Any experience/advice with using North American appiances abroad?

[crazymama]

I am heading to the UK next month and am getting conflicting advice about using appliances. I have been told that I will need a voltage converter (and plug converter obviously) to use hair blower and charge devices etc. I have also been told by a coworker that that one time they used a voltage converter it blew out the circuits in their rented apartment. Since then they have used their appliances etc with no converter with no issues...including hair straighteners and blow dryers. Now I am really confused.

 

[ronandannette]

The plug converters you buy to adapt our prong-style plugs to the pin-style in Europe also convert the charge to 110v. We used them in 4 separate European countries last month without a problem for curling irons, electric shaver, laptop and phone/iPad chargers.

 

[elphaba91]

I am heading to the UK next month and am getting conflicting advice about using appliances. I have been told that I will need a voltage converter (and plug converter obviously) to use hair blower and charge devices etc. I have also been told by a coworker that that one time they used a voltage converter it blew out the circuits in their rented apartment. Since then they have used their appliances etc with no converter with no issues...including hair straighteners and blow dryers. Now I am really confused.

It depends on whether the item is dual voltage or not. The USA uses 120V while the UK uses 230V. You therefore need to look at the product (possibly on a sticker on the plug) and find the voltage printed on it somewhere and confirm if the voltage goes high enough. For example, an iPhone charger has 100V-240V printed on the bottom. That means it will work anywhere with a voltage in that range - so both the USA and the UK (or Australia in my case!).

However, my alarm clock has 230V-240V on it, so it would not work (or at least not as well) somewhere with a lower voltage like the US as it wouldn't be receiving enough power. Let's say though that your alarm clock is for 100V-120V and you take it to the UK and plug it in. It will be receiving too much power and will burn out very quickly, quite possibly literally!

With most modern appliances though you should be fine; just check the voltage to be sure though!

 

[SirDuff]

The plug converters you buy to adapt our prong-style plugs to the pin-style in Europe also convert the charge to 110v. We used them in 4 separate European countries last month without a problem for curling irons, electric shaver, laptop and phone/iPad chargers.

Not always. Some (mine) are just adapters, not convertors. Many things these days are dual voltage, but not everything.

 

[ronandannette]

Not always. Some (mine) are just adapters, not convertors. Many things these days are dual voltage, but not everything.

OK, I wasn't aware there was more than one type available. Good to know. We got ours at a dedicated travel store and just bought what they recommended. Friends who were along with us later purchased a couple of super-cheap ones at what was the equivalent of a "dollar store" in Spain - they worked fine too.

 

[SirDuff]

OK, I wasn't aware there was more than one type available. Good to know. We got ours at a dedicated travel store and just bought what they recommended. Friends who were along with us later purchased a couple of super-cheap ones at what was the equivalent of a "dollar store" in Spain - they worked fine too.

It's also possible that you have dual voltage products - so need for conversion.

https://www.corporatetravelsafety.com/catalog/adapters-converters-and-wattage.html

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/phones-tech/electric-adapters-converters

The adapter linked to in the second link is just an adapter - doesn't do any converting (converters are a lot bigger than that).

 

[crazymama]

It's also possible that you have dual voltage products - so need for conversion.

https://www.corporatetravelsafety.com/catalog/adapters-converters-and-wattage.html

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/phones-tech/electric-adapters-converters

The adapter linked to in the second link is just an adapter - doesn't do any converting (converters are a lot bigger than that).

Thank you for the links... very helpful!

 

[elgerber]

My dd just spent 6 months in England (and we visited for 12 days) and traveled to Germany, Italy, France and Ireland. She did not have anything that would not work without just the basic adapter. All the items we have are dual voltage, phone, Ipad, MacBook etc, including the hair dryer and mens shaver. The shaver and hairdryer have little dials you turn to switch the voltage from 120-230.

 

[NotUrsula]

On most other things you should be fine with adapter converters, but I recommend NOT trying to use a US hairdryer. They pull a lot of power, and sometimes even those with dual voltage switches can overheat and cause hazardous situations. Just pop into a Boots and buy a UK hair dryer on your first day; it will cost you about £10. I bought one years ago that I always take along.