Lamps, lamps, lamps!

Hi everyone,

I have a feeling that I already know the answer to this.
But I'm going to triple check...

I have these lamps:
newcomer link: http://www.ylighting.com/spunlightf.html [nonactive]
newcomer link: http://www.ylighting.com/missk.html [nonactive]
newcomer link: http://www.ylighting.com/art-tolmegafl.html [nonactive]

I like them a lot.
Would love to bring them from the US to the UK.

Can I just buy a transformer? (Even if it's more expensive)
Two of the lamps have dimmers.

Really don't want to re-buy the UK version if possible.

(I'm probably in denial that it most likely needs heavy modification...  Crossing fingers. )

Thanks very much for your help!

This might help:

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=16766.0

Thanks for the super quick reply!

I've read that thread, and I'm glazing over for some reason.   

If I were summarize, it'd be:
I won't be able to use those lamps without a ton of rewiring and refitting of bulb holder.

Is this correct?

Yeah, I think that's right.

To be clear though, can I use say a 500W transformer for a 300W halogen lamp with a dimmer?

That is if I don't want to go through the process of having an electrician find the necessary parts (including the dimmer) and re-wire everything.

Actually, I'd be less worried about that. The same reason the cable will be fine also applies to the lamp holder, MOSTLY. The concern is that the earth resistance may be insufficient for 230V, but I suspect in most cases it'll be designed to be OK for that to make it possible to sell anywhere without modification. You'll need to do a lot of digging to confirm though, or find a friend with a Megger who can test it.

The part you will have to change is the bulb - that definitely won't be able to take 230V, and if it's a funny size could prove challenging, especially with the ban on incandescent bulbs over here.

Is the dimmer integrated into the lamp itself, or in the cord? If the latter, it's probably quite straightforward to replace. If not, that could also be a major problem (depending on the design used).