I have the following devices I am taking on my trip - Apple iPhone 14, USB-A charging headphones, Apple Watch (USB C charging adapter), and a laptop.
I am thinking I need a step down converter from 220 to 110V to plug my apple charging adapters into the USB A and USB C ports and a outlet plug for the laptop.
Thank you
Look at the fine print on your charging adapters. If it says something like "100-240V", then
it is a dual voltage adapter and you won't need a stepdown, just a plug adapter for the
countrie(s) you are going to. I would guess that all of your devices are dual voltage, and
it may depend on how old your chargers are.
If you have multiple chargers and the laptop one is the traditional "brick", I would say you
should consider getting a universal travel adapter that supports dual voltage, USB-A and
USB-C and supports the GaN fast charging protocol - you will save space and weight by
only taking one charger, and you can charge multiple devices at the same time if you have
the proper cables and/or plug converters.
Edit - your laptop needs to be new enough to have a USB-C port that supports charging
(all of that is relevant, some USB-C only supports data xfer) for the single charger solution
to be viable). Or, if there are enough USB-A outlets on your laptop, you can charge the
laptop via the wall plug and charge everything else through the laptop.
To charge the laptop, the travel adapter needs to be ~60W or above. You may see many
cheaper adapters, but they support charging phones and tablets, not laptops.
There are many, many options and lots of websites that will give you reviews/recommendations.
Just search on "universal travel adapter" or something like that.
In all my years the only low voltage charger that I ever encountered was one made by Nintendo. "Don’t argue with me daughter, I know what I am talking about .... just plug it in and stay out of my hair" Sizzle, Sizzle, Fry, Fry ..... fortunately, I found a European one at a shop in Budapest to replace it.
I wouldn't write off the voltage flexibility of the old laptop power adapter. Check before spending money.
I use an antique Dell laptop, this one born in 2017. I just had a look at the brick and in teeny tiny print I see that it is 100-240v 50/60 Hz so I could travel all over the world with nary a concern other than the shape of the plug.
Yours may be too. Have a look, magnifying glass or close up photo helps. Your iPhone is newer than mine and everything is highly likely to work too. Just need plug adapters. If you have anything like modern Apple chargers they will be fine. Read the label.
I would recommend taking a Universal multi-port charger with European plugs - mine has three USB-A ports and three US-C ports. It is not a charging issue, it is a "How many convenient outlets do I have?" issue. Have fun.
This should work for all of your devices...
Epicka Universal Travel Adapter
You don't need a step down converter and you don't need to bring all of your chargers. Just this and charging cables.
I want to point out that you cannot count on finding an outlet near the bed; sometimes there's not even one near the desk. Taking a long cable isn't a bad plan if you anticipate wanting to use your devices while they are charging at the end of the day.
bkirkman75,
I have enjoyed my Epica European travel plug for about 3 yrs now with no issues and have also found the plug locations in some lodgings a bit inconvenient. Sometimes I unplug the lamp to use my adapter. I may have to bring longer charging cords. I use a backpack in my travels, so weight is important.
I am currently admiring this "meta-ant" european travel plug adapter with a 3' extension cord (4' and 5' options also available) on sale ($17) on Amazon. Several of these plugs are on sale with black Friday deals.
Also, the TESSAN Universal Travel Adapter is considered an excellent choice with a 65W power output and the price range ($38). I doubt the prices on Amazon will drop again but you can always create a price alert that let's you know when it does.
I hope you have a wonderful trip!
LAH
Check your laptop and the headphones, but given what you listed, I doubt you need a power converter. If not, great since that saves weight and space. Many - NOT all - hotels will have USB outlets, but perhaps not enough. And if plug adapters are all you need, that’s easy to pack. LATE NOTE. The iPhone and Apple Watch should run on anything from 110 - 240. See https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7276506?sortBy=rank
We take a converter, but it’s for the waterpick and electric toothbrushes. Not that big or heavy - we still manage to meet carry-on only requirements for 30-day trips.
You will want at least two outlet adapters for the number of items you have, with a block that has two USB outlets.
Be mindful that different countries have outlets that look the same, but are so subtly different. Some countries, Italy comes to mind, use multiple types: C, E, F and a fourth type, type L. (In Italy, we ran into the third type on night #26 of our 30 day trip and the hotel had no adapter for us; we ran into the same issue two weeks earlier, but that hotel did have an adapter to loan us. )
See
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/phones-tech/electric-adapters-converters
Better yet, see https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/
Look on Amazon and you will find lotsa options for plug adapters and converters. If you have a travel store or travel bookstore near you, go there and support it, rather than Amazon.
