Unlike most other voltage transformers for Japan, PowerBright transformers can be used as either a step up "booster" transformer or a step down "reducer" transformer. This means a PowerBright transformer will work whether you're bringing a North American 120 volt appliance to Japan, or bringing a 100 volt Japanese appliance to North America. Simply select the input voltage coming from the wall outlet via a jumper on the back of the unit, and plug your appliance into the outlet on the front of the unit which matches your appliance's required input voltage.

If you are bringing a U.S. or Canadian 110-120 volt appliance to Japan, you need a step up "booster" transformer. Step up transformers take the 100 volt electricity supplied by Japanese wall outlets, and convert the voltage up to 110-120 volts for use by the North American appliance. PowerBright transformers do that.

On the other hand, if you are bringing a 100 volt Japanese appliance to the U.S. or Canada where the voltage is 110-120 volts, you need a step down "reducer" transformer. Step down transformers take the 110-120 volt electricity supplied by American and Canadian wall outlets, and convert the voltage down to 100 volts for use by the Japanese appliance. The same PowerBright transformer will do that too.

But do I need a voltage transformer? Or would a plug adapter be enough?
Well, that depends on what you need to plug in. If your appliance's voltage matches the local voltage at your destination, then a plug adapter will do just fine all by itself. But if your appliance is not compatible with the local voltage, that's when a voltage transformer comes in. Voltage transformers actually change the local voltage to a voltage that's suitable for your appliance.

Wall outlets in Japan usually supply electricity at 100 volts AC. If you're plugging in an appliance that was built for 100 volt electrical input, or an appliance that is compatible with multiple voltages, then an adapter is all you need.

But plug adapters do not change voltage, so the electricity coming through the adapter will still be the same 100 volts the wall outlet is supplying. North American outlets supply electricity at between 110 and 120 volts. Consequently, North American appliances are generally built for 110-120 volts. But that doesn't mean that your specific appliance isn't already compatible with the Japanese voltage -- it may very well be. In fact, most chargers for modern smartphones/iPhones, tablets/iPads, laptops and digital cameras are already multi-voltage compatible. Check your charger for something to the effect of "Input: 100-240V" ... voila!

On the other hand, most "conventional appliances" like kitchen items, audio/video equipment, vacuum cleaners, lamps and lights, and most bath appliances are not compatible with multiple voltages, and need to have the voltage changed by way of a voltage transformer like this one. The only way to know for sure is to check the label, or the back of the manual, and determine the specific electrical input requirements for the specific device/appliance in question.

Is this transformer big enough to support my appliance?
The transformer you buy must be capable of supporting the amps and/or watts that your appliance needs in order to operate. If the transformer is too small, you will blow the fuse. The model VC3000J supports 3000 watts. So as long as your appliance is 3000 watts or less, this transformer should be fine.

The watts and/or amps that your appliance requires can be found on a label on the appliance (usually on the bottom or back) where the brand name and model number appear. If the appliance uses a charger or AC adapter, the information will appear on the charger. Look for something like this: "Input: 120V 60Hz 100W " The "W" number is the watts. For this model transformer, that "W" number should be 3000 or below.

Sometimes the label will show amps instead of watts. In that case the information would look something like: "Input: 120V 60Hz 10.0A " If the label lists amps, you can figure out a rough approximation of the watts by multiplying the amps by the volts (the "V" number). Example: 120 volts x 10.0 amps = 1200 watts. In this case, the VC3000J would in fact be big enough to support the appliance. PowerBright manufactures transformers that support up to 3000 watts!

SAFELY use your US or Canadian hair dryer, curling iron, flat iron, shaver, makeup mirror, hair rollers, heating pad, or other personal bathroom appliance in Europe or elsewhere, without "frying" it. Okay, so you're going to Paris for a week. Nice. All your battery-powered "techie stuff" like your phone, tablet, laptop and digital camera have multi-voltage chargers which are already compatible with 220-240 volt European electricity on their own, and you've got adapters for those things so that they can plug into the wall outlets over there, so you're pretty much all set.

But what about your bathroom gear? You've heard and/or read on the internet that things like hair dryers, curling irons, flat irons, shavers, hair rollers, makeup mirrors and things like that aren't compatible with the higher voltage over there, and will get "fried" if you plug them in abroad. Well, you heard right. For the most part, anyway. And, yeah, things can get ugly. Very ugly.

There are indeed "travel versions" of those kinds of appliances which can be switched back and forth between 110-120 volts for use in North America, and 220-240 volts if you bring the appliance elsewhere. Yours might be one of those, and if so, then you can just use an adapter. As long as you've got the appliance switched to the right voltage setting, you're fine. And if yours doesn't have a voltage selector switch, well, you could just buy one that does. They're usually available wherever you'd ordinarily buy that kind of thing. But it takes some searching, and it can sometimes be difficult to figure out whether or not a particular model is in fact dual-voltage.

