I bought this item because I was going to Europe for a month. I didn't want the hassle of using a voltage converter because you can only use one electric item at a time, unless you buy more than one converter kit. You do need a plug adaptor, (these are relatively inexpensive), then you just switch the voltage, plug it in and it works great. I used it in Switzerland, France and Italy. When I came home to the States I just switched the voltage back and I now use it at home. It is small and takes up very little space in the suitcase. I would recommend it for anyone in need of a hair dryer traveling abroad.
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The Andis 33805 Micro Turbo 1600W Dual Voltage Hair Dryer is a great little personal grooming appliance. It has two settings: Low and High. I use High almost exclusively, even though I have fine, short, grey hair because I don't like to dawdle over grooming in the morning. Its dual voltage selections (125V/250V) would come in handy if travelling (with an added plug adapter). High produces a rapid stream of air that quickly heats up and stays at a steady, moderately high temperature. Low is appropriate if you spend more time styling with some degree of heat--producing a nice smooth and fuller result. However, I'm a Type-A character who wants the job done pronto, so this is my machine of choice. All dryers sound a little loud right in your own ear, but a family member says that the Andis is quieter than the Sunbeam I recently replaced.
I bought this device to replace a Sunbeam compact dryer, which replaced another Sunbeam, which was preceded by at least two Conairs, and a parade of various compact (mostly) dryers over the last 32 years. This is the BEST of the lot. I actually gambled and bought two at once because compact dryers are getting hard to find now, and my confidence has been rewarded.
If you are looking for a quick solution to get going in the morning after your shower, look no further. This one's a winner!
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NOTE: I do not own this hair dryer, but to add a review I had to add a star rating. I used the average of 4 stars to keep the rating unchanged.
PLEASE NOTE that a lot of these hair dryers do nothing more than mechanically lock out the on-off switch from using the HI TEMP setting WHEN set for 220 volt input for foreign countries. That is very typical.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE that the Low Heat mode at 220 volts does not work the same as 110 volts. From an electrical point of reference, doubling the voltage yields a four fold increase in power (wattage). If the Low Heat mode at 110 volts (USA value) is 400 watts, then using this dryer in Low Heat mode at 220 volts (eg, Europe) would generate 1600 watts. That's the way the power equation works. That's how my current unit worked when we vacationed in Europe. Low Heat mode at 220 volts generates high heat and a fast fan speed.
WHAT you lose is the low power curling and shaping mode when using these dryers at 220 volts. There is no 400 watt option in the 220 volt setting.
If you want both HIGH and LOW Heat modes, buy a transformer to convert 220 to 110 volts (and be sure it is big enough, power wise, to handle the 110 volt High Heat wattage). The cost, beyond the purchase price of the transformer, is the added transformer weight in your travel luggage.
I hope this clarifies how these type hair dryers work in Europe.... a retired Electrical Engineer.
PS: Going from USA 60 Hertz (a.k.a. 60 cycles) to European 50 Hertz makes no difference for this appliance.
PPS: None of the 220 V countries use our 110 V two prong or three prong wall "plug". Even if you don't buy the transformer,
you will need a plug converter kit to plug this hair dryer into the 220 V wall outlet (found with the luggage in most department stores or on
Amazon under Plug Converter but be sure to get the 220 to 110 version and not the 110 to 220 for Europeans visiting USA).
Honest reviews on Andis Micro Turbo Hair Dryer
I purchased this hair dryer for an unusual reason: my old 1875 watt Conair was actually too much wattage for my bathroom (the circuit kept tripping), so I was actually looking for a dryer with LESS wattage. However, I didn't want to sacrifice power, as I hoped not to have to devote any additional drying time to my shoulder-length hair.
So far, I've been pleased with this hair dryer. It does seem a bit louder than my previous model--not obnoxiously so, just a higher, more concentrated fan noise. The dryer is extremely light and compact; it's actually smaller than my folding travel dryer. It is very basic, with a choice of high/low settings only (there is no heat/cool option), but it seems to dry my hair just as efficiently as my old higher-wattage dryer.
UPDATE November 2007: Unfortunately, we had to stop using this hair dryer after about a year. We found that it would cut off in the middle of use, necessitating turning the unit off and re-starting. Cleaning the air filter sometimes helped, but this problem gradually got worse until the dryer was virtually unusable. When we unplugged it, we saw that the connections had actually started to melt! So, I'm sorry to say that I can no longer recommend this hair dryer--it's back to Conair brand for me. I am also decreasing my rating to 3-star; I would make it even lower, but I suspect that we may have a problem with our bathroom outlet which contributed to the hair dryer's early demise.
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I first found and used this hairdryer in a hotel. I was really impressed by how powerful and effective it was. By effective I mean that the flow of air is concentrated and focused as opposed to diffuse, which is how many compacts and hotel models work. It made it very easy to style my hair, and without the aid of extra parts or accessories.
I subsequently bought one for myself, and a second for an elderly parent who now lacks the strength to comfortably hold up the typical bigger, heavier hair dryers on the market. We're both very happy with this compact, easy to pack hair dryer -a model that is excellent for home or travel use. I consider it a well made product -it even comes with a 5 year warranty.
Hope this review was helpful.