If it says something like "100-240V", then it is a dual voltage adapter
No, Shoeflyer, that is a multi-voltage adapter.
Dual voltage generally applies to the device itself, like a hair dryer. It runs on two different voltages, one normally twice the other (or one half the other, depending on your perspective), like 115 and 230 VAC. It has a switch to change the input voltage by putting the loads in series (230V) or parallel (115V).
A multi-voltage device runs on a wide range of voltages and uses a transistor (I think it's called a triac) to limit the output voltage to 115VAC for line voltage devices or 5 VDC for charging electronic devices (USB). It can accept input voltages from 100V (Japan) to 115V (US) to 230V (Europe) to 240V (Australia) and probably more.
USB chargers are actually voltage converters. The can use inputs from 100VAC to 240VAC and their output is 5VDC.
I believe that dual voltage devices can work at up to 1800 watts (hair dryers, 15a at 120V), whereas multi-voltage devices such as voltage converters are generally limited to 40W.
I haven't seen a single voltage laptop charger (brick) in years. Manufacturers found it easier and less costly to just make one multi-voltage power supply and to provide different power cords for different country applications.
A few comments to add to the other replies.....
No, you don't need a "step down converter". As others have mentioned, your existing chargers will most likely work just fine on the European 230 volt (nominal) / 50 Hz. electrical system. You will however need Plug Adapters specific to the countries you'll be visiting (I'd suggest taking more than one as they're easily misplaced). The Plug Adapters for the U.K., Switzerland and other countries in Europe are all different.
A few thoughts.....
Thank you all for your informative replies! I did find out that my Apple iPad, Watch, and iPhone adapters are multi voltage and the
laptop adapter has multi voltage input ratings on it. I did purchase the Tessan Voltage converter so I have a cord for placement flexibility and it has 3 USB A and a USB C plug along with the plug for my laptop adapter. Feeling much better about keeping things charged in Europe.
You bought a travel plug adaptor not a "converter" which is an important distinction to remember.
The Plug Adapters for the U.K., Switzerland and other countries in
Europe are all different.
The grounding plug adapters are all different. Different countries use different receptacle designs to provide a grounding means. For a lot of devices, a ground is not required, so a non-grounding, type C adapter (CEE 7/16) will work in all continental European countries. This adapter is approved in the EU only for non-grounded devices drawing less than 2½ amps. It is not suitable for:
1. any device with a grounding (3 prong) plug (danger of electrical shock),
2. any device¹ with a polarized (one blade wider than the other) plug, or
3. any device that draws more than 2½ amps (hair dryers, tea kettles, etc.).
For these devices, you need one of the various country-specific, grounding adapters.
Footnote 1. These devices have a one pole switch which needs to be on the line side of the input to prevent unintended activation. The polarized plug ensures that it can only be plugged in that way. Except for Switzerland, continental European receptacles are not identifiably polarized.
I would not give an Epicka Travel Adapter to my worst enemy. They can be dangerous.
An Epicka adapter allows you to plug in a grounding (3-prong) plug, but the input side does not have a ground pin. Manufacturers do not spend extra money on a grounding plug for aesthetic reasons. It's there because a regulating agency, like UL, requires it to prevent a danger of electrical shock. An Epicka adapter defeats that shock protection.
Also, an Epicka adapter has one blade socket wider, allowing you to insert a polarized plug, but the two pin male plug can be put in reversed. Even if the European socket were identifiably polarized, the device not be properly polarized 50% of the time. There might be some danger of electrical shock, but there definitely would be a danger of inadvertent activation of a heating device, like a hair straightener.
The USB voltage converters are double insulated and don't need polarization, so the adapter is safe for USB operation.
I'm not singling out Epicka. Most of the cheap Chinese junk sold on Amazon has the same problems.
Lee, I appreciate your warning about the Epicka - they are pushed pretty hard by youtubers.
Do you have a recommended brand/model with 40w of power (my Surface pro needs 39w) that you consider safe and reliable? Thanks.
you cannot count on finding an outlet near the bed
I carry a mini charger (power monkey). If there is no outlet by the bed, I use the mini charger to charge the phone while I sleep - and can still use the phone as night clock, night ligt and alarm clock. Then the mini charger is charged while I have breakfast so it is ready to take with me on sight seeing.