Another alternative? You could just buy a new one once you get there. One that's built for that country's electricity to begin with. But it won't do you much good once you get back home. And you might not like it anyway. We can get attached to our specific bathroom appliances. Oh, we totally get it. And for that matter, if we're talking about a hair dryer AND a curling iron AND a shaver, well, that can get really expensive really quickly. So, you know...

Or you could just get a voltage converter, like this one, and use your own hair care gadgets. The ones you're already accustomed to. Not to mention the ones you already own. A voltage converter is the perfect solution for bringing those kinds of appliances abroad. That is, ones that aren't electronic, and require a large amount of wattage.

The PB1650 is a "combo unit" in that it has two modes. In 50 watt "low power mode" it functions as a voltage transformer, and is safe for charging electronics like smartphones. But in low power mode, the PB1650 can only handle electronics up to 50 watts. So anything electronic would have to be very low power. Battery chargers and electric shavers are often below 50 watts, and therefore can usually be safely used with the PB1650. But you have to be absolutely, positively sure that it doesn't need any more than 50 watts of power.

On the other hand, things like curling irons and flat irons tend to run about 200-300 watts, and hair dryers are often 1200-1500 watts! Heating elements draw a lot of electricity! But things like that aren't electronic, and therefore a voltage converter will do the job just fine.

There are a couple of things to be aware of though. First, your bathroom appliance needs to have a non-grounded plug. That is, the plug needs to have only the two vertical blades, and not have the third, round grounding pin. That's usually not a problem, since most bathroom appliances have non-grounded plugs. But you'll want to check if you're not sure. The PB1650's socket won't accept grounded 3-pin plugs.

The second thing is that voltage converters tend to heat up pretty quickly, and are not intended to be used for long periods of time. Again, this isn't usually a problem, because bathroom appliances aren't usually used for more than about 10 or 15 minutes at a time. And that's fine. Just be sure to unplug everything when you're not actively using the appliance, so that things don't overheat.

Couple more things... don't ever plug a laptop into this (or any) voltage converter. Laptops are electronic, and require more than 50 watts. So in 50 watt "low power mode" the PB1650 won't be able to supply enough power, and in 1600 watt "high power mode" it's not safe to plug electronics into it.

And lastly, the voltage converter's plug is for European wall outlets. But it can be used in other countries too! If you're going to the UK or Australia or Italy or Switzerland, or Africa or Asia or South America, or anywhere else where the voltage is 220-240 volts, but they use a different kind of wall outlet, just get a plug adapter for that country's plug type, and attach it to the voltage converter's plug. Problem solved! (And for that matter, European outlets are also often recessed into the wall, as a safety measure. If you need to plug the voltage converter into a recessed outlet, you may need to attach an adapter to accommodate for that too.)

So, with aaaaaaall that having been said, (hey, nobody ever accused us of being brief... or short on details) the bottom line is if you're bringing your hair dryer, curling iron, flat iron, shaver, hair rollers, makeup mirror, or other such bathroom gadgets with you to a foreign country, this is what you need.

Unlike most other voltage transformers for Japan, PowerBright transformers can be used as either a step up "booster" transformer or a step down "reducer" transformer. This means a PowerBright transformer will work whether you're bringing a North American 120 volt appliance to Japan, or bringing a 100 volt Japanese appliance to North America. Simply select the input voltage coming from the wall outlet via a jumper on the back of the unit, and plug your appliance into the outlet on the front of the unit which matches your appliance's required input voltage.

If you are bringing a U.S. or Canadian 110-120 volt appliance to Japan, you need a step up "booster" transformer. Step up transformers take the 100 volt electricity supplied by Japanese wall outlets, and convert the voltage up to 110-120 volts for use by the North American appliance. PowerBright transformers do that.

On the other hand, if you are bringing a 100 volt Japanese appliance to the U.S. or Canada where the voltage is 110-120 volts, you need a step down "reducer" transformer. Step down transformers take the 110-120 volt electricity supplied by American and Canadian wall outlets, and convert the voltage down to 100 volts for use by the Japanese appliance. The same PowerBright transformer will do that too.

But do I need a voltage transformer? Or would a plug adapter be enough?
Well, that depends on what you need to plug in. If your appliance's voltage matches the local voltage at your destination, then a plug adapter will do just fine all by itself. But if your appliance is not compatible with the local voltage, that's when a voltage transformer comes in. Voltage transformers actually change the local voltage to a voltage that's suitable for your appliance.

Wall outlets in Japan usually supply electricity at 100 volts AC. If you're plugging in an appliance that was built for 100 volt electrical input, or an appliance that is compatible with multiple voltages, then an adapter is all you need.

