Buying an American appliance-voltage converter?

[Poppy]

I want a KicthenAid Artisan Stand Mixer which cost a fortune here in UK (as with most things) but are relatively cheap in the US even with shipping. They have told me that the unit they sell is meant to be used with 110 volts and I may need a voltage converter to use it here in the UK. Is this the case? What is the voltage here in UK and a) willI need a converter and b) is it completely safe for the mixer to be constantly used with such a device?

Thanks
Poppy

[Fitzer]

The voltage in the UK is 230v, you would need a step down transformer to convert the 230v that comes out of your plug sockets to 110v that the mixer can use. I believe that the US and UK also have different frequencies as well but I don't think this is important. You need to know how many watts the mixer draws so that you get a converter that will supply it safely, there are a whole range here http://www.beststuff.co.uk/voltage_conversion. htm You'll notice that the more watts you require the more expensive it gets, and you need to supply more watts than the nominal usage of the mixer to allow for spikes etc. so if it uses 200 watts you would want a 250 converter to be on the safe side. As to whether it would be safe to use it I would say yes as long as all the ratings match up.

[Fitzer]

Also don't forget when you're comparing prices that you will have to pay duty and VAT on the mixer when it comes into the country. Duty varies depending on the item (can't find a quote for food mixers) and then 17.5% VAT on top of that.

[Buenchico]

Artisan Stand Mixers are rated at 300W. While you can get transformers rated at 300W, these would tend to get quite warm and I wouldn't recommend one for prolonged use. (Amazon sell them for �53.99:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Step-down-Voltage-Conv erter-Transformer-Maximum/dp/B000NJRT9S/ref=sr _1_16/202-9148016-0900669?ie=UTF8&s=electronic s&qid=1180563540&sr=1-16 )

The next step up, with most manufacturers, is a 500W model. Amazon sell them for �85.99:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Step-down-Voltage-Conv erter-Transformer-Maximum/dp/B000NJRRFY/ref=sr _1_14/202-9148016-0900669?ie=UTF8&s=electronic s&qid=1180563540&sr=1-14

With those sort of prices, I doubt that you'll save anything by buying from the USA. As Fitzer states, you need to take Import Duty & VAT into account. Like Fitzer, I can't find the exact rate of duty for a food mixer but, even if it was zero, your total bill would still be quite high.

As a rough guide, let's assume that the mixer costs you �150, the carriage is �40 and the import duty is just 5%. Based on those figures, you'd have to pay �7.50 for import duty, �34.56 in VAT and an �8 inspection fee. So that's a total of about �50 in import fees. For more about how the system works, see here:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Law/Question409 646.html

Chris

[Poppy]

Thanks both of you. Really helpful. May have to whistle for my mixer because it's a bit much really and I don't like the idea of hot plugs!

Poppy

[benalva02]

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