Electrical Converter
 

From US and planning visit to England, Scotland and Wales soon. I need to know what type of electrical converter I need for hair dryers, irons, cameras, laptops, etc.

You need the same type converter as for anywhere in Europe -- one that converts 220 to 110 voltage. In addition to the actual converter, you will need an adaptor plug. The part that goes into the outlet in the wall has three plugs in a sort of triangle arrangement. Then you plug your voltage converter into that, and your appliance into the voltage converter.

Buy a Samsonite or Voltage Valet converter kit. Check luggage stores in US for them.

The only help I can give you is for larger electricals..hair dryers, curling irons,etc..after 2 tries I have finally found the answer!
Buy a dula votage appliance. (I purchased some travel hair rollers that work, obviously, for 110 and 220) and an ADAPTER. You can purchase one in the states or in the UK, its small, 2 prong > 3 prong and goes into the outlet. As far as the camera and laptops...no help there.

I don't know if you mean a converter, which actually converts electricity, or an adapter, which adapts the shape of the US plug to the shape of a UK socket. I suspect you mean an adapter, as it would be unsual to bring a converter. In addition, many converters do not work well and I would not trust them on an iron or a laptop. I live in Europe and have had problems with converters on US applicance. In any event, you would not need to bring an iron with you. Your hotel will either have them or can press things for you. Most laptops are dual voltage, check yours. If not, as mentioned I would not trust it to a commercial travel converter -- too much chance of a blow up. In any event, I would not bring a laptop with me on vactaion. Too heavy, awkward and easy to be stolen. If you need to get e-mails there are cybercafes in most of the UK. Go to cybercafe.com for a list.

For adaptors, from memory the UK uses three pins. But if you just but a travel adaptor kit in the US, it should have the plug you need. You can also find them in most hardware stores in the UK.

If you are using a laptop check the electrical connections because they often don't need a "converter" and will accept anything from 110-240 volts. Some folks do use conversters and hotels sometimes will loan or rent you one but i agree with the above that having dual voltage appliances is worth the expense. As has already been said, Britain requires you to use a rather unique (shaped) adaptor which only changes the plug configuration--that rather evil and heavy-looking three-pronged number. Magellans on line has pictures of it..it is NOT a "continental" adaptor which must be used for our shape of plug throughout most, if not all, the other European countries.

As an American who has lived in England for many years, let me say this: the cheap converters you find in travel shops are just about worthless. Never plug electronic equipment into voltage converters. Hairdryers and irons may not be harmed, but as they are high wattage appliances, be sure that whatever you buy is capable of handling them.

Cameras and laptops are often dual voltage. Look at the specs in the owner's manual or the back of the device, and if it says something like: 120V/240V, or 100-240V, you can use it in the UK without a converter. It may have a switch to change the voltage input, so be sure it is set on the right voltage before you plug it in.

Dual voltage hairdryers and travel irons are fairly cheap, so you might as well buy them rather than a converter. Adapter plugs are cheap and can be found everywhere. Britain uses three-pin plugs, but most hotel rooms have two-pin outlets in the bathrooms for low wattage appliances like electric shavers (don't plug a hairdryer in them, though).
Americans living in Europe run their 110-120V appliances through transformers, as opposed to voltage converters. A 1000 watt transformer is expensive and weighs about 25 lbs, so isn't really practical for travelling.

What about converters used for rechargeable battery holders? And for cell phone rechargers? I've checked them and they are only rated at 110V 60 Hz. Can the converters be used for these effectively?

The travel transformer doesn't weigh 25 pounds. It's not "heavy-duty" but can be used for battery charger or cell phone charger with no problem at all.

A hair dryer, curling iron or iron all contain high watts. You can't use a 1000 watt transformer for a 1200 watt hair dryer.

A battery charger or cell phone charger is probably less than 100 watts. I would guess somewhere around 40/50 watts.

If the appliance says 110/220V 50/60 cycle, all you need is the "plug-in-the-wall" adaptor.

If you travel a lot, you are better off buying dual-voltage "stuff." For things like battery chargers/laptops, the travel transformer will suffice.

Hi Tada,

The Canon CB-3AH battery charger holds 4 AA NiMH batteries and works on 100 - 240V.

You will need an adapter for the plug.

Hi Honeycomb,

I, also, suggest that you leave the laptop home.

You can buy lightweight voltage converters that will handle 1500 Watts, but it might be cheaper to bring dual voltage hair dryer and travel iron.