But plug adapters do not change voltage, so the electricity coming through the adapter will still be the same 100 volts the wall outlet is supplying. North American outlets supply electricity at between 110 and 120 volts. Consequently, North American appliances are generally built for 110-120 volts. But that doesn't mean that your specific appliance isn't already compatible with the Japanese voltage -- it may very well be. In fact, most chargers for modern smartphones/iPhones, tablets/iPads, laptops and digital cameras are already multi-voltage compatible. Check your charger for something to the effect of "Input: 100-240V" ... voila!

On the other hand, most "conventional appliances" like kitchen items, audio/video equipment, vacuum cleaners, lamps and lights, and most bath appliances are not compatible with multiple voltages, and need to have the voltage changed by way of a voltage transformer like this one. The only way to know for sure is to check the label, or the back of the manual, and determine the specific electrical input requirements for the specific device/appliance in question.

Is this transformer big enough to support my appliance?
The transformer you buy must be capable of supporting the amps and/or watts that your appliance needs in order to operate. If the transformer is too small, you will blow the fuse. The model VC2000J supports 2000 watts. So as long as your appliance is 2000 watts or less, this transformer should be fine.

The watts and/or amps that your appliance requires can be found on a label on the appliance (usually on the bottom or back) where the brand name and model number appear. If the appliance uses a charger or AC adapter, the information will appear on the charger. Look for something like this: "Input: 120V 60Hz 100W " The "W" number is the watts. For this model transformer, that "W" number should be 2000 or below.

Sometimes the label will show amps instead of watts. In that case the information would look something like: "Input: 120V 60Hz 10.0A " If the label lists amps, you can figure out a rough approximation of the watts by multiplying the amps by the volts (the "V" number). Example: 120 volts x 10.0 amps = 1200 watts. In this case, the VC2000J would in fact be big enough to support the appliance. PowerBright manufactures transformers that support up to 3000 watts!

SAFELY use your US or Canadian hair dryer, curling iron, flat iron, shaver, makeup mirror, hair rollers, heating pad, or other personal bathroom appliance in Europe or elsewhere, without "frying" it. The TK1650 is basically just a kit, which consists of a PB1650 travel voltage converter and 5 additional non-grounded adapters which enable the voltage converter to be used in over 150 countries worldwide, all contained within a hard plastic carrying case. The voltage converter is also available by itself, and it's the important part, so if you haven't read up on that yet, here are juuuuust a few words we have to say about that...

Okay, so you're going to Paris for a week. Nice. All your battery-powered "techie stuff" like your phone, tablet, laptop and digital camera have multi-voltage chargers which are already compatible with 220-240 volt European electricity on their own, and you've got adapters for those things so that they can plug into the wall outlets over there, so you're pretty much all set.

But what about your bathroom gear? You've heard and/or read on the internet that things like hair dryers, curling irons, flat irons, shavers, hair rollers, makeup mirrors and things like that aren't compatible with the higher voltage over there, and will get "fried" if you plug them in abroad. Well, you heard right. For the most part, anyway. And, yeah, things can get ugly. Very ugly.

There are indeed "travel versions" of those kinds of appliances which can be switched back and forth between 110-120 volts for use in North America, and 220-240 volts if you bring the appliance elsewhere. Yours might be one of those, and if so, then you can just use an adapter. As long as you've got the appliance switched to the right voltage setting, you're fine. And if yours doesn't have a voltage selector switch, well, you could just buy one that does. They're usually available wherever you'd ordinarily buy that kind of thing. But it takes some searching, and it can sometimes be difficult to figure out whether or not a particular model is in fact dual-voltage.

Another alternative? You could just buy a new one once you get there. One that's built for that country's electricity to begin with. But it won't do you much good once you get back home. And you might not like it anyway. We can get attached to our specific bathroom appliances. Oh, we totally get it. And for that matter, if we're talking about a hair dryer AND a curling iron AND a shaver, well, that can get really expensive really quickly. So, you know...

Or you could just get a voltage converter, like this one, and use your own hair care gadgets. The ones you're already accustomed to. Not to mention the ones you already own. A voltage converter is the perfect solution for bringing those kinds of appliances abroad. That is, ones that aren't electronic, and require a large amount of wattage.

The PB1650 is a "combo unit" in that it has two modes. In 50 watt "low power mode" it functions as a voltage transformer, and is safe for charging electronics like smartphones. But in low power mode, the PB1650 can only handle electronics up to 50 watts. So anything electronic would have to be very low power. Battery chargers and electric shavers are often below 50 watts, and therefore can usually be safely used with the PB1650. But you have to be absolutely, positively sure that it doesn't need any more than 50 watts of power.

