Universal adapters don't always work properly everywhere, and most do not have any grounding. The cheaper and more reliable alternative is to buy individual adapters. This international set from Ceptics is our favorite. It includes five types to cover most of the globe, and they are properly grounded. None of these adapters have any kind of USB ports, so you will need to bring the respective charging adapter for your gadgets.
If you have a MacBook, then you are stuck hauling that charging brick with you on your travels. The USB-A ports are rated at 2. The total is shared, so if you plug into both simultaneously, they provide 6 watts each Basically, those two ports will charge your devices slowly, but it's sufficient for overnight charging. The other drawback? There are 15 plug types in use across the world. Universal adapters tend to cover all of these types. You'll need to buy specific plug adapters for those places.
To avoid any surprises when you land, double-check what type you need before you travel. If you're visiting just one destination, a basic plug adapter that caters to one plug type is all you need. For trips to multiple destinations or for frequent flyers, a universal travel adapter can prove more versatile.
The universal adapters we recommend here have the bonus of including multiple USB ports for charging several mobile devices from a single outlet. The reason you might think you need one is that the AC sockets on all of our recommended travel adapters do not convert the voltage coming from the socket. This means plugging into a UK socket will deliver volts at 50 Hertz, which is very different from the volts at 60 Hertz you can expect in the US. Don't worry! Your gear won't get fried. You just need to make sure anything you plug into one of these universal travel adapters has something like this printed on it:.
That should include most modern gadgets. It's often cheaper to buy a set with the correct plug at your destination and save luggage space and hassle. Photograph: Epicka. Photograph: OneAdaptr. Photograph: Zendure.
Photograph: Ceptics. Photograph: Twelve South. Photograph: Getty Images. Simon Hill has been writing about tech for more than a decade. Before writing, he worked in games development. He lives in Scotland. Some plugs came with a replaceable fuse, which seemed like a good idea, and a few included a replacement for said fuse, which seemed even better. This way, if either you plug the adapter into a sketchy outlet or a roommate at the hostel uses your adapter to plug in their completely necessary portable arc welder, the fuse will go, not your adapter.
These fuses have a maximum power rating, and therefore the adapters have a maximum wattage rating. The short version is that recharging portable electronic devices is fine, but powering anything that has a motor or heats up is not.
The other option we considered and tested is individual plug adapters. In deciding which of these to test, we judged by size and available plug-type options. The universal travel adapters are far more similar to one another than they are different. However, getting in a dozen and playing with them for a while revealed that some felt better put together than others.
All had a US-style plug, so I tested each one in several outlets around my house—some new, some old. I connected several chargers and plugs to the output side of each adapter as well. Again, not much difference. For the plug adapters, I tried plugging in several devices, as well as inserting them into outlets around my house.
I checked how tight the connections were and how they felt overall. Would they fall apart with simple use or perhaps hold up to being tossed around in bags for a few weeks or months? These are all remarkably similar products. How they felt to use and their different features played a far bigger role in establishing our final picks. You may not have a USB-C device at the moment, but you likely will in the future. In addition, and just as important, is the maximum power output: 5.
This was the highest of all the adapters we considered, which means you can charge more of your devices at higher speeds before hitting the max output. Keep in mind that the maximum output per USB-A port is 2. This arrangement feels more secure than the semi-locking or slide-locking system that some other universals use.
As these things go, the Epicka feels sturdy. The US and Australia share a pair of prongs—you twist the prongs manually to set them up for an angled Australia-style outlet.
The above details were what put the Epicka at the top of our list, but the adapter has a few other features that are the cherry on top, so to speak. One last note. Best to follow the link above. Also, you may find another company selling a twin of this. The Epicka has the most reviews and offers free shipping with Prime.
The other options we saw have few or no reviews, or charge outrageous shipping costs. Just something to keep in mind. That is, unfortunately, a risk with every universal adapter. Epicka claims it will work in countries, but there are more than countries the exact number is harder to pin down than you might realize.
Also, while the Epicka is a little smaller than some of the others we tested, all universal adapters are much bulkier than plug adapters. As someone who has spent most of the past five years traveling, I feel plug adapters are far easier and less annoying to deal with. This is largely why we have two recommendations for that category.
The Ceptics Plug Adapter set combines everything we were looking for in plug adapters: small size, solid build quality, and—well, small size is really the thing here. Each adapter is no larger than it needs to be to fit over the American-style prongs of your charger. The plastic feels solid and not flimsy.
Each adapter has the region or countries it should be used in written on the side. These are for the person who wants to travel as light and as simply as possible. I myself, and my friends who travel frequently, swear by these small, inexpensive adapters.
Laptops, yes; mini-fridges, no. For a hardcore traveler like me, these are my pick. The Ceptics White are small, but not as small as the Ceptics Black. This means your charger is less likely to fall out. Again, neither set of plugs we tested had loose connections, but this is always a risk, as chargers vary.
One other difference: In place of the two-pronged US plug we saw type A in our other picks, this set includes the three-pronged grounded version. The real benefit to the Ceptics Whites, however, is not their physical characteristics. This range is one of your only options if you want to buy a plug adapter for a specific region or country. Headed to India or South Africa? You can also buy the offset three-prong and in-line three-prong for Switzerland and Italy, respectively, as well as plugs for Israel and Brazil , both the thin and the thick European plugs, and of course, Australia and UK versions too.
These adapters are ideal for someone headed to a country not covered by a universal adapter, or who has multiple chargers they want to plug in while traveling. Every adapter you see in this guide merely sends the current from the wall directly to whatever you plug into it. These are not voltage converters. However, for the vast majority of people, this is all you need.
Take a look at your charger. If it only says "V—60Hz," it will almost certainly not work—or not work correctly—with a travel adapter. The good news is, pretty much every hotel, hostel, and Airbnb will have a hair dryer you can borrow.
One occasional exception is electric razors. Again, check the fine print near the plug or on the device itself. Many hotels have a shaver plug in the bathroom , with a US-style outlet and US-style volt-or-so voltage. If you need one, best to call ahead and see if your hotel has them. Or use disposables on your trip. We considered many more adapters than those listed here. However, the majority of travel adapters available boil down to just a dozen or so designs sold by myriad companies.
Askali , Unidapt , others: Only 3. Bluegogo : Only two USB and slower-charging than our picks. Bonazza , Urbo , others: Feels flimsy, even compared with others here. Two-piece design is more cumbersome than helpful.
Only 3. If you have multiple non-USB items you want to charge at once—a laptop and a camera charger, for instance—this is a good option. But we think most travelers will prefer the more portable brick design of our picks over this power strip. Insten is a similar product but with, apparently, surge suppression built in. Mu One : The Mu offered a much higher power output than other travel adapters: 45 watts, enough to quickly charge even a big-battery device such as a MacBook Air.
However, after trying and failing to launch a Mu Two in , the company went out of business. The name and remaining assets were bought by a company called Discovery Club, which seems to be selling off the inventory.
Bestek Grounded Universal Worldwide Plug : Likely made in the same factory as the Ceptics White plugs, the Bestek set looks the same and is roughly the same price. The Europlug was invented to fit into a wide range of European outlet types.
If our Ceptics White pick is sold out, these will also work.
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