BristolUK

To be honest there's not much I've bought since being here that hasn't been cheaper than in the UK.

Chicken, Cheese and wine excepted of course.

Lifebeginsat36

What about a laptop? As the power source is essentially a charger do I just need to buy a compatible one and use the same laptop? Thanks!

Pulaski

The chargers for laptops, as well as for phones, invariably say 100v-250v (you should double check), so all you need is a new plug or simple plug adapter.

Lifebeginsat36

Thanks

quiltman

A lot of UK TVs are also 110-240v plus they are multi standard - PALfor UK NTSC for Canada. ours also does SECAM if we ever go to French countries. We run the local cable box via HDMI with no problem and brought a 110/240v multi region/multi standard DVD player so we can play anything either brought with us or bought here. The problem arises if you use a locally bought TV as they are invariably NTSC only - as they are here. For household electrical goods, don't waste money. Sell off your UK ones and buy locally. We're lucky here in that our supply is 230V 60Hz so other than motors running a little faster everything works fine! Our UK American style fridge freezer has been running here non stop for 4 years without a hiccup.

Souvy

I use my (Canadian) laptop and phone in the UK all the time. All you need is a travel adapter. They cost peanuts.

Zoe Bell

with regard to laptops, be aware that UK and US keyboards are actually laid out slightly differently as well.
You get used to it , but it is always fun to freak out guests when they can't find the @

Pulaski

And of course US/Canadian keyboards don't have a "£" on Shift-3 (or indeed at all), that is where the "#" is.

Buried in the set-up options for Windows, you can change the keyboard map, so the keys no longer necessarily match the symbols the produced on the screen. I think there are maps for many different countries - I know that the French layout has many more differences than there are between the US and UK layout.

Zoe Bell

yep, at work I used to somehow keep accidentally hitting the key combination that would switch between the two.
Eventually I uninstalled the French one .

BristolUK

Don't tell my keyboard that.

I just click on the keyboard icon and select UK extended and, voila, Shift/# becomes £. It didn't need any setting up, the option is just there and that's what I have it permanently set to.

Mind you, my finger occasionally touches another key by mistake and a few characters later an è comes up instead of ' so I have to click the icon again to bring UK back.

rivingtonpike

It's funny, this whole electrical goods - bring it, leave it - thing is just like the Brexit debate. I'm very much in the "bring it" camp; especially if it isn't going to cost you any money to do so. My UK hammer drill alone would have cost significantly more to replace than a 3kw transformer (as it turns out I have 220v in my garage already anyway). Multiply that by - oh I don't know, paint stripper, Dyson, Orbital Sander, Electric Leaf Blower, Inspection Lamp, Jig Saw.....

That's just the garage.

Souvy

I have the same problem with my wife. Her iPhone is franco and she likes to use predictive text when sending me texts in English.

I often have no idea what her texts mean. Then again, it's often like that when I talk with her face-to-face.

UHOP

I wonder if it would be legal to install UK Sockets In Canada and either have a Transformer on the Whole House (Not good Idea a lot of products would need to be Imported) or Hidden on each UK Socket you have installed.
In some Expensive Hotels I have seen NA, UK and Euro Sockets built into the same Wall.

Stinkypup

Very unlikely, insurance would be voided and, why would you?
I'm fairly widely travelled in good hotels and have to say that I have never seen multiple socket types

Davita

If the Canadian house has installed wiring for 110VAC then adding a transformer to the distribution-end and running 220VAC appliances out of 220VAC sockets would work....but you'd need to comply with code and insurance.
N. American house-wires are bigger than UK wiring....this is because at 110VAC they can carry more amps.
But there's a limit to 110VAC when using big-power items like stoves and washer dryers and they need 220VAC.

The N. American grid 220VAC is derived differently from UK 220VAC.
N. America has 4 wires (2 hot phase-wires (110VAC each), 1 neutral, 1 safety). UK has 3 wires (1 hot phase-wire (220VAC), 1 neutral, 1 safety).

Those multi-voltage outlets in hotels only power small amp appliances like an electric-razor or toothbrush, etc...I think less than 5 amps max.