Which british products don't work in the USA
 

Hi
I was wondering if our tv fridge freezer sonos music player play station etc which we use here fine will work in the USA? We bought these products from dubai but they work fine here in the uk

I remember from my last move which was only a suitcase full that my blow dryer didn't work there

Thanks

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

Electronic devices that don't run off their own adapters (like the 9V wall-wart type things) would need a step-up converter to run at 220V (US mains is 110V). You'd most often be better off selling them and buying new when you get here.

Certainly for the fridge-freezer, I'd not recommend running one of those off a transformer as they are on all day and that just screams fire hazard to me. The TV would not be NTSC so it would be a very expensive computer monitor out here.

Not sure about the Playstation though, I think that depends on which one it is (presumably it's a PS3). You would be able to get a US adapter for it and will probably get it working electronically but I am not sure if the PS3 is region free or not. I only have a PS2 and it is not, so I sold mine before moving here.

The Sonos might be OK though, out of all of those you mentioned. Not 100% sure, as I've never encountered one before.
Hope that's a start for you. Generally (though I did take my computer in bits with me) I'd say sell and start fresh with the electronics because the cost of shipping alone would be prohibitive, IMO.

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

PS3 is region free and you just need an adapter to plug it in - that one is easy.

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

Why they couldn't have made the PS2 that way is beyond me ...

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

Scousers???? ;)

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

They don't work in the UK either. That one was easy :sneaky:

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

We have an iHome alarm/docking station that we brought with us from the US to the UK, and it works just fine. It was dual voltage so all we needed was a plug adaptor. I'm not familiar with a Sonos, so you might want to check it to see if its dual voltage. If it is, all you might need is a plug adaptor then.

Other than that, I agree with the above about bringing other electricals to the US.

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

For the sonos, check the back...you should see that its up to 240v and 50/60 hz. Which means (according to the chap in the store) that you only have to find a source for the new lead. Check out monoprice.
I know that this was part of the reason we went with the sonos with the intention of taking the system home with us back to the uk.

Happy travels

A

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

Awe my wonderful big screen tv .....no hope for it? Will have to donate it to some charity or something. Probably won't get much for selling it. Need a garage sale before we go

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

Your best bet is to sell everything before moving, and then buy second hand or new (if you can) once you get here. That will save on the moving costs, it's extremely expensive to move heavy items overseas, especially when you're not too sure if they'll even work here.

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

Looks like the shift key, the period, and the comma key are a bit dicey on your current keyboard so you may want to get a new one here.

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

Blu ray isn't though, and online store might have issues if you have got some content that is region/market specific.

Anyway, wiki up top is a good starting point, as it's a subject that comes up weekly.

Things with power bricks are often ok, everything else isn't worth it for the most part.

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

Sorry, mate. Pedant of the year is all but over as a race for this year ...

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

Can't I be the dark horse nominee at least? :rofl:

Re: Which british products don't work in the USA
 

The easiest way is to just look on the back and see the voltage requirement. If the bottom end is 120 or lower, and it can run at 60Hz (Europe is 50 Hz) you're good (e.g. 90-250 50/60Hz or 100-250 or 120-240 or any similar labeling). Some devices, like computers, may have a voltage switch you need to flip for them to work.

Especially for the TV, it's a maybe, maybe not. Don't worry about the PAL/NTSC thing - that's irrelevant today as long as the TV has HDMI. Just check the voltage. If it has an external power supply instead of a built-in power supply, you may be able to replace it in the unlikely event it doesn't support 120V (most external supplies will, most internal ones won't).

As for the fridge/freezer - leave it at home. Even with a transformer, the difference between 50 and 60 Hz will do damage to a fridge, I believe.