Ceptics World Travel Usb Type C Qc 30 Power Plug Adapter Review
The research
- Why you should trust us
- Who should get this
- How we picked
- How we tested
- Our selection: Epicka Universal Travel Adapter
- Flaws merely not dealbreakers
- Our selection: Ceptics International Worldwide Travel Plug Adapter 5 Piece Prepare
- Runner-up: Ceptics Adapter Plug Set for Worldwide International Travel Use
- Practise yous need a voltage converter?
- The competition
Why you should trust us
In addition to my piece of work here at Wirecutter, I also write about tech and travel for CNET, Forbes, and Wirecutter'southward parent company, The New York Times. Maybe more than relevant to this guide, ordinarily spend a good chunk of each yr (global pandemics aside) every bit a digital nomad, living months at a time in different countries all over the world. My electric current country count is 50, spread across vi continents, and since I travel with a lot of electronics gear for work, beingness able to plug in is obviously crucial.
I've owned and used many dissimilar types of universal-style travel adapters, and several unlike companies' worth of plug adapters, plus I've talked with countless travelers about what they like … or, more than important, what they detest. We also got some advice from Wirecutter senior editor Mark Smirniotis, who oversees our power devices department.
Who should get this
Do you lot travel? Are you going to travel old in the (near or far) future? Exercise you want to exist able to accuse or utilize electronic devices in a different country? If then, you're probably going to need a travel plug adapter. At that place'southward a variety of different outlet types around the world, not to mention unlike voltages and frequencies, so y'all tin can't look your telephone charger to simply plug in and work wherever you're headed. Certain, Canada, United mexican states, Japan, and many other countries use the same small pair of prongs as the United states, but places like continental Europe, the United kingdom, Commonwealth of australia, India, Russian federation, and pretty much everywhere else do not.
You have 2 main choices when information technology comes to travel plug adapters: the universal-manner travel adapters (that's one device with multiple sets of prongs that you extend and retract) and smaller, private plug adapters that usually come up in sets. Both take pros and cons.
Should you get a universal travel adapter or a simple plug adapter?
Universal travel adapters are for the person who wants i handy adapter that will work in only near every country. You can continue it next to your passport and toss information technology in your luggage when you lot're packing. The ones we considered have USB ports, and then yous don't demand to worry nearly bringing a separate charger for anything that charges via USB (think phones and racket-cancelling earbuds). However, these are bulky, they have parts that can break, and even the best volition accept longer to charge your phone or tablet than will a good multiport USB wall charger.
The alternative is small and simple plug adapters. These attach to the prongs of your electric current USB charger (whether it's a multiport one or the charger that came with your device) to let them to fit into a foreign outlet. These can piece of work because nearly every modernistic charger tin adapt to the available voltage in pretty much every state, every bit long as you lot can accommodate the prongs to fit in the outlet. (More on this in Exercise you demand a voltage converter?) These are swell for people who already have a multiport USB charger they like and don't want to deal with the additional bulk of a universal travel adapter. Also, these are necessary if you're traveling to a country that has outlets incompatible with any of the iv types included in a universal adapter (which, every bit that sentence reveals, aren't really universal).
The option between universal travel adapters and individual plug adapters ultimately comes downward to personal preference. Both types piece of work, and dissimilar people will like or dislike each. If you're non sure which will be best for you lot, read each section here closely.
Here'southward the big caveat: If you're planning on bringing something with you that has a motor, a heating chemical element, or a unmarried power string that leads directly from the plug to the device (i.e. there's no power brick or wall wart), it well-nigh certainly won't piece of work with a travel plug adapter. Almost people will only need one of the adapter choices nosotros recommend, but very occasionally there'due south a piece of gear that needs a voltage converter. For more on that topic, too check out the voltage converters section below.
Where in the world will your travel plug adapter piece of work?
All universal travel adapters have iv different sets of prongs, which encompass most countries most Americans tend to travel to. First is the large, wide-blade United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland-mode plug (often designated "Type G"). This volition work in places similar the U.k., apparently, and also Ireland, Hong Kong, and some other parts of Asia and the Middle East.
