Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pangaea]

Can anyone recommend a specific store or a specific brand of voltage converter that you got in the US that works in Korea? The one I brought the first time said it was compatible with outlets in Korea, but the prongs were too small and it moved around when it was plugged in. I had to stop using it because it would occasionally throw out sparks. I happened to bring my Korean phone and charger home with me and have taken the charger to compare the prongs with the voltage converters here, and so far they have all looked too small also. I know my laptop will function without the converter but I have a few other appliances that I want to use. Any suggestions?

[Paladin Brewer]

I found some in Korea pretty easily, and in a rural area no less. I found them in some hardware store, for only 300 won each. The lady even understood "adapter." I said converter first but she didn't understand that one.

[crisdean]

[Paladin Brewer]

Oh...that explains why my digital alarm clock doesnt work anymore Good thing it works fine with my laptop or I would cry

[crisdean]

[bsrosenfeld]

I bought 2 different kinds at HomePlus. The first is a small step down converter plug made by Cosy and it cost about 16,000won. For 18,000won they have the same plug with a USB adapter for charging anything via USB. I found this in the electronics department by the plugs and cables.

The other kind is a heavy duty step down converter box with 2 plugs made by Behringer that cost about 35,000won. Well worth the price.

I use the smaller one with my laptop when I bring it back and forth to school and the big mama jamma stays in my apartment.

What I'm really looking for now is the simple plug adapter mentioned earlier in the post that costs 300won. All of my electronics can handle 230v, but I need the right plug adapter.

[pangaea]

I know I will probably be able to find one when I'm in Korea, but I would like to find one here that I can pack and have available as soon as I get there. Does anyone know of any brands in the US that can be used with a Korean outlet?

[Troglodyte]

I can't really think of a particular brand name, but I know that the AAA sells stuff like that. I've bought adapter and converters from them and never had any problems with them here or in Europe.

But like other posters have said, you can get them here easily enough. They're cheap. If you DO happen to get one here that breaks or doesn't work right, then can always take it back or if necessary just get another one of a different brand.

I'm not sure if this is the reason for your problem with the plugs not matching but it could be. In the UK, they have a type of plug that they use in the bathrooms that LOOKS kind of like a mainstream European or Asian 2 round prong type plug. But it's not. If i recall, the prongs are a big fatter and the distance between them isn't quite the same. Maybe the prongs on your converter were meant for a UK bathroom socket.

There's another option you have that you might have overlooked. Electronic devices use DC power, not AC. Your wall socket provides AC and the device you have plugged into it contains a converter to go from AC to DC. In almost all cases the converter is external. It's that bulky cube thing with the plug on one face. Then from that plug-converter you have a cable that plugs into your device (CD place, cell phone, laptop, PSP, etc). That converter will tell you what the output is and the polarity of the plug. If you're using a popular device like an iPod or a PSP, then you can just buy a new converter-plug here. No need to mess around with 110V-220V converters. Even if you're stuff isn't popular name brand, the plug that goes from the converter into your device will still be standardised. Then you can either get AC-DC converter that produces the output, polarity and plug size that you want (not always easy to get exactly what you want) or just get a universal converter. You can set those to any DC output and plug size that you want.