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Plug Adapters & Converters - The Real Deal?

Posted by (Harrisburg, PA, USA) on

Can someone that's recently been to Italy please confirm this for me? We have bought the plug adapters with the 2 and 3 round prongs (we have a few of each). But we haven't bought any converters because it is my understanding that we don't need any IF our equipment says "100V-240V AC 50/60Hz". For example, my iPhone charger, camera charger, and iPhone speakers say that. But we are so worried to have one of these items fried if we happen to be wrong. Am I correct that we don't need the converter, just the adapter and it will just automatically switch the voltage to the right one? (My hair dryer is dual voltage but has an actual switch on it).

Thanks for your help!

Posted by
6898 posts

If your equipment says 110v-240v AC 50/60hz you do not need a converter. Your equipment will auto-sense the voltage and operate correctly. I do worry a bit about the hair dryer. It's not because of the switch - it's how many watts it might be. American hair dryers can be 1200-1600 watts. That's a lot of power (up to 15amps draw @ 110V). Here in America, a typical home can provide that level of power. However, in many small and older places in Europe, you might find shared circuits. The amperage is spread around a bit. Just be cautious.

Posted by
32 posts

oh really? My travel hair dryer says 1500 watts. I don't know if I've seen a dual wattage one with less watts though.

Posted by
495 posts

1500W is not an unusually high power consumption for hair dyers in Europe. Most dryers in the shops are 2kW so I really wouldn't worry.

The thing to remember is that electrical power is proportional to both the current and the voltage - one feature of North America's 110V system is that devices pull twice the current they would in Europe. A 1.5kW device will only draw 6-7 amps running at 230-240V.

Posted by
23269 posts

Also, most hotels and even B&Bs provide hair dryers so you may what to reconsider taking one.

Posted by
32212 posts

Deanna,

If you've checked ALL of the devices you'll be travelling with and they all indicate "100-240 VAC - 50/60 Hz", then you'll be fine with just Plug Adapters. There's no point in carrying a Voltage Converter unless absolutely necessary.

I have just returned from Italy, and all of the outlets that I encountered were equipped with three round pins, arranged horizontally. My two-pin Plug Adapters worked just fine.

As mentioned in a previous post, many Hotels these days provide Hair Dryers, so you may want to leave your Dryer at home. If you do decide to take the Dryer, I'd suggest putting a label or something on it so that you don't forget to change the setting to 220 volts.

Regarding your I-Phone, I'm assuming you'll be blocking the data function before switching on in Europe (E-mail / Net browsing). Data roaming charges in Europe are EXTREMELY expensive!

Happy travels!

Posted by
319 posts

Yes, you're right. I promise. Both the 2 and 3 pronged adapters will work. I use an adaptor for all the items you listed and never had an issue.

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