Q) Should I Buy a 'USA-UK' voltage converter or a 'UK-USA' one?

It depends where you want to use your voltage converter. The first country states the voltage system you are in and the second is what the appliance is set to. So if you have bought appliances abroad and you want to use them in the UK then purchase a 'UK-USA' voltage converter. If you want to use your British appliances (and all other 240 volt appliances) abroad then you need a 'USA-UK' voltage converter. This converter can also be used in all other 110 volt countries such as Mexico, Dominican Republic, Taiwan etc

Q) Which wattage should I buy?

It is essential that you find out the correct wattage of the appliance you wish to use with the converter. Failure to do so could damage your appliamce and voltage converter. On the back/bottom of your appliance it should have the watts rating. Otherwise it may have the amps which need to be multiplied against the volts (usually 110 or 240) to get watts. We also recommend that you contact your manufacturer to check this is the correct maximum wattage the appliance will take. We cannot accept returns on converters that have been damaged by plugging a higher wattage appliance into it - knowingly or unknowingly!!

PLEASE NOTE: Certain devices which are motor based may require additional power to start up then indicated (know as Surge), in this case always add an extra 20% to the power requirements of your appliance. We do not recommend using voltage converters with TV's as they have a huge surge of power when turned on which may blow the voltage converter.

Q) Do I need to buy a plug adapter as well?

Our UK-USA voltage converters are fitted with a British 3 pin plug as standard. They also have a USA style socket for plugging your appliance in. Our USA-UK converters are fitted with an American style 3 pin earthed plug but some countries (such as Mexico and Japan) generally use American 2 pin sockets. If you wish to use this converter in 2 pin sockets we can exclusively provide an American 3 - 2 pin converter which can be added in the product options for only £1.99.

Q) How do I find out if my appliance is dual voltage?

Check on the bottom of the appliance for the 'input rating'. If it displays '240v' or '110v' then it is not dual voltage. If however it displays '100~240v' or similar it is a dual voltage appliance and does not need a voltage converter.

Q) Can I use a voltage converter with my hair straighteners?

Please read our guide on this by clicking here.

Q) What about my hairdryer, kettle or heater?

Appliances such as these use an enourmous amount of watts to heat up. Consequently a voltage converter will cost a lot of money. We recommend purchasing one of our dual voltage appliance which can be found here.