travelfan1

It works with DH's shaver but not my curling iron or my digital battery charger...and I had posted a question about the batteries and was told it will work. Does anyone know what the problem is? Thanks.

ira

Hi D,

If your battery charger says 110-220V it does not need a converter.

Buy a curling iron in Italy.

dutyfree

AGree with Ira-always just buy any heated appliance because even with a converter you eventually "fry" stuff with continuous use. Curling irons are very cheap at places like Upim in Italy so check there.

cruiseluv

travelfan,

a couple of years ago I brought a converter to Italy and it wouldn't work with my hair flat iron. I think the problem is that things like curling irons and flat irons would require a more powerful converter to achieve the high level of heat.

I ended buying a 220 flat iron and a blow dryer which I use everytime I go to Europe. It has been money very well spent

logos999

To quote your answer in regard to the battery charger:

"Author: travelfan1
Date: 01/24/2008, 04:02 pm

Can I claim senior moment and electronically challenged? Thank you so much djk..it does say AC 100-240... so I'm good to go since I do have an adapter."

and

"..in Italy and my converter doesn't work", "had posted a question about the batteries and was told it will work."

Michael

My converter has two settings: a low one for things like an electric toothbrush and a high one for an iron, or presumably a curler. Check if that is the case with your converter.

logos999

You need to know what you're doing!

I've bought a Philips $38 DVD player in the US at walmart two weeks ago. It's working nicely with a 5€ transformer that I've bought here in Munich. (PAL and codefree) The Philips has a 120V switching power supply. I know this will work properly only with a transformer. Don't ever try to use converters with devices that have switching power supplies.

As a non pro, how do you know what kind of power supply you've got? Well, you don't. Have someone that knows take a look at it, if you don't, be prepared that it may just not work or things worse may happen.

And don't expect the people at WM to have the slightest idea about things like that.

travelfan1

I have a high and low switch on the converter...neither work with the charger or the iron. My adaptor, for "Northern Europe" does not fit in the hotel outlet. It did fit on a prior visit...I guess that's my main problem.

Thanks anyway.

logos999

>My adaptor, for "Northern Europe" does not fit in the hotel outlet.

That seems to be the problem.
You'll never know what you get in italy. They should have switched to europlugs years ago, but some just didn't. Don't try using the converter with your battery charger! It might break both, the converter as well as the charger.

Michael

Reading logos999's last comment, how does one recharge batteries for digital cameras that have proprietary batteries if one cannot use the converter?

Mimar

For recharging your digital camera batteries, your charger will probably work over the 110-220V range. (Look at the small print on your recharger.) You just need an adapter for the plug ends. An appropriate adapter is what the OP needs.

logos999

Those chargers will usually have a 220V (240V) input. Just use a plug adapter. If they do happen to have a switching power supply at 120V only and you want to use it in Europe, make sure you use a real transformer. (Havy chunk of iron, sold for about 5&euro. This will work. Don't use switching power supplies with converters! Just use a transformer like I did, with the DVD player, works fine!

dutyfree

There is a special southern Europe adapter that I use everyweek in Rome-a little different than the one that I use in Paris,Frankfurt,etc.

rfbk50

I learned the hard way in Ireland about my curling iron (Revlon brand). I used an adapter and a converter and the darn thing would not work. When I got home I read the instructions and found out that it already had a built-in "step-down" feature. All I needed was the plug adapter. Now I have no problem using it all over Europe and it works fine. (PS. You know I didn't keep the original instructions - I had to go to a K-mart and read the ones in the box!)