bought a small cheap 1200 watt hairdryer with 120/240 voltage for $12 at Walgreens. Got an adaptor for it and it works well.

Your heading is wrong. It is almost as outdated as to say &quot;how do you send a telegraph home from Europe&quot;? There is no reason to use a converter on a hairdryer. You need a dual voltage hairdryer whether you buy it in the States or in Europe. All you need is a plug adaptor -- a big difference.

Patrick is right, if you have a dual voltage hair dryer, you don't need a converter, that's what the dual voltage is for. YOu just need a plug (prong) adapter, which should only cost a couple dollars. <BR><BR>In contrast to others, I have used my same dual-voltage travel hair dryer for years and years and never had a single problem with it. It works great, is very small and I really like it. I travel in places other than Europe and prefer a dual-voltage to buying one in Europe because I can use it elsewhere. Also, it saves time to not buy one there, and if you're going to have to bring it home, you might as well have the packing space for it up-front, is my viewpoint. I have seen some people talk about buying them, using them a few times (I guess) and then disgarding them in Europe. That doesn't fit in with my values as I don't believe in contributing uselessly to yet more landfill in the world and I'm very concerned about how much stuff people buy and discard that does not degrade--personal opinion, obviously.<BR><BR>I don't know why others have trouble with dual voltage and I never have, because mine is quite old, as I said, not the latest technology. I wonder if it has something to do with the places you try it -- I don't do that in very cheap hotels with bad wiring, for example.

Not meaning to sound stupid, but.....<BR>I have a dual-voltage hair dryer and I bought a &quot;European plug converter kit&quot; that has several different plug adaptors in it. Since I will only be in London on my trip, which adaptor would be appropriate or are there multiple plug types per country?

Hi allen454z<BR><BR>All plugs in the UK look the same. The plugs are about 1.5-2 inches across, 3 prong square pin. The only exception is for electric razors, which are 2 prong round pin (also different voltage I believe). I am not sure whether you need an adaptor for your electric razor or not.<BR><BR>As a previous poster warned, you generally only find a shaver socket in a UK bathroom (ie dont try your entire kit for adapters to try to get a hairdryer to run off of the shaver socket)<BR><BR>Have a good trip!

Really dumb question, probably - I bought a hair drier in Ireland last year after blowing out my dual voltage one. I am assuming all I need for England and Wales is the correct plug adapter, right?

kathcoll, that's correct. The UK uses that huge 3-pronged plug.

As someone who has long wavy hair and NEEDS to use her hairdryer when she travels the one I have now is an inexpensive dual voltage Philips so I just twist the dial to 220 and put on the right plug. To Elaine: one tip I can offer is that I take a 6 or 9-foot extension cord and it's come in handy so many times when the mirror is on one wall and the outlet is on another or you don't want to keep moving the dresser out to get at the outlet every time to want to blowdry.

I have been to Europe once a year for the past 8 years, and my best soultion was to buy a European hairdryer. (I bought it in Italy) You will have to buy adapters for different countries, but it is well worth it. I have used my American hairdryer and curling iron, but they can't take the higher voltage for too long. After a few days, they stop working. I have the Europen hairdryer for 7 years now. The hotel dryers are usually not too powerful. Outlets are not in good places, so bring along a mirror. The mirror was one of the best things I ever bought for traveling.