I've done a search and couldn't find anything specific to more heavy duty plug adaptors... I have some more heavy duty appliances/electronics that will need a ground.
Example - I have a Vitamix blender (UK plug) and my macbook air plug (US plug with ground). Will something like this or this be sufficient enough or will I need I need something more substantial? I'm guessing I'll need something with a fuse... don't want to blow the blender!
Thanks
3 pins = with ground
2 pins = without ground (same plug as EU)
Here is a photo of the USA-CH plug.
Exception is those adaptor bricks, which I hate anyways. I try not to buy devices which use them.
Replace plugs on each with Swiss one
Put a bright-coloured reminder on the US one to remind you to connect only switchable device to be used with it.....otherwise.......
Tom
My type is like
3-------{}------+
Swiss plug ------ Transformer ------ MagSafe
The easiest way to figure out if a device is dual voltage is to look at the fine print printed onto or molded into the device or its brick adapter. 100-120 means single voltage don't travel without an appropriately sized transformer, 100-240 means dual voltage, no transformer required.
The MacBook Air should be dual voltage, so all you need to adapt is the plug. The easiest way to do this is to buy a set of MagSafe travel adapters from Apple (or a third party) available in most stores with an Apple electronics section.
For electronics with a brick adapter, and some other electronics with built in power supplies, the cable connecting the brick/device to the wall usually can be detached from the device. This section can be replaced by a similar 2- or 3-pronged cable from a local (Swiss) electronics store.
As other members have already said, you can also snip the plug ends and replace them with Swiss plugs, which are available at any hardware store, and a good deal of other places besides. I bought mine at my local MMigros.
Finally, a word of advice on lamps. The wires/sockets themselves don't care what voltage you apply. BUT if you change the plug from a US/Japanese plug, you MUST also change the lightbulb to a 220V light bulb. The same would be true going the other way, though if you somehow messed that up it would be less spectacular. Any lamp where you cannot change the bulb (like some of the LED lamps) probably has some fancy electronics in it and you should read the label.
Are you going to compensate the OP when that happens? But hey, you are always right...cause you wrote it.
And I own voltage converters and adapted plugs for that reason alone.
When we first moved here, as if I didn't know any better from living in 2 other EU countries prior, we had a company paid for Swiss electrician come in and change EU and US plugs to work on the Swiss system.
I asked him why he was cutting US plugs off and adding Swiss ones, and he said it was the same system. I thought that was odd, but hey, he was a certified electrician.
He billed 45 CHF per item, he cut off 6 plugs and attached Swiss ones. While he was in the house I plugged in my US converted stereo and mixer. Guess what happened in 2 minutes after doing that? Burnt smell and smoke. He said basically "whoops" and took the US conversions off the bill, still charged for the parts. Did not reimburse for the melted down equipment.
Which I should have insisted on him not doing.
Computers have extensions you can buy that convert the power on, and I can refer you to a site in Switzerland you can buy said cord.
But cutting off the ends for US cords and re fitting them with Swiss ones is pure stupidity if you know about the different voltages.
I know Sbrinz wants to comment on every last thread out there, and wants to be helpful, but sometimes you are plain wrong. Clearly you cannot accept that and would prefer to just give advice even if it isn't of any use or destructive.
I've also run out of plugs when I've had visitors and substituted a generic plug adaptor. The tricky part is balancing the whole brick on top of the plug adaptor on top of the outlet in the powerstrip. If you weren't careful, you would break the connection and lose power. But it worked.
It is however, the responsibility of the OP to read the fine print and confirm that the adaptor is in fact dual voltage. I'm not clairvoyant, nor do I take responsibility for some else's kit.
The blender has a UK plug so I am guessing it is 220-240v.
The Macbook Air should have a power supply of 100-240v even though it is has a US plug.
Meanwhile, maybe, maybe not. US market stuff may be 120 VAC only.
Tom
The point is only the plugs are the issue if the items the OP is bringing are rated for use with 220v.
Anyway, you can just go to Dataquest in Zurich and get an official Apple Swiss cord or "duck head" plug, or you can use the adaptor from Interdiscount (the brand shown in the picture is the best), or you can actually use a cheap boombox cord in the Apple charger, though it is ugly.