Hi Peeps,

Anyone know where i can get a transformer for UK appliances to work on 110 in Victoria BC?

My Wife bought her hair dryer and hair iron and she's not happy about them working on half power so please help!!

Thanks,

Mike

I ordered a voltage convertor from here: http://www.voltageconverters.com/index.html

Very good website for helping you make sure you are getting the right one and very quick delivery (for Canada).

Thankyou hot wasabi peas,

She will be very happy now!

Mike

If you have a local Maplins store you can buy one from there and save on postage.

Is there a Maplins in Victoria BC?

Mike

Um err, thought you were in the UK

It's probably more cost-effective for her to get a new hair dryer and hair iron. Small appliances that have heating elements in them generally draw quite a lot of power (~ a kilowatt or so) so need a big, heavy and expensive transformer to step up the voltage. You'd probably need a 1000W or 1500W transformer, which are big beasties (the ones on voltageconverters.com are about 6" x 7" x 8" and weigh around 25 pounds). For the $75 plus shipping it'll cost you to change the voltage up, you could pick up new 110v appliances.

HTH.

My GHDs blew the Maplins transformer in about 2mins in Toronto. Mr B was especially thrilled after lugging the brick of a thing all the way in his coat pocket to avoid hand luggage being overweight. That was 100w, GHDs were rated 70w, total waste of time.

I did replace them with Canadian ones but have now let the mop go curly

I don't have a lot of hair these days, so this whole area of GHDs (not sure what they are exactly, but I'm guessing they're some sort of hair straighteners) is a mystery to me... but 70w? That'd be, like, using a lightbulb to iron a shirt! Maybe they draw a lot more current at startup, or something, which is why they blew a 100w transformer quickly. I'm sure somebody who knows more about both electricals and hair products will correct me in due course

Hi Mike,

A friend of mine bought 3 transformers off EBAY for about $50, I think. All arrived and worked ok... The Source here in Calgary where charging $150 per unit if you don't trust online stuff..

Cheers

Dobbie

I don't understand anything about electricity but they do heat up to sth like 400F in 10 seconds iirc.

The latest model GHDs are dual-voltage so frizzy new immigrants will be spared the trauma

Desire68 there is a Source (as recommended by Dobbie) downstairs in the Bay Centre.

If your wife didn't bring dual voltage hair iron from UK, I got replacement GHDs (mark 4) with the new international voltage conversion from a shop called Sephora when we got the clipper to Seattle. You can also get them off US ebay sellers, though obviously risking they might be counterfeit.

My OH's degree was electrical engineering - he says it's an utter waste of time to take UK appliances that need 220-240v to Canada as even with a transformer it is a most inefficent waste of power... just put your hand over the transformer while operating the UK electrical stuff and feel the heat being wasted (however if you like burning £5 notes... or are determined to conduct a one-person campaign to add to global warming...

My GHD's broke as soon as i arrived :curse: only had them 6 mths, but i have found some here at a hairdressers in the woodgrove, they dont call them GHD's here they are known as CHI and are exactly the same. as the UK ones.

I have never understood this obsession with straight hair.

I had my hair dressor in England come at me with a pair of those irons 'erm, I don't think so'... 'oh, try it... it's fashionable'... 'I don't do fashion'... 'oh trrrry'... 'ok'.... 'I look like a drowned rat... a fashionable drowned rat'... 'mmm, yes...' and then I ran home and washed it and let it be free.