So, my wife's visa is all sorted and we depart to the US in a month or so and are therefore deciding what to ship etc.

I'm aware of the issues caused by the different voltages in the US and UK but am wandering what the reality is? I.e will they work or they blow? Even with a voltage converter?

We're leaving most of our electrical items but what would people advise on the following:

800w Bosch Food Processor?

12V Black & Decker Power Drill?

Russell Hobbs Toaster (not sure about wattage)?

Lamps?

Any advice from those who have taken these types of appliances to the US from the UK would be appreciated

Electrical items are MUCH cheaper here.

Unless your item supports 110v, I would sell / donate it and just buy it again here. For example, I have a Miele vacuum in our basement that only support 240v. I have to use a electricity converter (a heavy piece of equipment) to power it reliably. Guess how often I use it each year? Yep, hardly ever.

Oh and a Bosch Iron?

I wouldn't bother with any of that lot. Stuff that spins or heats up in particular are unlikely to work well. Sell it all and buy new when you get here.

Ditch it and buy a Rowenta. They are silly cheap here compared to UK.

All I know is that my Playstation 4, laptop etc work fine but I didn't bother bringing home appliances because like people have said, they're very cheap. I can't go to Target without buying some random appliance I don't need.

We checked all of the specs on our stuff before bringing it. Brought the stuff that would work on 110, sold/donated/dumped the rest.

My wife was most annoyed that the steam station iron that was pretty new wouldn't 'travel' and we virtually gave it away. But no point filling boxes to then have to dump it here.
Here it seems to be very difficult to dispose of electrical goods too.

What everyone else said.

Anything with a motor may not run at the right speed because the mains frequency is different (60Hz v 50Hz in the UK).

Running things on a transformer is commonly cited as voiding your home insurance, so is only advised with caution, and not for things that run continuously or when you are out of the house or asleep. If you do want to run a transformer, I would recommend one rated for twice the power of the appliances you plug into it, and it needs to be a "transformer" not a "voltage converter" which is suitable only for low power appliances and occasional use, e.g. when traveling.

You might be able to find a 110v charger for your 12v drill - check Amazon.

Lamps can be rewired easily enough (the issue isn't the voltage but that American bulbs use an Edison screw, not the bayonet fitting commonly used in the UK), but unless it is fancy one or a family heirloom I wouldn't bother.

I don't think you want two of these on your kitchen counter for the food processor and toaster. Also the food processor would run slower.

I have one of those

On your kitchen counter?

See above. It's in the basement with the imported Miele. It never gets used since we bought a (insanely over priced) US 110v Miele vacuum. The hassle of lugging the transformer about is so not worth it.

I knew that. I was just rattling your cage.

Thanks for all the replies which unanimously advice against taking any electrical appliances to the US. We'll proceeded and pack accordingly!

I have 3 of those around the house... none in the kitchen. First runs the power tools I bought from the UK and is in the garage. When I get time I am planning on a dedicated circuit from the breaker box to a 220V outlet. Second runs the REL subwoofer and the 3rd runs an Arcam 10 power amplifier in the office.

As an EE, I have taken the Arcam and REL apart and was disappointed that the primary had a single winding and was not split. If it was a split primary, then I could convert to run on native 110V. Oh well. Both the amp and the sub are 16 years old and touch-wood, still running well.

Back on topic, OP - dump the whitegoods/haircare stuff. It is more hassle than it is worth. I only bought the AV stuff as it was stupidly expensive when I bought it and I wasn't ready to take a loss on them. Only stuff I would take is truly universal appliances mostly computers/gamer stuff.