Hi I have a 120V hair dryer. I assume that it is ok to use in Europe without a power transformer. Oui? ou Non?
I have the prong adapters but just want to know if I need the power transformer too. We leave in 46 hours! Thanks

If the dryer does not have a switch to convert it to 210/220 as well, then you will blow it out with a plug adapter only. But you can probably buy a new dual voltage hairdryer at WalMart or elsewhere for less than buying a voltage converter.

i believe it converts to 240V, is this ok?

220-240 is fine. A plug adaptor costs less than 50 cents.

YES! Thank you very much! I love my dryer!

&quot;<i>i believe it converts to 240V, is this ok?</i>&quot; - you better be sure and not guess. It will clearly say whether it is dual voltage or not. If it isn't, leave it home . . . . .

I turned the &quot;screw&quot; (/) thing to point down to 240v. And the dryer says &quot;Caution please check outlet voltage and the shape of plug before use.
(I have the T3 overnight dryer and according to their website, which I checked after posting my question, it will go from 110v to 210. I guess mine is newer since it's 120V and 220V.)
I really appreciate this forum however. Honeymoon here we come! Aloha and mahalo nui loa!

Just a question - where do you buy plug adaptors for 50 cents - I looked everywhere &amp; I can only find them for $10.00?

they might be identical in shape but not quality.the $10 should meet certain standards and give a snug connection.

there was a scene in &quot;just married&quot; where two american honeymooners accidentally burned down a historic chateaux in france by incorrectly using their US appliance in their hotel room.

You can get a basic hair drier in Europe for about 10 to 20 EUR, use it, and leave it there as a gift or tip.

the OP has probably already left but a question came to my mind....how common is it to find a european hotel with no hairdryer? i have never stayed at one without, and have been to many sub $100 hotels. if they dont have a fixed unit in the bathroom they will have common hairdryers which can be borrowed on payment of a deposit.

You can pick up plug adaptors for 50 cents in places like Wal-Mart. It's just a little piece of plastic crap with slots for American flat prongs and two round prongs coming out the other end. Of course, if you want a multi-country adaptor (since, for example, the UK is completely different from the continent), it will cost more.

If you turn the switch to 220 do remember to turn it back once you return home or you'll have one damaged dryer when you plug it into your US outlet.

Also, though you set the dual voltage to 220, the dryer may not work as you are used to when at home set on 110. That's why it's a good idea to have a dedicated dryer for travel, they're inexpensive (often only $10 from a Walmart, Target, etc.) and work extremely well.

As to those in hotels, with the exception of a few models I've found around the world, most just aren't powerful enough... takes too long to dry your hair.

Chevy, I'm assuming you are male, therefore you will have little experience with the drying and styling needs of women with long hair or more complex styles. Those hotel dryers have a rather weak 'stream' of air, insufficient for spot-drying (as when using a round brush to straighten).
Of course it has nothing to do with ME, as I have very short hair that requires minimal maintenance.

this is true.none of the hotel dryers (&amp; especially the fixed units) had anywhere near the heat &amp; power of what i am used to at home.i think it might have to do with limiting the guests load on the hotels electricity system.

But i more than happy i wouldnt need to lug around anything with me.

The dual-voltage hair dryers generally operate only on the Low setting in Europe. If you want to have decent drying power, pick up a dryer when you get there.

I've found that the oblong wall-mounted dryers in most hotels get hot very quickly; I usually can't hold one for more than half a minute, another reason to buy your own. However, most hotels will lend you a dryer if they don't have the wall-mounted type.

Another reason to bring your own hairdryer, and not rely on the one installed on the bathroom wall, is so you can style your hair in the bedroom if you want to. That will free up the bathroom for your travel partner. Also, the humidity in the bathroom ruins a hair style quickly. I usually bring along an extension cord, because wall outlets can be hidden in the darndest places!

A typical lighting branch circuit in the U.S. is 15A @ 117VAC = 1755W (although 30A is common in newer construction).

As a practical matter, how much power are European outlets capable of supplying? Are there national electrical codes in each country (or EU specs)?

I know those hot pots in British hotels are probably good for a couple KW (guessing from how fast they boil), so it doesn't seem to be a question of circuit capacity (either conductors <u>or</u> fusing).

Europe is similar to the US. Multiple wall outlets are usually on a single circuit of 10-20 amps capacity. At 220 volts, this corresponds to 2200-4400 watts, about twice what US outlets provide (because of higher voltage). But they are all pretty much in the same range.

Hair dryers consume a great deal of power and can easily burn out travel adapters that don't have the necessary capacity (figure at least 2000 watts). It's much easier to buy a tiny travel hair dryer. They only cost a few dollars (or euro) and are available in both the US and Europe. They are tiny, too.

&gt; If you turn the switch to 220 do remember to turn it back
&gt; once you return home or you'll have one damaged dryer
&gt; when you plug it into your US outlet.

That's very unlikely. It will probably not work very effectively when set to ~220V but plugegd into a ~110V outlet, but it won't &quot;damage&quot; a simple electrical device like a hair dryer.

On the other hand using a hairdryer set to 110V in a ~220V outlet will quickly damage the device.

Cheers,

Bill (member of the Institute of Electrical &amp; Electronic Engineers)