Electrical adapter question
 

We're heading to the UK on Saturday. My wife purchased this adapter so that she and my daughter can use their Ipod chargers, hair dryers, curling irons etc in the UK.
http://www.swisstravelproducts.com/power/adapter.html

I don't think it will work. It converts plugs but according to the instructions it does nothing to the voltage as far as I can tell. Inputs/outputs are the same as the standard voltage in the country. Since the UK uses 240 volts, I don't think we should be plugging 110 volt electrical devices into the system. What does everyone else think?
I'm surprised the adapter has no comments or warnings about this. Or, am I missing something?

Although it doesn't say that in the blurb on that ad, I can't imagine that it would NOT also convert the voltages. It would be pretty useless, if that were the case. Did you look at the PDF manual?

If you look at the bottom of the ad, it doesn't say anything about voltages but it does list input/output. It says UK/UK and USA/USA. I can't figure out what that would mean if it didn't mean voltage.
I did look at the PDF manual and the user's guide in the package. Not a word about voltages anywhere.
And you're right. It seems to mean the thing is worthless.

That, that looks like it converts the plug-end only, not voltage. Check your electronics, though; my Braun razor, camera battery charger, iPod, and iBook are all 110-220V input, so all I need to run them in Europe is indeed that little adapter piece. Things with heating elements are usually another story altogether. Just buy one when you're there or check eBay for 220V units.

One of these days I hope to need such a device before my passport expires . . . .

Yeah it should work. Don't come looking for me though if it cooks the ipod. When I went to Europe, my brother blew up a surge protector in the flat. Well come to think of it, It didn't change the voltage obviously.Hmmmmm. I don't know man my computer still works.

As stated in #4 above, check your devices for power compatibility. For curling irons, and hair dryers, sometimes they have a switch on them that can be set for 240v operation. On many however, the "switch" is just a device that makes the thing run in "low" mode only on two speed devices. You end up with one speed or temperature only. When I went to the UK, I checked and set all the devices prior to departure to ensure we wouldn't have trouble on the other side...

They work fine, the converters contain a step down transformer.

Correct, I travel to the UK and EU frequently. iPod, phone, and laptop all work with just the plug adapter, you don't need a seperate (e.g. additional) converter.

Im looking at the plug for my Lenovo, and it says it can take 240v in....




My lenovo laptop charges everything I have via USB.

That thing you posted will step the voltage down to 120 if desired (probably has a switch on it) but note the fine print. MAX of 275 Watts! You're not going to want to power much more than a laptop or TV off of it. A curling iron maybe....depends on the wattage. Hair dryer, no way, they consume over 1200 watts, it would melt/destroy it in seconds.

Hair dryers are pretty cheap in europe....just buy one there for the trip. :D

On the page you linked, there's a link to the Swiss Travel Shop.

They state there that this adapter does not perform any voltage conversion - but only do so on the German language version of the page!

As noted by several others in the thread, this is useful as a means of plugging in devices that are, by design, inherently flexible with respect to operating voltage. As you already suspected, it's not going to make your "110 V only" devices run happily on 220 V mains.

Those "spec sheets" are pi** poor. It does appear to convert voltage but only at max 2.5A as stated by others. So no curling iron etc. Hair dryers are provided at all hotels as far as I know. There are other adapters that do not convert and they are smaller, and are for devices with "universal" input (90-240 VAC). These are things like cell phone chargers, electric razors, electronics etc as said before.

German consumer laws require some honesty in merchandising?????

Looks like the Ipod and MacBook chargers will work but that's about it.

You won't need it for electronics adapters....all modern units are fully 110-240 volt capable with nothing but one of the little prong adapters to switch the plug style. No voltage step down unit needed. You can pick up the little plastic adapter couplers in the country you will be heading to (most any country) for about €1 each, or probably not even half a pound in the UK.