Ceptics Universal Travel Adapter Kit

I recently bought a hair styler shipped from the UK (220v) so I could use it while travelling to other 220v countries. But I still need a plug converter. I bought this one. Everything worked as hoped when I travelled to China (220v) and used the UK hair styler. The converter seems well built. I want to buy another of these converters to give as a gift, but the price has gone up 20% in two weeks, why?

This is a type-n adapter (Brazil and South Africa) to US plug. I like country specific plugs because they tend to be much smaller than the multi adapter plugs and many hotels have really poor outlets, causing heavier adapters to disconnect.

This adapter is small enough and the price was right. The only missing feature is that you cannot plug a 3-pin american plug on the side of the adapter (you can in the front). This made my life difficult on a recent trip where not much space was available at the front of the adapter.

Other than that, it works really well. Always keep in mind that it will not step down or up voltages and frequencies — your charger/device must support the country’s voltage and frequency or bad things will happen.

This is a very good, versatile travel plug. I recently used it on a trip to Europe–it met all my power and recharging needs. Only downside is it is a bit heavy and had to be propped up to keep it tightly plugged into the hotel wall outlet. Other smaller/lighter travel plugs may do the same job but will not have the versatility of plug-in stations as provided by this product.

With four of us travelling and a number of devices needing a recharge, this multi-plug adapter with the USB slots and regular plug-ins was a great travel companion. Many accommodations seem to have only one or two convenient plugs for charging overnight, so this saved us. And it doesn’t feel as cheaply constructed as some of the adapters we’ve used in the past.

While most places nowadays have the Canadian plugs, it was nice having this as a backup when you run out of the western ones. Stayed in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Ko Samui and this worked perfectly.

I used this adapter daily on a (nearly) 3-week trip to Sri Lanka which uses type G outlets and 230V/50Hz AC power. The built-in USB charger was great; we used the USB-C output cable to charge my Google Pixel and one of the USB-A outputs to charge my wife’s iPhone. The LED indicators showing the power type (115VAC or 230VAC) were a nice touch that also shows if power is on at the outlet. We were able to use our other devices (laptops, etc.) which have universal AC inputs with the USA type B AC outlets with no problems. The carry bag was a nice touch and fit both this and a couple of extra plug adapters.

This is one of the very few such devices with an independent test lab (ETL) compliance certification. I do a lot of electronics design work and I am shocked (ahem) that so many AC-powered devices are lacking testing/certification by an NRTL (should show mark from one of: UL, ETL, TUV, MET, or CSA). The testing/certification adds some cost, but for AC-powered devices, particularly with 230vac, I would not buy something that has not been independently safety tested. Don’t be fooled by the myriad other markings on many devices (FCC, CE, etc.); those are not third-party safety testing. Kudos for Ceptics for doing the right thing!

NOTE: the AC outlets on this (and most converters of this sort) just adapt the physical form factor of the plugs; they do NOT convert the voltage, so make sure whatever you plug into them is rated for use at the outlet voltage. If you are using it in a country with 230v power, do NOT plug in a device that is not rated for 230vac operation. Many devices are now universal (95-235VAC 50/60 Hz) but not all of them are. Read the acceptable voltage range on your device before plugging it in. If your device is only rated for 115vac, it will likely be destroyed (possibly in a dangerous way) if you plug it in while the main outlet is supplying 230vac. There are converters that will also convert the voltage, but those are significantly larger, heavier, and more expensive…in almost all cases you’re better off just traveling with appliances that support universal voltage and a plug adapter like this one.