Buying a lamp abroad

When many Europeans change bulbs we switch off the socket or wall switch. Then there is no chance of shock. But then we are dealing with 230V. BTW - don't stick your finger into a socket

I have used my American lamps in Germany and in England with an adaptor and the local lightbulbs. I took a German lamp back to the US with no problem, again just using an adaptor. If you don't want to bother with the adaptor, it's not difficult to have a lamp re-wired.

Like D.D. wrote you'll need to change the light bulbs to those designed for the voltage. This means that the bases have to be compatible or you have to buy adapters (or non-standard light bulbs). The "big" bulbs have E26 Edison Screws in America and E27 Edison Screws in Europe. These are somewhat compatible: the European ones are just longer.
Which means that you have to measure the depth of the socket to make sure the shorter American base connects with the central contact. I think all the smaller "candelabra" type bulbs are incompatible and need an adapter, but I have no experience with them.

As long as you use American bulbs intended for 120V, you shouldn't blow a fuse. European bulbs are intended for 230V service and would not be bright at 120V. You should have the lamp rewired in this country by a competent electrician. Lamps in this country have protection against shock provided by a "polarized" plug, that is, the wider blade is connected to the line that is at ground potential and also to the threaded part where the bulb screws in. Only the little tab in the middle of the bulb socket is "hot". That guarantees that if you touch the threads of the bulb while you are screwing it in, you can't get a shock. If the lamp plug has the typical two pins (only) plug, it is possible to get the polarization wrong with resultant shock hazard. The Europe to American adapters I have found online are not polarized and cannot guarantee polarity. BTW, do any of you European engineers here know how German lamps provide similar shock protection without polarized receptacles. I'm assuming, because someone mentioned longer bulbs, that the German sockets are deep and the threads far enough inside so that the threads on the bulb are cover before they engage the threads of the socket.

@Lee: in modern German sockets the thread of the socket isn't live, the second contact is an off-center pin at the bottom of the socket that touches just outside of the insulator ring on the base of the bulb. The thread of the bulb isn't live until the last quarter turn or so. There usually is a small "collar" on the socket that protects the last millimeter or so of the bulbs thread that would be exposed during that last quarter turn.

If there is a second contact in the socket, our bulbs probably won't work, so an electrician will have to change out the bulb holder, as well. But, as previously stated, rewiring a lamp is no big deal, as long as the parts are metric/US thread independent.

I don't know all the ins and outs of electrical matters, but I do know that the lamp I took back to the US from Germany did indeed work with only a simple plug adaptor and using regular old American bulbs. I had intended to have it rewired, but ended up moving back to Europe before I got around to it. Erin, I encourage you to purchase your lamp. One way or the other you will be able to use it.

My recommendation would be to make sure you buy a bulb that will fit it while in Spain. I purchased a lovely lamp in Cairo, and had it re-wired here, and US bulbs fit and now work fine. This past spring, I purchased a lamp in Istanbul and figured I would do the same; however, I cannot find a bulb that fits! I still need to take it to a specialty lighting store to see if they can help, but it would have been easier had I asked to purchase a bulb when I bought the lamp.

@Bonnie No! Pay attention to what another poster has already said. Europe works on 230v, the US works on 110v. If you buy a bulb in Europe, it will produce a very dim light in the US. Do NOT buy bulbs in Europe to use in the US (or vice versa, for that matter).

What Jean-Claude (welcome to the party, Jean-Claude) said. If you use a European 230V bulb in the US it will be dim. OK, even worse than that. The EU has now banned the sale of almost all filament bulbs, so you will have to have either a halogen or fluorescent bulb. A halogen bulb on half voltage will overheat, I think, and fluorescent on half voltage will not work. If you use an American bulb in Europe without a transformer it will explode in a fraction of a second. If the lamp you get does not have a standard Edison socket you will need that specialist lighting store, or rewire entirely, or replace the socket.

Hi Erin, Good advice above. One thing. Will they ship the lamp home for you? If not, UPS has a place right by the corner of Calle Veronica de la Virgin #1, and Calle Rejas in Granada, called Mail Boxes, Etc. (Yes, the name is in english.) They will pack it nicely so it doesn't break, (hopefully) and send it home for you, so you don't have to carry it on the plane. You have to show a gov't issued i.d. to pick up or send packages from there, so take your passport.

According to what D.D. said, that her lamp "did indeed work ... using regular old American bulbs", the bulb socket must using the threaded "can" as a conductor and, depending on how the plug is put in, the can, and the bulb thread when it contacts the socket thread, could be at line voltage when you are screwing it in. So, always unplug the light when putting in a bulb or taking it out. Note, switching off the light won't help if it has a "single pole" switch. Alternately, have a friend with a continuity meter locate which of the round pins on the plug is connected to the threads of the socket and mark it. Then just make sure that pin is always, through the adapter, connected to the wide blade opening on the receptacle.

If I were Erin right now I think I would start to feel a little put off by the whole idea of buying a lamp to take home. It's starting to sound rather complicated. I'm certainly not questioning any other poster's statements since I am sure many other people know far more than I do about electrical matters. All I can do is report my experiences. An amateur electrician friend of mine told me I would have no problems with my lamp, and I didn't. I took the German lamp to the US, plugged it into the receptacle via an adaptor, stuck an American bulb in it, turned it on, and lived to tell the tale. Then I moved to England, and as I write, the lamp is plugged in via a UK adaptor with a UK bulb (they have some unusual looking bulbs here) and is just shining away. Maybe I'm just lucky, but so far nothing has exploded or anything. When I eventually move back to the US I will have it rewired so I won't bother with the adaptor. Seriously, Erin, I think a lamp would be a lovely reminder of your stay in Spain. Buy it, have it rewired back home, and enjoy it.

Replacing sockets and plugs to work in the U.S. would be fairly inexpensive if you even had to. Without seeing the lamps in question everyone here is just guessing and poorly at that. If you really love the lamps just buy them. Packing and shipping should be your main concern. Converting them later can be done at many decent hardware stores.

D.D. that is exactly what we do and did and it does work perfectly.

Hi Get an electrician to replace electrical bits when you import. I've done this before. That way, you can also decide on the lenth of cable you want too. Not expensive to do.
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