Side by side is the round Europe-manner plug, aka the Europlug (Blazon C). However, this is where we run into complications. This plug should piece of work in most of Europe—it was designed, in fact, to fit into a wide range of European outlet types. For instance, parts of Italia, Switzerland, and Denmark each apply unlike plugs from one another. Should this double-round one work in those locations? Yes. Volition it? Hard to say. I've stayed in places where my Europlug didn't work, yet it did in the hostel before and the hotel subsequently—all within the same small region of a country. With any luck, if this happens to you, the place y'all're staying volition take a power strip that will let you plug in, though there'south no guarantee of that.
Third is the angled small-blade style (Type I) establish in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and other parts of Oceania, and a few other areas. Some universal adapters have i set of blades for this and the United states style—you simply manually rotate the blades into the correct position depending on where you lot are. In our testing, nosotros had no trouble getting them to work.
The last, the minor United states of america-style blades (Type A or B), mean you could use our picks to visit the U.s. and other countries that take the same plugs—if, that is, you're reading this from outside the US.
What are the places not covered by these 4 styles? Some parts of Brazil, Due south Africa, India, and more. I've stayed in parts of Italian republic, for example, that should accept Europlugs but only had something chosen Type L. I've stayed in houses in Brazil that had Blazon Due north, but the Europlug fit enough to piece of work. In others, it wouldn't.
To find out which plugs you might need while traveling, refer to the excellent Wikipedia article called Mains electricity by land that shows pictures of (near) all the possible plugs and outlets, along with a listing of the world's countries and (almost all of) the manner or styles they utilize. This is invaluable information to check before you go out. If multiple plug types are listed for a specific country and you lot're staying in an older building, you lot should probably presume its outlets will crave whatever plug isn't on a universal travel adapter, since these only accept the most mutual, newer varieties of plugs.
Which brings us to perhaps the most important fact: Getting your gear to work in dissimilar countries isn't quite as simple every bit it should be, and in that location's no unmarried solution that's guaranteed to piece of work for everyone. Our picks should piece of work for yous, only you may take some random piece of equipment, or be traveling to some country, for which our "adept for most" picks just won't work. (Case in betoken: One Wirecutter editor visited Iceland recently. The house she stayed in had outlets unlike anything on Wikipedia'due south chart, and the plug adapters she'd used elsewhere in Reykjavik didn't fit at all. It turns out the mystery sockets belonged to an obscure Italian system from the 1960s that was pop in Iceland for a fourth dimension. Luckily, the hosts had power strips in the house that her adapters fit into.) We'll try to mention such potential caveats when we tin can, but the world is a big place, and when information technology comes to electricity and wall outlets, there's a lot of variation. That'southward of import to go along in mind.
How we picked
There are approximately 70 billion universal travel plug adapters on the Spider web. However, after spending 20 hours staring at them, I institute there'southward only about a dozen basic designs—and countless "companies" selling them. Among those dozen or so actually different products, I saw a few distinctions that helped narrow the field. Since most options had four USB ports, that seemed like a reasonable minimum to require. Their maximum power output, rated in amps, became a determining factor in our rankings. The higher the maximum output, the faster the port will accuse your gear.
Some plugs came with a replaceable fuse, which seemed like a skilful thought, and a few included a replacement for said fuse, which seemed even better. This way, if either you plug the adapter into a sketchy outlet or a roommate at the hostel uses your adapter to plug in their completely necessary portable arc welder, the fuse will go, non your adapter. Then it's just a matter of swapping in the included spare fuse and you're good to go.
These fuses have a maximum power rating, and therefore the adapters have a maximum wattage rating. However, you shouldn't be connecting anything with a high enough power describe to trip these fuses. Check out Practise y'all need a voltage converter? for more information. The brusque version is that recharging portable electronic devices is fine, but powering annihilation that has a motor or heats up is not. About every appliance or device has its ability draw written on information technology somewhere, then worst case, y'all can compare that to what's listed on the adapter. And so you don't have to wait it up, volts × amps = watts.
