what do i need to use usa bought sewing machine in the uk

winterwhite11

hello i have just sent for a sewing machine for £300 from the usa as it works out about half price than if i bought in the uk

can anyone give me a link as to what item i need so i can use it in the uk
i think i need something called a step down or step up transformer

but are all transformers the same in quality as i don,t want to buy something bad quality and have my machine burn out

i was trying to read up but got confused as it started saying something about different watts as well as changing from 120v to 240v

can any one please please give me a link to the actual item i need from maybe amazon uk, ebay or elsewhere

hopefully cheap as possible as everyone wants but i obviously will pay extra if it means keeping my machine from burning out...thankyou

Notmyrealname

Without knowing what the voltage and current requirements are for the sewing machine, we can't recommend one.

By the time you get stung for import duty, VAT and the cost of a transformer, you may as well have bought one in the UK.

winterwhite11

thankyou for your reply
when my machine arrives will it have details on the item that you need? voltage etc..

i prepaid import duties so total was just under £300 where as the uk one is around £700
are the transformer thingys very expensive?

letsbehonest

It used to be back in the old day's that appliances had a dual voltage switch were you could switch it over to suit the country you lived In or moved to, check it out first.

nickcardwell

it all depends on the wattage of the device.

When you find that out, do a google search on "us to uk voltage converter plug"

for example these ones:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Voltage-Step-Down-Converter-Plug/dp/B003OSRITG is for up to 45w

http://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Quality-100W-voltage-converter/dp/B000KGHOGM/ref=pd_sim_computers_6 up to 100w

System

letsbehonest wrote: »

It used to be back in the old day's that appliances had a dual voltage switch were you could switch it over to suit the country you lived In or moved to, check it out first.

Yes but Americans are so arrogant that the believe that everybody should do as they do so their appliances normally only cater for their voltage of 110-120V

agrinnall

!!!!!! wrote: »

Yes but Americans are so arrogant that the believe that everybody should do as they do so their appliances normally only cater for their voltage of 110-120V

You are right that this is often the case, but if this sewing machine is the same (but a lot cheaper) as one that can be bought in the UK then there is at least a chance that it has a dual voltage switch.

victor2

Electric motors can be affected by the mains frequency as well. Our friends across the pond use 60Hz and here we have 50Hz. No transformer can rectify that, but if the sewing machine's specs say 50/60Hz, then no problem. Even if it doesn't, it may still work, just run a little slower.

yangptangkipperbang

!!!!!! wrote: »

Yes but Americans are so arrogant that the believe that everybody should do as they do so their appliances normally only cater for their voltage of 110-120V

What a bizarre statement !

Americans sell 115V equipment because that is their electricity supply - why should they sell 240V equipment ?

That is like us going into Comet/Currys/John Lewis and expecting them to sell 115V equipment.

Much small electronic equipment nowadays runs on low DC voltage and actually does come with "universal" power adapters.

Last year some American friends were visiting UK and were thinking of buying a very up market coffee maker because it was half the price in UK - I don't recollect them complaining about the arrogant Europeans !!!!

System

yangptangkipperbang wrote: »

What a bizarre statement !

Americans sell 115V equipment because that is their electricity supply - why should they sell 240V equipment ?

That is like us going into Comet/Currys/John Lewis and expecting them to sell 115V equipment.

Much small electronic equipment nowadays runs on low DC voltage and actually does come with "universal" power adapters.

Last year some American friends were visiting UK and were thinking of buying a very up market coffee maker because it was half the price in UK - I don't recollect them complaining about the arrogant Europeans !!!!

I was commenting about dual voltage devices. American devices do not tend to be dual voltage,

Why should we have dual voltage devices? UK & Europe use 220-240V but devices are still dual voltage

It is not a bizzare comment but reflects the US attitude to commerce outside their borders.

bluesnake

one of these should be able to do the trick and cheap too
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/240V-to-110V-Power-Tool-Transformer-3-3-KVA-2-Outlet-/200825028957?pt=UK_BOI_Industrial_Tools_Construction_Tools_ET&hash=item2ec21ac15d
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Transformer-240v-To-110v-/380478326483?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item58964686d3