A few words about grounded plugs:
(TLDR: For our little electronic devices, don't worry about it at all)
Grounding is important for many devices, for shock-safety reasons. Devices like old radios, TV's, power tools, heat guns, etc... have big motors or metal chassis that are connected to the power grid. They need to be properly grounded for safety reasons, to make shocking the user very unlikely.
All the electronic devices we use in traveling, are "double insulated", so they do not need a third ground pin. Their plugs have two narrow pins, they can be plugged in either way, so it doesn't matter. For ALL those devices, any travel adapter is ok. The hotel outlets are three wire, with a ground pin, but that pin is not needed here. You adapter doesn't need three pins.
Your cellphone charger takes the input power and chops it down into +5 vdc using a FET (field effect transistor), a coil and some filtering. The output wires are NOT connected to the input power so shock protection is a non-issue, all you need are two pins.
Personally, I have a lot of two pin plug adapters I use, because the three pin ones are bigger and heavier.
The typical power brick for a laptop (it's a "brick", not a "cord") is just like the cellphone charger except the output is something like +19 vdc and 4.5 amps. It is specific to that laptop, and there are many different laptop connectors. I would bring my "normal" charging brick from home, with a plug adapter. There are a very few charging bricks with a three wire plug (I don't know why), but to be "proper" you should use a three wire pin converter.
The only thing of concern is if you're home using a power tool or appliance with a three wire plug, and you plug it into a pin adapter that only has two pins, your tool will work fine, but will not have the protection from internal short circuits that could give you a shock. So don't plug three wire devices into two wire outlets. If you have a travel hair dryer with a three pin plug, I'd buy one from this century, it will be better and lighter.
Lastly, most cheap U.S. extension cords have two wire plugs and jacks. Possibly their insulation is only certified for 120 vac. Using them in Europe with 240 vac would be technically "not approved". If you bought one in Europe, it would be much heavier and bulkier.
My new "thin" Epicka adapter has the CE stamp on it meaning it's been approved for use in the EU.
My new "thin" Epicka adapter has the CE stamp on it meaning it's been approved for use in the EU.
No, it is not "approved" for use in the EU. You, along with most people, don't understand the CE process. There is no such thing as CE approval. I worked for a company were I was responsible for getting the "right" to put CE mark on our product, and I understand what it means. CE is a self-approval process. They send you guidelines for analyzing your product for safety, you do the analysis according to their guidelines, and then you are authorized to put the CE mark on the product. But they never see it, or approve it. You are required to keep your analysis at your own place of business, and if anyone is every killed or injured using your product, they will come and look at your analysis, and if you didn't do it, you are in big, legal trouble.
In the case of the Epicka adapter, it is obvious no one ever did a safety analysis on it, because it never would have passed.
That is one of my complaints with Amazon. They are allowing Chinese companies to sell unsafe junk online. I don't think UL has ever passed any of these products, but because the products are used outside the US, they don't get a say. I think according to the Tris laws, UL should be required to approve it, but no one enforces it.
In the case of the Epicka adapter, at least the one I saw, the input plugs are all ungrounding. The British plug has a plastic grounding pin, which serves only to open the shutters on a British appliance, but does not ground it. The continental European plugs (Schuko) are only two pin, without a ground. Yet the US output receptacle accepts a grounding, 3 prong plug, but the grounding pin is not is not connected to anything. Further, it accepts a US "polarized plug" (one pin wider than the other), but European power (except the UK and Switzerland) is not specifically polarized, so the safety feature mandated by UL is not in effect.
In my opinion, as soon as you see the words, "CE approved), you know it's not!
BTW, product that are "double insulated" will have sign on the nameplate with "square in a square" symbol.
Look at the fine print on your charging adapters. If it says something
like "100-240V", then it is a dual voltage adapter
I don't think adapters ever are specified as "dual voltage"; that designation is for appliances. What you're seeing, 100-240VAC is a multi-voltage appliance. Dual voltage devices have their resistance heating elements arranged so that they can be put in series or parallel with a switch, needing either 110 or 220 volts. Multi-voltage devices can use anything between 100V (Japan) and 240V (Australia).
I use a single 100W GAN charger for all my devices when travelling. It even comes with the plug adapters for global compatibility. I leave all my other chargers at home
I also carry a 10,000mAH powerbank to charge my phone when I am out and about.