On the other hand, things like curling irons and flat irons tend to run about 200-300 watts, and hair dryers are often 1200-1500 watts! Heating elements draw a lot of electricity! But things like that aren't electronic, and therefore a voltage converter will do the job just fine.

There are a couple of things to be aware of though. First, your bathroom appliance needs to have a non-grounded plug. That is, the plug needs to have only the two vertical blades, and not have the third, round grounding pin. That's usually not a problem, since most bathroom appliances have non-grounded plugs. But you'll want to check if you're not sure. The PB1650's socket won't accept grounded 3-pin plugs.

The second thing is that voltage converters tend to heat up pretty quickly, and are not intended to be used for long periods of time. Again, this isn't usually a problem, because bathroom appliances aren't usually used for more than about 10 or 15 minutes at a time. And that's fine. Just be sure to unplug everything when you're not actively using the appliance, so that things don't overheat.

Couple more things... don't ever plug a laptop into this (or any) voltage converter. Laptops are electronic, and require more than 50 watts. So in 50 watt "low power mode" the PB1650 won't be able to supply enough power, and in 1600 watt "high power mode" it's not safe to plug electronics into it.

And lastly, the voltage converter's plug is for European wall outlets. But it can be used in other countries too! If you're going to the UK or Australia or Italy or Switzerland, or Africa or Asia or South America, or anywhere else where the voltage is 220-240 volts, but they use a different kind of wall outlet, just get a plug adapter for that country's plug type, and attach it to the voltage converter's plug. Problem solved! And for that matter, European outlets are also often recessed into the wall, as a safety measure. If you need to plug the voltage converter into a recessed outlet, you may need to attach an adapter to accommodate for that too. (Editor's note: The TK1650 kit already comes with adapters for all that, so you're good to go.)

So, with aaaaaaall that having been said, (hey, nobody ever accused us of being brief... or short on details) the bottom line is if you're bringing your hair dryer, curling iron, flat iron, shaver, hair rollers, makeup mirror, or other such bathroom gadgets with you to a foreign country, this is what you need.

Get power on the GO! Run your AC electrical devices in a car, truck, boat or RV. This heavy duty power inverter connects directly to a 12 volt DC battery to power handheld power tools, televisions, gaming consoles, home electronics and small appliances in your vehicle. This unit also features an LCD display, which shows the output wattage or input voltage and battery level. With this inverter, you will never be left without power when you need it.

• 900 watts continuous / 1800 watts peak power
• LCD Display: Input Voltage / Output Wattage / Battery Level
• Ultra Silent (thermal fan)
• Two (2) standard North American AC outlets
• Two (2) USB charging ports provide 2.1A (shared)
• Tablet charging compatible from USB ports
• Battery cables sold separately

Power your laptops, tablets, smartphones and small household appliances in a car, truck or RV. This inverter plugs into a 12 volt automotive auxiliary power socket (formerly known as a "cigarette lighter socket" if you're of a certain age) and converts the 12 volt direct current (DC) power supplied by the car battery to standard 110-120 volt alternating current (AC) power.

These extremely advanced, microprocessor controlled units run cooler and more reliable than any in their class. They also boast the highest efficiency available (up to 90%), which translates into longer running time and extended battery life.

• 750 watts continuous / 1500 watts peak power
• Provides 6.3 Amps
• Built-in Cooling Fan
• Overload Indicator
• Two (2) 120 volt AC outlets
• USB Charging Port
• Power ON/OFF Switch

Download the manual [PDF]

Get power on the GO! Run your AC electrical devices in a car, truck, boat or RV. This heavy duty power inverter connects directly to a 12 volt DC battery to power microwaves, power tools, televisions, gaming consoles, home electronics and small appliances in your vehicle. This unit also features an LCD display, which shows the output wattage or input voltage and battery level. With this inverter, you will never be left without power when you need it.

• 1500 watts continuous / 3000 watts peak power
• LCD Display: Input Voltage / Output Wattage / Battery Level
• Ultra Silent (thermal fan)
• Two (2) standard North American AC outlets
• Two (2) USB charging ports provide 2.1A (shared)
• Tablet charging compatible from USB ports
• Battery cables sold separately

Get power on the GO! Run your AC electrical devices in a car, truck, boat or RV with this inverter which plugs into your 12 volt automotive auxiliary power socket or connects directly to a car battery to power laptops, cell phone chargers, small electronic devices and more. Plus, charge USB devices directly from the USB charging port at the same time. With this inverter, you will never be left without power when you need it.

• 500 watts continuous / 1000 watts peak power
• Ultra Silent (thermal fan)
• Two (2) standard North American AC outlets
• Two (2) USB charging ports provide 2.1A (shared)
• Tablet charging compatible from USB ports