Voltage converter
 

Hi, from the US to UK-what voltage converters work the best?? I'm asking b/c there are many different prices-and I'm unaware of the differences in quality-am not wanting any surprises once we are there!

I actually bought one today at Staples. It's made by American Tourister and cost $14.95. It's one piece and you push a button for the the prongs for the various countries/continents. But, it's only good for 2 pronged American appliances.

Will be traveling to England in March. Will need to carry son's nebulizer machine for his asthma. The machine is 3-pronged. Have looked on the Internet for voltage converters but none seem to have converters for 3-prong. Any info appreciated before I run around in a panic.

hi mary<BR><BR>you could try renting a nebulizer in England. Or contacting an international moving company for info on who sells those three-pronged converters. When we moved to Europe, we were given all sorts of information and voltage converters were part of it (for washers, dryers, etc)<BR><BR>I hope your son does well during the trip!

You can go to the hardware store and for a dollar buy a gadget that allows you to plus your 3-prong appliances and tools into a regular 2-prong receptacle.

Leslie, does your Staples converter give you all the options? Last time I was in Italy I ran into problems with multiple types of plugs, but not always the right converter for the job.

Yes, my converter has a bunch of options -- 6 different prong combinations. You turn the dial to the one you want, and it pops out. But, like I mentioned before it's only good for 2-pronged American appliances.

Are you all sure you're not confusing plug/socket adapters with voltage transformers? You can get the former all over the place, but they won't do anything more than fit one country's plugs into another's sockets. Voltage is a different matter. Standard electricity supply in the UK is 240 volt AC. If yours is any different (and I seem to recall hearing it was 110 volt in the US at one time), you need a transformer to avoid blowing your equipment (and yourself) up. Might be worth asking an electrical expert...

The one I purchased, actually does both.

All "voltage converters" (or "step-down transformers" as they should perhaps properly be called) are generally based on a lot of copper wire wrappings - - and as an over-simplified rule, the more lightweight it is, the more likely it will blow or not handle the current requirements of whatever you're plugging into it.<BR><BR>I had to get one a few years ago, suited for use with two laser printers at once - - and it weighed over 15 pounds.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Patrick, I think you might have been referring to my suggestion about buying a plug adapter. I meant that she could use that in conjunction with a voltage adapter that only accepts 2-pronged plugs.

Ani,<BR>There are three things different about UK outlet vs US.<BR><BR>1. Geometry of the plug. US:Flat with ground vs UK: square<BR>2. Voltage: US: 110v vs UK: 240v<BR>3. Frequency US: 60Hz vs UK: 50Hz<BR><BR>This is also in the order of difficulty (cost) in converting. How much you need depending on WHAT appliance you plan to operate.<BR><BR>1. Geomotry of the plug is cheapest to deal with, just few dollars to buy a plug adaptor.<BR><BR>2. Voltage: look at your appliance. If it says 110v-240v, (usually only on expensive equipment, such as camcorder, pc, or manually switchable such as international travel hair dryers) then you do not need a voltage converter. If it only says 110v-120v, then you need a voltage converter. In this case, look at power consumption. If it is less than 50watts, you can get away with a cheap converter. Above that you need a HEAVY expensive converter (as Rex mentioned.)<BR><BR>3. Frequency: If your appliance says 50-60Hz, you are ok. This is mostly the case. If it says 60Hz, then you should abandon taking that appliance, since no commercially available affordable converter does this job for you. The problem equipment are things like a clock that operates off the outlet, old power adaptor, etc.<BR><BR>If your question is about hair dryer, then the best solution is to buy one in UK. The hotel either has one in room already or one available at desk anyway so you do not need one right away. Dual voltage one does not work well at 240v. The one bought locally works super well and does not cost that much.

Spring is in the air!You can tell people are beginning to think about traveling when the confusion about converters/adaptors/plugs begins!Oh America what a mess we create Having different voltage.Even my intelligent duaghter blew her hairdryer thinking all she needed was to make the plug ADAPT.......

This question of electricity comes up often. I have toasted a few of my electrical gadgets and blown fuses in Europe, despite the fact that I'm an engineer and built electronic instruments as a hobby in my younger days; the wave generator and oscilloscope I built and experimented with 35 years ago still work. As for the question on voltage converters, you'll probably learn what you need to know on my page at www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap11/electric.htm. Converters and transformers are radically different devices, and plugs are just the little things at the end of the wire.

Most of the good hotles have universal converters built in, so you just plug it into the one that fits your applaince. Or you can ask the front desk, they usually have one.