just get a voltage converter -we did and it worked fine!

Not that i sew personally.....not that there would be anything wrong if i did...

and whats with the washer dryer thing, some kind of chauvanistic plan to keep your wife in the kitchen with the white goods?

I believe you ... that you don't unite or fasten by stitches

laughed my tits off at this post!

The U.S runs on different volts and hertz here, save yourself the bother and buy the ball and chain a new sewing machine from best buy.

although to be fair some machines cost an arm and a leg - my mother in law's cost $3000.....

Yes, of course, you are all right, you are all experts after all...

1) The US DOES indeed run off different volts than the UK - in the US they are yellow, in Europe they are purple - won't work at all.
2) Connecting ANYTHING other than a bone-fide made-in-china good ol' US of A plug to a 110V outlet (make sure it's a cheap as shit, non-switched, exposed wire when you take the cover off by 1mm - mind) will, indeed, cause a nuclear explosion.
3) Connecting a cell phone charger up to a 30 Amp circuit will, of course, draw the full 30A thus causing the aforesaid nuclear explosion.
4) All sewing machines in the USA (along with, well, basically anything electrical) cost, well, so close to bugger all you may as well simply throw the lot away and buy new stuff (after all we all earn SO much more here, why not?).
5) Anyone who connects anything to their home electrical circuit is, by definition, a code-avoiding moron who deserves the full weight of the FBI, CIA and insurance companies to be brought to bear.

Now I must go rescue my son from using the 240V black and decker in the garage. The bomb goes critical any minute.

Sensible question...one or two sensible answers...many misleading, sensational or simply wrong answers - about par for the course...

OK I give up, which one was the sensible one?

Someone's got their knickers in a twist!

For a change it was not me......
Not that I wear knickers anyway......

Probably from spin drying them with a 240V plug

I'm gonna start driving on the left again. Should work - same 24-hour average flux either side of the centre line. Peak cycles are about eight hours off, but hey, no biggie.

Thank you for all the replies. I am pleased that I have made a couple of you smile. I am a little concerned about one posters boobs falling off (female very bad, male probably a good thing as long as the beer gut falls off at the same time).

I feel that it will be useful to have the option to bring our UK electrical stuff rather than buying new or having transformers.

I will of course wear rubber soled shoes and close my eyes whilst cutting into the US wiring. I may even turn the power off at the mains. Hopefully I will be able to report the success or otherwise to the group at a later date.

Cheers

Tiny

My husband was not going to leave his hi fi system in the UK at any cost so when we built the house we got the electrician to put a 240 in the living room. He gave us an odd look but did it. I am not sure how they changed the original UK plug but it now has the standard US three pin and has worked well for the past ten years.

I agree with you Andy..its not uncommon here ...but do get it done by an electrician...

I had a beautiful sewing machine which I bought while living in Germany,did everything but make a cup of coffee!,was going to sell it before moving over here but I got sick and hubby had to do the packing and fetched it over,I was desperate to use it but it just wouldn't work...I called a electrician to see if I could just get a new motor put in it but he said it wouldn't have made any difference,something to do with the power and the voltage,not to mention the cost!....so I had to give up and buy another one,real nice, but can't touch my German one!!!,I still miss it like mad!....all the electrical things over here are SO feeble compared to Europe,even hubby's electric razor sounds pathetic!....good luck...Sophia (Illinois)

Its hard work trying to find a good kettle......I have 2 good ones now.....