TIL my friend's 'universal adapter' advice cost me a night in Amsterdam

Last summer a buddy who travels a lot told me to just buy one universal power adapter and it would work everywhere. So I spent $30 on one that claimed to cover 150 countries. When I got to Amsterdam, I plugged it into the wall at my hostel and it sparked and popped. Turns out the adapter was rated for 10 amps but the hostel's hair dryer I needed pulled 12. The whole thing melted in the socket. The front desk guy had to cut power to the room to get it out. I ended up buying three separate regional adapters from a local electronics shop for about $6 total. Has anyone else had a supposedly universal gadget fail on them while traveling?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivan_fisher995d ago

Oh man, that sucks! But just a heads up, your adapter was probably fine for the hair dryer - it's more about the voltage than the amps. Most travel adapters only handle European 220V stuff, but hair dryers suck a ton of power. I fried a universal adapter in London trying to use a travel kettle. The little print on those things always says 10A max which is barely enough for anything beyond charging a phone. Always check the wattage on whatever you plug in, adapters are just for the plug shape not the power load.

derek_dixon785d ago

Yeah, "just for the plug shape not the power load" is EXACTLY right. A buddy of mine bought one of those cheap universal adapters at a gas station before a trip to Spain. He plugged in his straightener and the thing got so hot it melted the plastic, almost ruined the hotel sink. We laughed about it later but the smoke scared him bad. Now he brings a proper converter for anything with a heating element.