I'm staying in Italy for 3 months. Mostly for some hairclippers that I like using, I am thinking of buying a small voltage converter. I found some quite cheap, like $5. MY appliance only takes 3 watts so a small converter is fine. I might bring some other small things as well if I get a decent converter.
I am wondering if anybody has experience with the small voage converters, whether they work well or hold up.
I was looking at Seven Stars brand and International Brand. Thanks
Hey:
I have a fairly high amount of experience with these voltage converters, from working as a mechanic for the USA national cycling team, personal use, and now as an electro-mechanical technician for a bike company. I have used the cheap guys, and the more expensive converters. it all boils down to how expensive what you are plugging in is... if it is a 20 dollar pair of hair clippers, no worries. if it is a battery charger for a wireless drill that costs 200 dollars, is practically impossible to replace in europe, and used daily in your job... spend a little more. What you get when you spend more is not only a better product, generally, but some sort of circuit-protection inside that will protect your appliance in the event that the converter fails. I say this as a voice of experience, as I plugged in my batt. charger and watched it start smoking, melting it down in a matter of seconds. Turns out the converter was not working, and I was left holding a useless melted charger. Now I have a new charger, and when it is time to plug it in, I use an industrial strength converter.
Good Luck,
Rob
You probably know this already but it bears pointing out: voltage converters and plug adapters are not the same thing. Adapters can often be purchased for just a few dollars; converters typically cost quite a bit more.
The typical cell phone charger or laptop/tablet power supply can run on either 110v 60Hz or 220v 50Hz power (sometimes there is a small switch but most modern devices no longer require this switch). These devices need only a simple plug adapter.
Some hair dryers and similar appliances will have a input power switch; if yours does, then once again you need only a plug adapter. More likely however your appliance will be single voltage and will thus require a power converter. These must be sized correctly to ensure they have an output wattage/amperage suitable for your device. Hair dryers can pull a lot of power, as can other "heating" appliances such as electric coffee makers.
You can find additioanl info here http://support.radioshack.com/support_tutorials/batteries/pwrgde-5.htm and here http://www.letravelstore.com/VOLT.html
Sometimes it also can make sense to repurchase an appliance or electrical gadget, particularly if you have only one that needs voltage conversion.
When I started looking at step down voltage converters, I was surprised to find that there were such cheap ones on the market. It seemed unlikely that these were really quality products. Hence my original question: How do these hold up/work?
I'm staying for three months and traveling light so I'm not bringing much. The hair clippers I really need and If I had a voltage converter anyway maybe my electric toothbrush and my laptop speakers.
But as I check the online reviews on the low end converters, a lot of people seem to have problems with them. So probably I'll just buy a dual 110/220v hairclippers and hope I like it as much as I like the one I regularly use.
If anybody has good experiences with lightweight step down travel voltage converters, and wants to name the specific product, that would be helpful. Thanks
http://www.stephangiannini.com/
By the way, I already have the two prong US to Europe plug adapters I used in Northern Europe. I see tht there are 3 pin plugs as well in Italy.
It's not clear to me if I need to get something else, or is a two to three pin adapter something I can easily find in Italy?
Probably cost a lot to order something online in the US with the shipping ...
http://www.stephangiannini.com/
Regarding trimmers, I have one of these http://www.wahlhomeproducts.com/Products/Men%27sGrooming/LithiumIon/9854-600 (I see them in some drug stores and even Stop & Shop supermarkets for around $30 - $35). Works great, holds a charge practically forever when not in use. I will check tonight to see if the charger is auto dual-voltage.
The center pin of some Italian outlets is for grounding. If you have a device with a three-pronged US plug on it (like many laptop charge bricks), you will need the appropriate three pin adapter (example: http://www.travelproducts.com/italy-grounded-plug-adapter.html ). An Italian three pin outlet will accept both two and three pin plugs; just as your typical US outlet does.
Note: there are also high current outlets used in Italy for large electrical devices which use larger plugs. It is extremely unlikely you need to concern yourself with these however.
I don't trust the power switches anymore, on hair dryers anyway. When I was living in Ukraine I tried to use my hair dryer and flipped the switch, plugged it into my adapter, turned it on, and POP--it was dead. Maybe it was made in China cheap, or it could be that Ukraine's current is not very consistent and there was a surge, but now I don't trust those little switches. My computer and other equipment that had the built in 110/220 worked fine though with an adapter.
The info above though on the difference between a cheap or more expensive adapter though is good stuff to know. Thanks