Samsonite Converter/Adaptor Plug Kit with Pouch, Charcoal Grey

We've used this converter in Europe and it worked just fine. Friends of mine bought the cheaper $6.00+ units and watched them smoke and start to burn as soon as they plugged them in. I'm a Travel Agent and this is the unit I recommend to all my clients, it's tried and true for most purposes; but not recommended for power gobbling appliances such as irons or heaters. But not to worry, high capacity units are availble on Amazon.com

I purchased this for use in Ireland. The unit is compact and attractive, but I found it of limited use for my purposes. First..only after I purchased it did I find out that it wasn't recommended for electronic devices such as computers. Then, when we tried to use it with my daughter's flat iron in Ireland, the flat iron kept shutting off! Obviously, that is another use it was not suited for! Have you ever tried to deal with a teenage girl who is frantic that she can't straighten her hair? It ain't pretty!

Finally, even though securely packed in its pouch, one of the power prongs on the converter simply snapped off! Kind of shoddy construction for a Samsonite product! I'm in the process of filing a complaint with Amazon and Samsonite. We will see what happens.

Please remember that these travel units are only designed for small appliances that heat up. They're not for DVD players, televisions, etc., even though the wattage might be less than 1600.

This product gets one star because it did manage to last one night... On night two, within seconds of plugging it in, the entire wing of our hotel (nice hotel, in Paris) no longer had electricity due to "a short". We are still wondering if we caused it trying to plug a clock into the converter. Maybe the timing was just a coincidence. The following morning (power had been restored) I tried to plug in my flattening iron, a spark shot out and then the entire room got that nasty electrical smell.
We finally bought a curling iron with European "parts", which is pretty expensive given the exchange rate. I returned home without my clock and flattening iron. When I plugged my curling iron in here (the American one) I got to experience the electrical smell all over again. So I've had to replace three small appliances due to one P.O.S. converter.
I still don't know what I should have used, but I know what I won't bother with next time.

Handy and cheap. A year later, we've lost every converter and need to buy another set for our next overseas vacation.