Kensington 33117 International All-in-One Travel Plug Adapter
by Kensington
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List Price: Our Price: $10.97 You Save: $9.02 (45%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Kensington 33117 International All-in-One Travel Plug Adapter
Customer Review: Works fine in Singapore! (and in China)
Summary: 5 Stars
Based on some of the reviews, I'm concluding a lot of people haven't been to many countries where the voltage is 220-240. Yes, this is a plug adapter ONLY, it is NOT a voltage converter (Kensington says so right on their website: "Suitable for most consumer electronics. Does not reduce or convert electrical voltage. Not for use with high-watt devices such as hairdryers and irons. Please check electronic device specifications before using.")
That said, this adapter worked fine for me during my entire 10 day stay in Singapore. I charged both my Canon Digital SLR camera's battery via the Canon charger AND my Sony video camcorder via the AC adapter; I read the fine print on both products and they are both auto voltage switching. Make sure you do your research before you leave the country and you'll be all set with fewer headaches later on. :)
***11/8/2008 update***
There are some mixed reviews on using this in China. China has 3 types of outlets (all are 220 volts). It WILL work in the outlets which are the same three prong type used in Singapore and Hong Kong (this type can be found in Guangzhou). The other two types of outlets are either two vertical flat blades (look similar to the US type) OR two diagonal flat blades. This product WORKS FINE in the two vertical flat blades type outlet, BUT it's a hit or miss on the diagonal flat blades (sometimes they require a 3rd ground prong to be inserted and this adapter does NOT have that 3rd prong). I tried the "wiggle" method mentioned on another review and here's what I found from a recent trip to Guangxi and Yunnan Provinces when using the diagonal flat prongs:
Did not work in the hotels I stayed at in Guilin, Kunming, nor Shangri-la when using the diagonal flat prongs.
Did work in the hotels I stayed at in Dali and Lijiang when using the diagonal flat prongs.
Works perfectly in Hong Kong (uses the 3 prong type outlet).
Just as a reminder, this DOES work fine in China with the two vertical flat prong outlets (interestingly enough, in China they often have both the two vertical flat prong outlets and the two diagonal prongs with the 3rd ground on the same outlet faceplate).
Customer Review: Works great for me, no pieces to loose.
Summary: 4 Stars
This adapter works great for me plugging my notebook and other items in Ireland and the UK.
I've bought several travel adapters, but always loose the little pieces in about 45 seconds... So the all-in-one feature (1 piece, no additional pieces) works absolutely perfectly for me and I'll never consider anything else.
I've read a few people mention something about it not working because of the third prong. I'm not 100% sure what they're talking about, but the device DOES have a hole for a third (ground) prong for U.S. devices. and probably non-US devices (I only tried US devices.) You CAN plug in a device with a third prong, and you can plug this device into outlets requiring a third prong as well.
However, it is a no-connect meaning the third prong doesn't really do anything except allow the plug to physically fit into the device or the adapter into the wall. I suppose this is not ideal (a connected third prong would have been better) however in actual fact everything I tried on it worked perfectly. I've tried 3 notebooks (an older HP notebook, A brand new HP notebook, and a new MacBook) as well as a variety of chargers and routers and they all work, at least in Ireland and the U.K. Perhaps there are some devices that don't work with a nonconnected third prong but I haven't found any yet.
I don't want to flame other reviewers (perhaps they have found combinations that do not work for some reason), but rather am just relaying my experience, which is that everything I have tried works everywhere I tried it, and I'm even a gadget guy!
I am now ordering the white travel adapter (different manufacturer) which seems to have the same basic features as this one but is 1/2 the price... I'll let everyone know how it compares to this one!
Customer Review: Worked well with a small tweak
Summary: 4 Stars
I understand that some people had some difficulty getting this plug adapter to work with 3-prong plugs. I did, too. However, to say that it doesn't work with 3-pronged plugs is absolutely false.