Tada,
Since no one else is mentioning the importance of matching the 50/60HZ, if your equipment is 60HZ only, NO simple travel grade gadget will make it work correctly on 50HZ. Leave it home. I made a mistake of using 50HZ equipment on 60HZ but with correct voltage conversion; the equipment started smoking.

You mentioned "rechargeable battery holders." The one that comes with camera usually are high end models as mentioned by Ira that can deal with multiple voltages and hz.
If "rated at 110V 60 Hz" holder is NiMh AA battery charger, then Radio Shack does make a fast charge model that operates 110-240v 50/60hz. Not all of their models do this, so you have to do you homework since the you cannot always count on the sale person to give you the correct model.

The 50/60hz will affect anything with a timer connected. So, don't bring a 60hz electric alarm clock - it will run slow.

The 50/60hz will affect anything with a timer connected. So, don't bring a 60hz electric alarm clock - it will run slow.

Nickn, were you using your equipment on a voltage converter when it started smoking? That was the most likely cause of the problem, hence my warning about them in an earlier post. American expats and service personnel use 60Hz appliances brought from home on 50Hz electricity with no problem, plugged into heavy duty transformers.

Read carefully the instructions on cheap travel converters, and they will say they are not for continuous use, or are only to be used with heating appliances such as irons. Anything with a motor or electronics can be ruined if you use them with a converter.

Budman, I just weighed my transformers on the bathroom scale. The 500 watt was 24lbs, and the 1600 watt was a whopping 34lbs. There may be lighter ones on the market, but none of them are meant for travelling. It would be nice if we could get away with travel converters, since they are much cheaper than transformers, but it just doesn't work that way. Setting up a household with transformers is an expensive process, but that is the only way to protect your expensive 110V/60Hz appliances. No one I know uses travel converters.

Ira had the best suggestion: leave your laptop at home [unless it is dual voltage], and buy a dual voltage hairdryer and travel iron.

Tada, I don't know if your battery charger will work with a converter - if the manufacturer has a help line, give them a call.

As for your cellphone, if the charger only works on 110V/60Hz, it probably won't work on the European GSM 900/1800 system anyway. At any rate, the charges for international cellphone calls are eyewatering. I have a tri-band, but when travelling abroad, only use it for emergencies and text messages.

If you want to convert foreign 220/240VAC to standard U.S. 110/120VAC for use with shavers, portable CD/Tape players, radios, battery chargers for camcorders, notebook PCs, this is what you need:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...ct_id=273-1412

If you want to converts foreign 220/240VAC to standard U.S. 110/120VAC for use with blow dryers, travel irons, electric shavers, etc. this is what you need:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...Fid=273%2D1413

If you have 110/220 appliances, you will need the following plug converters to plug them into the socket:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...Fid=273%2D1405

They don't weigh 25/34lbs. They can be carried with your luggage or in your purse. Probably weigh 6-8 oz each.

So, bring your laptop and battery charger if you want. Shouldn't be a problem. We purchases 220V hairdryer/iron/curling iron, single/dual voltage just for travel. It's much easier if you travel a lot.

Heimdall, you are talking about the everyday household transformers that Americans living or stationed overseas use. The 2000 watt probably weighs 50 lbs.. You don't need those for travel.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

The simplest solution is to stay in hotels that are equipped with hair dryers and irons. If they aren't in the room, you may have to ask at the desk.

I've done a little more research since my last reply on voltage converters. You can find a good explanation on a Radio Shack factsheet at the following website: http://support.radioshack.com/suppor...oc17/17799.htm.

The factsheet says that some 110V appiances are safe to be used overseas with these converters for short periods, and tells which types of appliances can and cannot be used with them.

The factsheet also explains the difference between step-down transformers and solid state voltage converters. What it doesn't say is what constitutes "short periods". It seems clear to me that many 110V appliances will eventually be damaged if used long enough on solid-state voltage converters. What is not clear is when the damage begins to occur.

Recommend anyone thinking of buying a voltage converter read this factsheet carefully. Radio Shack is a good company, and I'm sure their products perform as designed.

With this additional information, my recommendations remain the same. Think very carefully before using an expensive appliance with a solid-state voltage converter. If you must use it on 240V, make sure you have a proper step-down transformer instead. Buy a dual voltage hairdryer and travel iron if you think you need them. At least you can use them when you get home - a voltage converter will gather dust until your next overseas trip.

I like the suggestion jsmith gave in the previous post. If you can use the hotel's hairdryer and iron, you won't even have to worry about voltage converters and adapter plugs.