This kit is well made, contains all the plug adapters you'll need to travel to 6 continents, and unlike some, has switchable wattage to allow the use of both low voltage (eg. battery rechargers) and high voltage (eg. hair dryers) appliances. Recoton ADF1650 50/1600W Dual Wattage Travel Converter
This item offered here (Recoton ADF1650 50/1600W Dual Wattage Travel Converter) is actually two different converters built into one package. At LOW setting (up to 50W), it uses a small AC transformer to convert 220V sinusoidal waveform into a 110V sinusoidal waveform. This is the preferred approach which works well for any low power appliance.
To handle higher power, however, the AC transformer must be made bulkier and heavier (around 20 pounds just for 1000W). This makes it impractical as a travel voltage converter for large-wattage appliance. Therefore another method is used by this converter...
At HIGH setting (50-1600W), this convert simply uses a solid-state switch inside to chop off part of the 220V sinusoidal waveform. The resulted waveform, as seen by the appliance, is highly distorted and is far from an 110V sinusoidal AC voltage.
For a purely resistive appliance (such as travel iron or water heater) it works just fine irregardless of different voltage waveform. But if you ever try to power an electronic appliance (such as TV, computer or battery charger) with this distorted 220V waveform, it will probably be fried in an instant!
The product manual did warn against using the HIGH setting for any electronic appliance exceeding 50W. So legally the company is covered. My advice is to stay away from this potentially destructive product - unless you are really, REALLY careful about what to plug in. Chances are, sooner or later somebody will forget about this warning and plug a Xbox into this "converter" - only to get a big BOOM!
If you must bring electronic appliances with your oversea trips, make sure they are rated for universal voltage of 100-240V AC. That way, you can safely use them in other countries without the need for a volatge converter. Power supplies for most portable electronics (laptop, camcorder, cell-phone, electric shavers, etc.) are already designed for universal voltage, although some of them may require you to physically flip a switch.
But don't forget, even if you don't need a voltage converter, you still must bring a set of plug adapters for foreign countries.
I bought this converter for a trip to Spain. Each time I used it, I smelled a plastic burning odor and the unit was too hot to handle. I had to unplug whatever device was connected to it and wait about 10 minutes before removing it from the wall outlet. When I took it to Peru four months later, I had the same experience, only this time it "exploded" while using my electric shaver. I immediately unplugged the shaver and grabbed a towel to remove the converter from the outlet. The room smelled strongly of burning plastic. Unfortunately, I burned out the motor of the shaver. I also noticed that the cell phone I had tried to charge earlier in the day had not charged. The charger was burned out and obviously no longer works back home in the states.
To add insult to injury, I've been bounced around from service rep to service rep trying to contact the company. I've been issued four "case numbers" each time I call in. Now they've got me waiting for a call from the legal department. Do they smell a lawsuit?
My recommendation is to NOT buy this device. Another review talks of how heavy the unit is and how the user had to prop it up. That's definitely been my experience. In Spain, I had to use the two prong accessory to plug it into the recessed outlet in the bathroom. I actually had to hold the unit to keep it from falling out. (Yes, I know, not smart, holding an electrical device while in the bathroom!)
Spend a few extra bucks and get a better converter.
I took this converter to a very long European trip. It worked just fine. My family members were using it for both high-wattage and low-wattage appliances. It was very handy to have a single converter for all cases. What can I say - it worked as supposed and didn't break. The set of 5 different adapters (all types used on the planet) was very handy too.
I purchased two of the Recoton ADF 1650 sets for a recent trip to Italy. They worked flawlessly, with both high and low-voltage devices. We tried them with hair dryers, digital camera battery rechargers, etc. and no problems. They are quite large and heavy, though, and we ditched the carrying case, etc., and just threw the converter into our suitcases..
One important thing to remember is that you only need a voltage CONVERTER if the devices you wish to power are incapable of operating at the voltage being provided in the country you're visting. I found that my cell phone charger AND my Nikon digital camera battery recharger were both designed for BOTH 110 and 220 Volt operation (read the fine print stamped on the charger) so all I needed was the "plug adaptor" (and NOT a voltage converter) for these two chargers... The plug adaptors are about $2-$3 each... - Voltage Converter - Travel Adapter - Travel - Travel Converter'
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