Can I charge this US Braun electric shaver in Europe (Portugal)?
July 15, 2022 5:19 AM Subscribe
I have a Braun electric shaver (Series 3) that I bought in the US. It can't be operated on AC power, but it plugs into the wall in order to charge. You have to unplug it to actually use it, meaning it runs off the now-charged battery. Given the text on my razor's cable plug, can I charge my razor in Portugal with only a plug adapter and NOT a voltage converter?
I know that you typically can't use electronics sold in the US like this (ie flat irons, hair dryers, electric razors, as opposed to stuff like iphones and laptops) in Europe without a voltage converter, but I was thinking, maybe this is an exception since you only plug it in to charge, rather than actually use it while it's plugged in.
So I looked at the Braun-supplied plug, and it has the following info on it:
Type 5 210
Input: 100-240V~/ac
50-60Hz/7W
Output: 12V=/cc 0,4A
ta40
IP X4
I plan to go to Portugal this fall. From what I understand, Portugal's got 230V, and 50Hz. Does that mean that I actually CAN charge my razor in Portugal as long as I have an F/C-type adapter (ie, a thing that makes the plug the right shape to fit into the wall, but doesn't do anything else) ? Thanks!
I know that you typically can't use electronics sold in the US like this (ie flat irons, hair dryers, electric razors, as opposed to stuff like iphones and laptops) in Europe without a voltage converter, but I was thinking, maybe this is an exception since you only plug it in to charge, rather than actually use it while it's plugged in.
So I looked at the Braun-supplied plug, and it has the following info on it:
Type 5 210
Input: 100-240V~/ac
50-60Hz/7W
Output: 12V=/cc 0,4A
ta40
IP X4
I plan to go to Portugal this fall. From what I understand, Portugal's got 230V, and 50Hz. Does that mean that I actually CAN charge my razor in Portugal as long as I have an F/C-type adapter (ie, a thing that makes the plug the right shape to fit into the wall, but doesn't do anything else) ? Thanks!
Since the power conversion (wall wart) supports the Portugal voltage/frequency, the razor itself sees the same input power, and everything should work fine.
posted by doomsey at 6:04 AM on July 15, 2022
posted by doomsey at 6:04 AM on July 15, 2022
If you're staying in a hotel, they will frequently, if not always, have dedicated plugs in the washrooms running 120V as a courtesy to travellers. They're also usually cleaner power than you get out of the local walls, and I used them in the beforetimes to charge my smaller electronics.
posted by mhoye at 8:35 AM on July 15, 2022
posted by mhoye at 8:35 AM on July 15, 2022
Response by poster: Thanks so much, everybody! I thought so, but it's good to get this confirmed, as I'm always a bit unsure about stuff like this.
posted by edlundart at 11:43 PM on July 15, 2022
posted by edlundart at 11:43 PM on July 15, 2022
If you're staying in a hotel, they will frequently, if not always, have dedicated plugs in the washrooms running 120V as a courtesy to travellers.
Don't count on it (doesn't matter in this case anyway), but while shaver outlets in hotel bathrooms may have socket slots that will accept both Euro and US plugs, those often carried warning labels "230V only" on the ones that I have seen, even back* in the 1980's. And these were mid-range touristy hotels.
Dual-voltage outlets may have been more common before every piece of low-voltage equipment (shavers, laptops, battery chargers, phones etc.) was designed with an universal power supply, but there's hardly ever a need for that now and they have likely been removed in one of the interim remodels of the rooms.
* 220V or 240V back then of course, as appropriate for the country.
posted by Stoneshop at 2:39 AM on July 16, 2022
Don't count on it (doesn't matter in this case anyway), but while shaver outlets in hotel bathrooms may have socket slots that will accept both Euro and US plugs, those often carried warning labels "230V only" on the ones that I have seen, even back* in the 1980's. And these were mid-range touristy hotels.
Dual-voltage outlets may have been more common before every piece of low-voltage equipment (shavers, laptops, battery chargers, phones etc.) was designed with an universal power supply, but there's hardly ever a need for that now and they have likely been removed in one of the interim remodels of the rooms.
* 220V or 240V back then of course, as appropriate for the country.
posted by Stoneshop at 2:39 AM on July 16, 2022
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Yes.
posted by Stoneshop at 5:22 AM on July 15, 2022 [13 favorites]