Cheap Electrical Plug Adapters...Quick?
 

Hey all,

I'm leaving for a RTW trip in 2 weeks and in all of my planning I forgot to purchase some plug adapters. I'll be in Australia, Singapore, HKG, Thailand, the UK and Japan. I already have Australian adapters and it's my understanding that Japan and Thailand use the normal US plug. That leaves the UK adapter for UK, Singapore, and Japan. I'm OK with buying one at a Radioshack or Brookstone type place, but since I need 3-4 of them, I figured I could order over the web. Unfortunately, it seems most of the places that sell the cheap ones are Ebay-type importers or the like. I'm not sure I'll get them in time with these sellers.

Anyone have experience with a particular seller? Only requirements are reasonably cheap - i.e. less than $3 a pop and reasonable/reliable shipping.

Thanks.

Have you thought about buying just a single adapter like THIS. I got mine at the Samsonite store locally, but I was in Walmart last week and they had a product that looked identical under a different brand name. I've used mine all over the place, most recently Hong Kong, Singapore, London, and Australia.

Cheap should not really matter too much as long as it is a solid build and you are sure the electronics you are hooking up support the local voltage. I have had great experience with http://www.dealextreme.com/ in the past, however they standard shipping can take a little time, they do have expedited shipping. They have unbeatable prices. If I had to pick one up locally however, I know I would go to Frys Electronics for an inexpensive solution.

The last set I got was at Target. They have one you can order on-line for $29.
http://www.target.com/International-...dapters&page=1

I got something similar last year at a store.

When I was looking, and time wasn't an issue, I ended up at the radio shack down the street. The price was better then paying half price online, then over the cost for shipping. Luggage stores, airport shops, etc all have them, and they are all about the same price. Even saving a dollar or two wouldn't be worth the possibility of an online order not getting here in time.

Thanks for the suggestions..although the Samsonite version linked above is a little pricier and larger than I expected, its actually a decent deal especially for Amazon Prime members. I'll check out Radioshack tomorrow. If not, maybe I'll put an order in to Deal Extreme with the express shipping, hopefully I have enough time for that.

I have the same adapter under a different brand name. I always chuckle when I recall another poster in this forum commenting that his was nicknamed "Sparky" for a reason... mine is too. It gets the job done but feels flimsy and always makes me a little nervous when I plug it in.

monoprice has the same type of adapter for half the price. And their shipping is very reasonable and fast.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

dealextreme is great, but I don't think you can rely on the item getting to you in time.

-David

One recommendation is to pick up one of the 'universal' power adapters with multiple extendable prongs as others have mentioned AND a small cheap standard US power strip. This will let you plug in multiple devices simultaneously (laptop, cell phone, camera battery charger...) without having to carry an adapter for each device.

You MUST make sure that the power strip can handle 240V. Pilot lights & surge suppression strips with MOVs can go poof on you. Usually cheapies from the hardware store with a molded socket are fine but I travel with one of the Monster "Outlets to Go" strips which are available on-line or at Circuit City. It does have a LED in the plug but the manufacturer claims it'll work on 110/240. I've used it in Australia & UK with no problems.

Note that if you are in a 240V country that the strip will be carrying 240V. Most modern electronic travel devices are good to go but please make sure by verifying on each wall wart that it states input: 110-240V 50-60Hz so that you won't have a visit from the local fire authority.

Are you in NYC as your profile indicates?

Go to Data Vision on 39th & 5th. Downstairs behind the counter on the left they have a ton of adapters for ~$1-2 each. I've always used them as my primary source if I'm in town. They aren't fancy at all, but they work.

Thanks man, I work at 42nd and Madison so that's perfect for me.

Thanks to everyone else for their suggestions as well. I may end up picking up some of those other adapters as well for future use.

If you want really cheap adapters, see these guys: Bombay Electronics.

If you want the absolute highest quality, including an earlier mentioned power strip that will take 240V, see http://www.europlugs.com/.

I've purchased from both. Europlugs stuff is built like tanks.

Thanks for the Europlugs link. I'm stationed in the UK for the next few years and as such, have plenty of different devices with U.S., U.K., and German plugs requiring all sorts of different adapters all in the same area... those power strips look to be a great solution.

I just bought 4 of these lastweek for an upcoming trip. Total including shipping was Less than $8. It arrived in a couple of days.

http://www.world-import.com/WMU5.htm