The other selection nosotros considered and tested is individual plug adapters. These small adapters attach to the prongs of your current charger so they'll plug into a strange outlet. In deciding which of these to exam, we judged by size and available plug-type options. As you'll encounter with our ii picks, i is exceptionally small, and the other offers sturdier plugs that are bachelor in a range of plug types that's broad enough to cover you no matter where in the world y'all're headed.
How we tested
The universal travel adapters are far more similar to one some other than they are different. However, getting in a dozen and playing with them for a while revealed that some felt better put together than others. Later spending several minutes with each i, forcefully extending the various plugs, slamming them back in, and just being adequately rough with them, I found it easy to tell which felt similar they'd terminal a few trips, and which wouldn't. None felt similar you lot'd own them for a lifetime. Since none are expensive, though, this didn't seem like a major issue. All had a U.s.a.-style plug, so I tested each i in several outlets effectually my house—some new, some old. I didn't detect much divergence in how they fit and worked. I connected several chargers and plugs to the output side of each adapter as well. Again, not much deviation. Last, I checked how bright the LED on each was, since a likewise-bright LED keeping me awake has been a pet peeve of mine for years. Many USB chargers have LEDs bright plenty to practically read from; I eliminated any universal adapter that had this problem.
For the plug adapters, I tried plugging in several devices, as well as inserting them into outlets effectually my house. I checked how tight the connections were and how they felt overall. Would they fall apart with simple use or perhaps concur up to being tossed around in bags for a few weeks or months?
In reality, the testing for all the adapter types didn't reveal much variation in terms of operation. These are all remarkably similar products. How they felt to utilize and their different features played a far bigger role in establishing our terminal picks.
Our pick: Epicka Universal Travel Adapter
Our selection
While all the universal travel adapters we tested included the same 3 types of plugs (plus the familiar US-mode one), they differed in how many USB ports each had and how quickly they could charge—and that'due south where the Epicka Universal Travel Adapter excelled. It has v USB ports: 4 of the standard USB-A size and one of the newer USB-C. (You may non accept a USB-C device at the moment, but you likely will in the future.) These volition let you charge, say, iii phones, two tablets, and—via the adapter's main plug—a camera bombardment that has its own wall charger, all at once.
In addition, and just as of import, is the maximum ability output: v.6 amps. This was the highest of all the adapters nosotros considered, which means you lot can charge more of your devices at higher speeds before hitting the max output. Keep in heed that the maximum output per USB-A port is two.4 amps, the max on the USB-C port is 3 amps, and if you're using all v ports yous won't be able to accuse every continued device at total speed—it'll only give yous that 5.vi amp output in total. The output is still far lower than what you can go from a decent USB charger combined with our selection for a simple plug adapter (more than on that in the plug adapter section, below), only it'southward significantly better than most universal travel adapters, which often max out under 3 amps full.
The Epicka has three sliders on one side, with a push button on the other to lock/unlock your called plug in place. This organisation feels more secure than the semi-locking or slide-locking system that some other universals use. Withal, this is plastic-on-plastic, and so don't expect a tank. As these things go, the Epicka feels sturdy. The The states and Australia share a pair of prongs—you twist the prongs manually to set them up for an angled Australia-style outlet.
The four regular USB plugs are all on one side, which is tidier than the "flailing gibbon" look of some other.
The above details were what put the Epicka at the meridian of our listing, but the adapter has a few other features that are the cherry on height, so to speak. For instance, it comes with a pocket-sized nylon case and a USB cable with a divide end, then it works with either Micro-USB or Lightning devices. While the adapter has an LED to show y'all it's working, the glow isn't so vivid as to be a distraction at night.
