UK Appliances to move to US?

Ok, so I went through all of this when we moved from the US to the UK 3+ years ago (we decided to keep stereo, printer, tool battery charger to use with step down transformer, but to get rid of high-wattage hair dryer, food processor, mixer, blender, waffle maker). 

Now I am getting ready to do it all in reverse as it looks like we are moving back as my British husband is being made redundant and can't find anything here but has a US offer.

So do the same rules apply when going from 220/240 to 110?  I now have
-sewing machine (90W)
-laminator (300W)
-breadmaker (550W)
-Magimix food processor (1100W)

Am I right in thinking that the sewing machine and laminator will be good to keep on a step-up transformer, but that the cost of a sufficiently powerful transformer for the other two will be prohibitively expensive?  I have read that the TV and DVD player  have other compatibility issues that I need to sort out.

Thank you very much.  This forum has been so very helpful through this period of my life - trying to manage now 2 international moves with small children in tow.  Thanks!

Hi there,

I'd say sell off the UK appliances here and then once you're back in the US, buy the items you need there. Those items you mention, unless you have some sort of sentmental value to them aren't worth spending extra money shipping them back across (even if it's part of your major belongings) and then buying transformers to actually run them.

If they're 240 volt items, you'll need a step up transformer and one that's powerful enough to provide ample current for the 1100W megamix.

Theres also no real point taking a UK TV and DVD player over there unless they happen to be multi system/region items - then it may well be worth taking them over.

Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Along these same lines, is there a multiplier for the amount of wattage an appliance uses and the wattage of a converter?  Back when we moved the first time, I *think* I read that you should buy a converter that can handle 3x the stated wattage, to account for any surge.  Is that true?

For the above mentioned Magimix, that would mean a converter that could handle at least 3300w. 

That's what we did when we brought things over to the UK (and then calculated whether the converter cost more than the replacement value of the item and that made the decision easy), but I'm wondering if it was valid information.

We'll be going back to the US eventually, and will surely be bringing a few things with us.  But for now, it's just curiousity.

Thanks.  It's tricky as there is no extra cost to me in moving them (would just be in container with everything else, plus employer is picking up that tab) so it is only the cost of a transformer versus the cost of buying a new appliance in the US.  Even though they're less than 2 years old, I'll probably get very little selling used appliances (that cost me in total almost £500).  Not sure what I'll do.

The DVD player is multi-region so will probably take that as it will be in the same cabinet as a very old UK amp that ran off a transformer in the US for 10 years, so the DVD player can share that transformer.

Does anyone have experience running a UK sewing machine in the US?  Did it run well?  That is the appliance I'm most inclined to keep as I really like and have lots of attachments for it.  Thanks.

i took my UK magimix to the US, bought the proper transformer, and found that it didn't perform properly.  i have now moved back to the UK, and it is working properly again.  my UK kitchenaid worked okay there on the transformer.  a friend moved a sewing machine back to the US and was never happy with it there... the motor didn't run smoothly so sewing was uneven.

Thank you very much for replying.  That is exactly the sort of experience I was looking to hear about.  I'm not surprised about the Magimix given it's such high wattage, but I was hopeful about the sewing machine, oh well!  Anyone else?