There is a hole in the back of the unit where the grounding prong goes when you plug in a North American plug into the unit. It's a very tight fit. So tight, in fact, that the back cover of the unit came off when I was trying to remove the test plug I put in there. But once the back cover came off, I noticed that it was nothing more than a hole. This plug adapter does not ground the item you plug into it. So it doesn't electrically connect to the grounding plug.
Therefore, I used my brain just a tiny bit and expanded the size of the hole for the grounding plug, first with a pocket knife, and then with a drill bit. Presto, 3-pronged happiness.
The most important things to take away from this are:
1. This unit does not ground the device you're plugging into it.
2. A little bit of brain power goes a long way.
Now, back to the plug adapter. It's not grounded, but it is fuse-protected. And the fuse is very easy to get to (on the front side is a small screw cover that opens to reveal the fuse), plus it stores a spare fuse in the back, behind that little cover that I accidentally pulled off when my 3-prong plug got stuck. It comes with one spare fuse.
Other than the issue with the grounding prong hole, the unit is very well designed. As you slide each adapter forward, small dust covers appear and close the slots for the other adapters (very well thought out). Compact, easy to use, and well designed with the exception of the grounding plug hole.
Customer Review: Great All-in-One Adapter, works in China
Summary: 4 Stars
I just got back from China visiting Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi, Hong Kong, and other places I forgot. I did not encounter any major problems when using this adapter. Most places in China uses an outlet that includes a V shape and/or 2 prong rounded. However, the 2 prong rounded outlet has a 2-in-1 and is able to fit the 2 straight plugs that DO NOT have the holes (the standard for U.S plugs has the holes, so do not plug the U.S. plugs in the China outlet or else sparks will fly).
Of all the hotels I've been in, I could not use the V shape one except for one hotel in Xian. It seems the Kensington's adapter's V shape is slightly larger than the standard China plugs which is why it didn't fit. Pretty much all of the outlets (with the 2 prong rounded outlet) were able to fit the 2 prong rounded adapter. The minor problems with using the 2 prong rounded plug was that it felt a little loose especially for some electronics that uses a large base for a plug, like the Apple Macbook and if you have to connect a transformer to it. But these problems were only minor and I did not miss a charge at all over my 3 week stay in China. Hong Kong uses a differently plug which uses 3 large rectangular prongs. The adapter has that included as well and worked without problems.
This adapter saves you the trouble of carrying so many pieces. I bought two of these for my trip to China and my sister was amazed at how convenient it was to use and carry so I gave one to her. I would highly recommend it for anyone traveling to China. But if you want to use the V outlet or the U.S 3 prong w/ground instead, I suggest buying another adapter for that.
Customer Review: Good product but it will not convert your voltage ! ! !
Summary: 3 Stars
The KMW33117 is a compact, light weight, a bit overpriced but it will allow you to "plug in" your US device into just about any outlet in the world. However, this device WILL NOT CONVERT YOUR VOLTAGE. I actually did not realize this until I took the product out of its packaging in Beijing China where I discovered a red sticker wrapped around the device stating that "THIS DEVICE WILL NOT CONVERT VOLTAGE". OK, wasn't that the point of purchasing this product in the first place ? Great, I can plug it in but I also may fry all of my electronic equipment in the process. However, what KM failed to inform to its consumer public is that most laptops and cell phone chargers already have a voltage converter built into their chargers (and AC power strips in the case of the laptops) and in these cases, all that is required is a "plug adapter" like the one from KM. However, however, some electronics, like my wife's hair-dryer require a VOLTAGE CONVERTOR in addition to a plug adapter like KM's. I suggest you bring along both just in case. You can find Voltage Converters at Radio-Shack but they are bulky, heavy and expensive. You're phone and laptop chargers will tell you is if they have built in "voltage converters". Look to see if they have written on them "...110v to 240 and 50Hz to 60Hz", if so then you are OK to go with just the "plug adapter"
Safe travels.