One terminal note. There are multiple Epicka universal adapters, and even Epicka can't keep the names directly. Nosotros've seen this one chosen, variously, Universal Travel Adapter, International Travel Adapter, Travel Adapter-2, Universal USB Travel Power Adapter (2018), and even Universal Travel Adapter One Worldwide International Wall Charger AC Plug Adaptor with 5.6A Smart Power iii.0A USB Blazon-C for USA European union UK AUS Cell Phone Tablet Laptop (Grayness). Best to follow the link above. Also, you may find some other company selling a twin of this. The Epicka has the nearly reviews and offers free shipping with Prime. The other options we saw accept few or no reviews, or charge outrageous shipping costs.
Flaws but non dealbreakers
As with all of these adapters, I wouldn't expect the Epicka to concluding forever. Given its locking design and case, it's probably going to terminal longer than many others, simply all of these are almost entirely inexpensive plastic devices. Just something to continue in heed.
While the prongs themselves felt secure, and being able to lock them into place was overnice, it's entirely possible that the size and weight of the adapter, plus any you've plugged into it, could pull it out of an outlet. That is, unfortunately, a chance with every universal adapter.
Another risk with any universal adapter—as we mentioned above—is that it's not going to work where you're headed. Epicka claims information technology will work in 150 countries, but there are more than than 200 countries (the exact number is harder to pin downwards than you might realize). And even in each of those 150 countries, at that place's no guarantee that the adapter will piece of work in every outlet in every building. Plug adapters are a somewhat safer bet to work specifically where y'all're going, but they have their own downsides, which we'll talk over below.
Also, while the Epicka is a little smaller than some of the others we tested, all universal adapters are much bulkier than plug adapters. Every bit someone who has spent virtually of the past five years traveling, I feel plug adapters are far easier and less abrasive to bargain with. This is largely why we take two recommendations for that category.
Our pick: Ceptics International Worldwide Travel Plug Adapter 5 Piece Prepare
Our choice
The Ceptics Plug Adapter prepare combines everything we were looking for in plug adapters: small size, solid build quality, and—well, small size is really the matter here. Each adapter is no larger than it needs to exist to fit over the American-manner prongs of your charger. The plastic feels solid and not flimsy. Each adapter has the region or countries it should be used in written on the side. The five plugs in the set are the same four as you lot'll find on the universal adapters recommended above, plus the thicker, round European-fashion prongs used in parts of France, parts of Asia, and elsewhere.
Though the prepare comes with a pocket-size case, yous probably wouldn't be traveling with the entire set very oft. Instead, you'd pack but the specific adapter or adapters you'd be using on each trip. These are for the person who wants to travel as low-cal and as simply equally possible. I myself, and my friends who travel frequently, swear past these small, inexpensive adapters. Besides, if you have a USB multiport charger you similar or a charger that's especially fast, you can use that charger with simply a tiny, almost weightless plug at the end.
All the same, plug adapters aren't for everyone, and that's why they're non our main pick. For one thing, if you don't already own a multiport USB wall charger, you'll still have to get one if y'all don't want to bear a charger for each device. Also, depending on what y'all're connecting with these plug adapters, your charger or device could wobble and maybe fall out. The connections within are solid enough that this shouldn't happen, but information technology'due south possible. Our universal-adapter picks, likewise every bit the other Ceptics set we discuss beneath, accept a larger "face" for your charger to caryatid confronting—more like that of a traditional outlet—so there's less chance of gravity having its way with your gear.
Being small and inexpensive, plug adapters are non congenital for high-power, high-wattage items, though hopefully nosotros've persuaded you to leave those at home. If y'all're charging a bombardment, you should be fine. If you're running a motor, probably not. Laptops, yes; mini-fridges, no.
Last, these things existence so minor, yous could easily lose them in your handbag or leave them backside in an outlet somewhere, if yous're the type of person who loses things. (That'southward why I usually keep mine continued to my charger.)
For a hardcore traveler like me, these are my pick. They're inexpensive, low-cal, and small, and they work.
