Power Plugs

[GG]

I was wondering if the adapter I used in the UK is suitable for use in Germany/Europe for my hair dryer? My hair dryers is currently used in Australia.
Thanx in advance.

[LHR02]

As far as being 220v, yes, it should work. However, each country has a differnt 'configuration' for their plugs so what will plug in in UK will not fit the plugs in Germany. But 'plug adapters' are inexpensive and easily bought. It's the 110 vs 220 that is the problem.

ging

[Kim]

Ooooohhhh you are home!

Welcome back, Ging!! ;D ;D ;D

Kim

[me]

welcome home Ging!

plugs in germany: yes, german power supply is 220 volt/50 cycle, so that should work. Germany uses the European standard/2 round prong plug. most all places use that kind. but, the safety plugs require that there be an extender on a standard box shaped wall socket converter.

[CuriousToronto]

I went into the store yesterday with my boyfriend (leaves on Sunday for Switzerland) and we were looking at adaptors.

I had no idea they were that expensive!!!!!!!!!

He was looking to use his hair dryer and a CD player. Anywayz, the guy said he needed 2 adaptors -- one was $40 and the other $50 or something like that.

What's that all about

Somehow I doubt thast every person that goes to Europe takes like $100 worth of adaptors with them..........do we really need both? The salesguy said the hair dryer required a different one 'cause it had a heating element.

This was at Radio Shack (in Toronto) btw........

Does anyone have any advice?


Much appreciated!

[LHR02]

I'm confused here.....what this guy is trying to sell you are 'transformers' that let you use a 110 v appliance in a 220 v world. ;D I thought you had 220 appliances already? In which case, all you need are plug 'adapters'.....which are like a buck or two. Bought one in Florence at a hardware store for hairdryer for 20 cents. I bought a hairdryer once I got over there for 9 euros.....much much cheaper than trying to make my one from home work there as evidenced by the prices you got yesterday. In fact, he can buy both items once he gets there for less than the prices you got! Bottom line....if what you have is 220, all you need is an adapter. If they are 110....you'll come out ahead by just buying them once you get there.

just my .02 worth

[CuriousToronto]

Really?

So he was trying to rip us off!?!?!

Any Canadian people that can confirm this?

Much appreciated.....................

[LHR02]

IF the dryer and cd player are 220 >or< 110/220 both, then yes, he was most surely trying to rip you off. Many 'travel' type things and electronics nowadays are rated for both currents....there's a switch to change between the two....if they are strictly 110, I still say it will be cheaper, especially with the hair dryer, to just buy a new one when you get there.

[Eagle]

I'd like to add a few comments to the previous posts. I would give the salesman the benefit of the doubt, as I suspect he may be either poorly educated or poorly trained in terms of electrical matters. From the information in your post, I'll try to clarify things a bit.
> If your Hair Dryer is dual-voltage (110/220 volts), you will only need Plug Adapters for the countries you will be visiting. These are relatively inexpensive and can be obtained at Radio Shack, most travel stores or Magellans (they have a great selection). Check the Magellans web site, as they have a good listing of the different types in each country. I'm assuming the hair dryer has a North American style plug on the end of the cord, rather than Australian???
> If the Hair Dryer is ONLY 110 volt, you will need a device to "step-down" the voltage. There are two methods used to achieve this (I suspect this is what the salesman was confused about?).
- The first method is a Transformer, which is a relatively simple device that functions by magnetic coupling (to put it simply). Transformers are best used with electronic devices that have low power consumption and need a fairly stable sine wave. A reasonable capacity for a small Transformer for travel purposes is 50 watts (should be quite adequate for small appliances). A transformer is inherently heavy, as these usually contain an iron core and copper windings (smaller units are quite reasonable in weight though).
- The second method is a Converter, which is somewhat more complicated and operates using an electronic circuit similar to a power supply. These are best used with "brute force and ignorance" type appliances such as those with heating elements (hair dryer). They produce a somewhat "rough" approximation of a sine wave, so are not as suitable for sensitive equipment. A reasonable capacity for a Converter is 1600-2000 watts - sounds like a lot, but Converters can achieve this capacity in a very compact device.
While this sounds a bit confusing, there are units on the market (Magellans) which include BOTH devices in the same compact package, at fairly reasonable cost. One model has an "auto sensing" feature and chooses the conversion method based on what is plugged into it. Other models (Radio Shack) require the user to set a switch for the type of conversion.
One caveat when using any equipment of this type - these units are not usually designed for "continuous operation" and therefore I wouldn't leave them connected to the mains for long periods of time. Also, they may get a bit warm during operation. Some users have indicated that the appliance "sounds a bit different" than it does at home (this is likely due to the 50 HZ line frequency).
Incidentally, Magellans also sells dual-voltage travel appliances, should you need any in future.
Hope these comments will clarify the situation a bit for you. If you have any further questions, post another note. Cheers!!!

[CuriousToronto]

Wow! That was amazing -- thank you very much!

I checked and my travel hairdryer converts to a 220. So I think I should be okay!

As for the rest of the stuff when I arrive in Europe (and two weeks later the S.O returns to Canada) he'll leave behind the iron and stuff for me!

It's all good...................