electricity converters

If your equipment is 110-240V, then all you need is the plug adaptor that you put on the prongs of your charger. Check your equipment (often posted on the back, bottom, or on the charger), look at the website or on the specifications part of the instruction manual. If it is not 240V equipped, I would not go through the expense and weight of lugging a converter.

It's very rare to need a converter these days. Most all electronics are designed to handle all voltages. You can confirm this by checking the specs on the device. If it says something like "AC input 110v-240v", no converter is needed you just need a cheap adapter plug. You can purchase the adapter for Paris at this site, click the "travel store" tab above.

Most modern electronics can accept power from anywhere in the world. Apparently India, like France, uses 230VAC. If your computer power supply and cell phone charger has a "brick" with something like "120/240 VAC" stamped on it, all you will need it will is a plug adapter. (The manufacturers aren't being nice. They discovered it was cheaper to make one power supply that accepted all voltages than to stock separate power supplies for every voltage.) I'm a little more concerned about "your equipment to charge your digital camera battery". If you have a dedicated battery and a charger for it, you're probably OK (check that the charger accepts 230 V). If you are using rechargeable AA/AAA batteries and a "drugstore" charger for them, you might find it accepts only 120 VAC. That's a problem. Finding 230 V chargers for AA/AAA batteries is difficult. I solved that problem with a AA/AAA charger that uses the USB port of my computer.

Thank you all so much for the quick response. My camera charger and computer charger both say 100V-240V. SoI guess all I need is the adapter. My phone says the same thing, but I will be doing a "loan phone" from my cell provider to get a global phone that will work in France. Surely, it will also have an acceptable charger.

Plug adaptors can be had on Amazon for a few bucks. I used one for my phone, laptop, hair dryer, you name it.

The adapters on this site sell for just $1.00 each.

I checked out the $1 ones and started to order when I realized they only have a 2-prong input and my computer requires three holes. I would hate to stack plugs by adding a 3-prong adapter, but thanks for the advice.

Electricity is tricky and you may need to talk to someone who knows the various problems encountered in travel. Typically, if you are taking components that are rated 120-240v, then you will be okay. But the problem is also the wall sockets. Different countries have different configurations. Some use round holes, some use those we use in the US. But some have three holes, some have two. For this problem you need a converter. For the big electricity eaters, like hair dryers, you may need a transformer. Sometimes, you simply need a step down converter which reduces the 240 v to 120 v. I'd suggest you contact www.voltage-converters-transformers.com.
They are in Elk Grove, Il. I believe they are East Indian by nationality and have read the small print so the speak and stand out as experts who will help you to no end. Prices are good and you can travel in safety and comfort. Regards. Ross

"But some have three holes, some have two. For this problem you need a converter." WRONG! The number of holes has nothing to do with whether you need a voltage converter. It's the wattage rating of the device. As I said, most electronic devices today can handle input voltages from 120-240V, for small (50W) wattages. High wattage devices - like hair dryers, curlers, straighteners - require special voltage converters. They're expensive and just one more thing to pack along. If your hair dryer does not acccept 230V, buy one over there.

Yes, all my devices are ok for me to just buy an adapter. I just want a three hole adapter for my computer cord that has three prongs. They cost a little more that what i need for my camera or phone that have two prongs. All of this is still much easier than needing a converter.

Brenda, Here's some information to summarize what you'll need. > The first step is to check the "Input Voltage" ratings on EACH of the Chargers or Power Supplies you'll be travelling with (and that includes the "loaner" Cell phone charger). If these indicate Input Voltage 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, then you'll only need inexpensive Plug Adapters. I'd suggest taking at least two in case you "misplace" one. > You likely won't need a Voltage Converter. Note that there are two principles used in stepping-down Voltage. The first is a solid-state method that's suitable for high wattage appliances such as Hair Dryers. These should NOT be used with electronic products such as Camera Chargers! The second type uses a Transformer to reduce the voltage. These are more suitable for electronic devices, but have more limited capacity (usually only 50-watts). > I believe Paris and India use the same type of Plug Adapters for ungrounded outlets (2-pin) but a different style for grounded outlets (3-pin). AFAIK, India uses primarily the European style 2-pin Adapter and Type F 3-pin grounded Adapters shown on This Page. I'd probably pack along a UK Plug Adapter as well, just to be sure. > The electrical system in France is very stable, however I'm not sure that's the case in India. For that reason, I'd probably consider packing along a Surge Protector. Cheers!