Runner-up: Ceptics Adapter Plug Set for Worldwide International Travel Utilize
Runner-upward
Though made by the same company as the Ceptics International Worldwide Travel Plug Adapter v Piece Set—and bearing a confusingly similar proper noun—the plug adapters in the Ceptics Adapter Plug Set for Worldwide International Travel Use are, as you can see, a completely dissimilar pattern. They're much larger than the other Ceptics (allow's call the previous set Ceptics Black and this one Ceptics White for simplicity). All the same, they're each smaller than a universal adapter, and they have i key benefit over our top plug-adapter choice: You tin purchase them in multipacks for individual regions, including regions beyond those covered past the Ceptics Black gear up.
The Ceptics White are pocket-size, merely not every bit minor as the Ceptics Black. That actress size does offer 1 do good, however: These adapters have more of a face on the output side, so there's more surface for your charger to lean against. This means your charger is less likely to autumn out. Again, neither prepare of plugs we tested had loose connections, only this is always a run a risk, equally chargers vary. One other deviation: In place of the 2-pronged US plug we saw (blazon A) in our other picks, this set includes the three-pronged grounded version.
The real benefit to the Ceptics Whites, however, is not their physical characteristics. This range is ane of your simply options if you want to buy a plug adapter for a specific region or country. Headed to Republic of india or S Africa? A universal adapter probably won't work, but you can go a three-pack of Ceptics that will. Y'all tin too purchase the first three-prong and in-line iii-prong for Switzerland and Italy, respectively, likewise as plugs for Israel and Brazil, both the thin and the thick European plugs, and of course, Australia and United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland versions too. They cost less than $10 per set. Any of those links volition bring you to a page that lets you cull amid plugs for unlike regions—definitely verify at checkout that you've picked the correct ones!
These adapters are ideal for someone headed to a country non covered by a universal adapter, or who has multiple chargers they want to plug in while traveling. They're non quite as compact equally the Ceptics Black adapters, merely for most people, this difference in size won't be an outcome. I've traveled with these Ceptics plugs for many years, and they bear witness no signs of article of clothing.
Do you need a voltage converter?
Every adapter yous encounter in this guide simply sends the electric current from the wall directly to any you plug into information technology. These are not voltage converters. Which is to say, if you're in the UK, any y'all plug into the front of the adapter is going to get the U.k.'south 220 volts/50 hertz electricity, non the 120 volt/60 hertz that you'd get in the U.s.a.. Travel plug adapters don't catechumen the voltage; they but convert the plug. (Our universal picks practise catechumen the local current to USB voltage, just only for the USB ports.)
Notwithstanding, for the vast majority of people, this is all you need. It's exceptionally rare that anyone would need a voltage converter anymore. This is because nigh then-called wall warts, similar on your phone charger or your photographic camera's battery charger, will catechumen the wall voltage into what it needs automatically.
Take a look at your charger. Somewhere, it should say "100–220V fifty/60Hz." This ways it can accept anything between 100 V and 220 5, which covers domestic electricity pretty much everywhere, and either fifty Hz or 60 Hz, which again covers everything. If your charger doesn't say this, it might not work with a travel adapter. If it simply says "120V–60Hz," it volition almost certainly not work—or not piece of work correctly—with a travel adapter.
But here's the other reason we don't recommend ownership a voltage converter: Your device might not work even with one. Annihilation with a motor (like pilus dryers), anything with a heating element (similar a wearable iron or a curling iron), or anything with a plug that goes directly to the device (every bit in no wall wart), probably won't work in some other country regardless of what kind of converter or adapter you bring. The good news is, pretty much every hotel, hostel, and Airbnb will have a hair dryer you can borrow. This is one of those times where nosotros can't comprehend everything you might desire to bring, merely for the vast bulk of yous, you don't need a voltage converter. Either information technology's not necessary, or the device that needs one won't work anyway. Worst case, if it's something cheap and you really need information technology—a hot pot or an electric kettle, say—consider buying one at your destination.
One occasional exception is electric razors. These often fall into the "single cable, no wall wart, has a motor" category. Which is to say, they probably won't work without a voltage converter. (Again, check the fine print near the plug or on the device itself.) Many hotels accept a shaver plug in the bathroom, with a United states of america-style outlet and US-style 110 volt-or-so voltage. Still, not every hotel will have these, and they're very rare in hostels and Airbnbs. If you need 1, best to call ahead and see if your hotel has them. Or utilise disposables on your trip.