Do you have a recommended brand/model with 40w of power
You say your Surface needs 39W of power, which, I think, means it is a Pro. According to MicroSoft, any Surface gets it's power from a USB charger, so any charger with 39+ Watts and a UBS-B plug (like the one that came with the computer) will work.
Now, as far as an adapter, because USB chargers are non-grounding (double insulated) and non-polarizing, a 2-pin Europlug (Type C) adapter will work to adapt the plug for Europe.
As far as what I recommend, I don't think I can recommend any adapter sold on Amazon, and that's because they all, even the German/French Shuko ones, look like they won't reject polarizing plugs.
What's a polarizing plug? Thank you for asking. A polarizing plug is a compromise by regulatory agencies in the US to allow American manufacturers to cheapen their products without jeopardizing safety. The good way to make a product really safe is to make the power switch a "2 pole" switch, i.e., a switch that breaks both lines coming into the device when it's off.
If you've ever wired a wall switch, you've noticed that the current carrying wires to the switch are different colors, white and, usually, black (or at least a color that isn't green. The bare, or green, wire is the ground. It is NOT supposed to carry current except in an emergency, like a short circuit, in which case a breaker will blow.). The white wire, called neutral, is at ground potential (back in the breaker box, it is attached to the ground bus, which is directly attached to a metal rod in the ground.) The other wire, usually black, is attached to one of the power lines coming into the house and is at a nominal voltage of 120 volts AC.
You will notice that one of the slots on your receptacle (some people call them outlets, but technically, an outlet is anywhere the wires are accessible from outside the wall, like a receptacle, but it could also be a switch or a light fixture. A receptacle, where you plug things in, is an outlet; an outlet is not necessarily a receptacle). You will notice that, on the receptacle, the two slots are not the same length - one is 1/4" (6.35mm) long and one is 5/16" (7.9375mm) long. If the receptacle is wired correctly, the neutral, white wire will be attached to the 5/16" long slot.
With an appliance with a properly polarized plug, when you put the plug in, the hot wire is always attached to the single pole switch. That way there is no current to anywhere else in the device, and a short to ground cannot cause the device to "turn on". Without that protection, you could leave your hair curler plugged in next to the bathroom sink, and water could get in it, creating a path to ground before the switch, and causing it to turn on, possibly starting a fire. I tell people that it is best not to take polarized devices to Europe, but if they do, don't leave it plugged in unattended.
FrankII so your device has been self verified to meet EU standards. Because everything is better in Europe, especially honesty and trust those pesky 3rd party labs arent needed.
As for the cheap little two pin Europlug adapters they work great until you wiggle a wire or hang a charger on them ... then they frequently fall out of the plug especially in old worn outlets. The grounded adapters stay put. In all my travels in Europe over 30 years I have only run into 1 shuttered outlet. I didn't have a grounded adapter so I used a coat hanger wire....
(Continuing)
I don't see any adapters on Amazon that I can absolutely tell can not accept a polarizing plug. Even the OREI German/French grounding Schuko adapter, which I use, has both slots 5/16" inch long, so a polarizing plug will be accepted (either way!). And the adapter carries the CE mark. The CE guidelines have you analyze hazards by creating a 3x3, 9 cell matrix with likelihood (unlikely, possible, & likely to happen) on the side and consequences (nothing, property damage or injury, & death) across the top. The only way a device could carry the CE mark is if something likely to happen (like 50% of the time) would have no consequences, or if something that would cause property damage, injury, or death is unlikely to happen.
BTW, lamps also have polarizing plugs. Now, there is no danger if a light comes on inadvertently - annoyance, maybe, but danger, no. But, if you notice, on a lamp wire, particularly one you put on yourself, the insulation on one wire is "ribbed". This is the wire that's (hopefully) connected to the wider (neutral) blade) and should be wired to the outside "can" of the light socket. That way the threads of the light bulb get connected to neutral and there is no danger of getting a shock if you touch the threads while screwing in the bulb. But then, how many people take a floor lamp with them to Europe.
Mr. É,
I hope you used a coat hanger wire that was CE "approved" for that purpose.
I self certified it and put the CE on it with a piece of tape.
I hope you used CE certified tape!
Non-certified tape would not be as good and might come off. Then it wouldn't be CE certified anymore.
Wow, with all these "terrible" devices being sold you would think every hotel in the EU would have burned down by now.
FrankII I had no idea tgere were no independent checks. Seems reckless.