It's worth noting again for clarity, USB is USB, so if you're only plugging in a USB cable, unless something is horribly wrong, one USB port'due south voltage is the same as any other USB port's voltage. How fast that port will accuse your gear will vary (that's related to amperage), just unless the charger is faulty, a USB port shouldn't harm your gear.
The competition
We considered many more adapters than those listed here. However, the bulk of travel adapters available eddy down to only a dozen or so designs sold by myriad companies. We've listed two representatives of each of the most common designs, but in nigh cases, many more exist. Chances are, if it looks similar and has similar specs, it's probably the same within.
Universal travel adapters
Askali, Unidapt, others: Simply 3.iv amps maximum output, which ways it'll take longer to charge all of your devices.
Bluegogo: Merely 2 USB and slower-charging than our picks.
Bonaker: Formerly our runner-upwardly choice, this travel adapter had the usual mix of four plug types to cover you in most countries, just its four USB-A ports were slower than our top choice's, and information technology had no USB-C port at all. It'southward also since disappeared from Amazon.
Bonazza, Urbo, others: Feels flimsy, fifty-fifty compared with others here. Two-piece design is more cumbersome than helpful. Only 3.4 amps maximum output.
Ceptics Travel Power Strip: The Travel Power Strip combines the interchangeable-plug aspect of the Ceptics Plug Adapter Set with a two-outlet ability strip and short extension cord. It also has USB-A and USB-C outputs. If you have multiple non-USB items you want to accuse at one time—a laptop and a camera charger, for case—this is a good option. Just we recollect most travelers will prefer the more than portable brick blueprint of our picks over this ability strip.
Conair Travel Smart: It has only one USB port, with a maximum of ane amp, but with three outlets, it'southward one of the few travel adapters that lets y'all plug in multiple non-USB devices.
Eagle Creek USB Universal Travel Adjust Pro: This astonishingly overpriced (information technology'southward several times more than expensive than our universal-adapter pick) and terribly designed product wouldn't be worth mentioning if information technology did non have the Eagle Creek proper noun on it and were, when we tested it, not sold at REI. It'southward since been redesigned, but REI is no longer selling it; besides, it'due south still very expensive. (Also, Eagle Creek's parent company announced in spring of 2021 that it is shutting down the brand by the end of the year.)
Monoprice Compact Cube Universal Travel Adapter: I own 1 of these, and it's fine, simply if you're going the universal route, our picks take USB charging for just a few dollars more than. If you don't need USB charging, our plug-adapter picks are probably improve choices. Insten is a like product but with, manifestly, surge suppression built in. Merely as there's no way to change the fuse, this is likely one-and-washed if yous plug in something also powerful.
Mu One: The Mu offered a much higher power output than other travel adapters: 45 watts, enough to quickly charge fifty-fifty a large-battery device such as a MacBook Air. However, after trying and failing to launch a Mu Two in 2020, the visitor went out of business concern. The name and remaining assets were bought by a visitor called Discovery Lodge, which seems to exist selling off the inventory.
Ougrand (dark-green): Same shape as the Askali, but with a USB-C in place of ane of the regular USB connections; 3.4 amp max total.
Huanuo: A bit bulky, with three regular USB ports and i USB-C; 3.iv amps maximum.
WGGE, Jollyfit: Just 2.iv amps max, less than either of our picks.
Plug adapters
Bestek Grounded Universal Worldwide Plug: Probable made in the same factory as the Ceptics White plugs, the Bestek fix looks the same and is roughly the same price. It offers a wide variety of plug types, but lacks the Type C Europlug that's common in most adapter sets and usable across nigh of Europe. (The Europlug was invented to fit into a wide range of European outlet types.) If our Ceptics White selection is sold out, these will as well work.
Insignia Global Travel Adapter Kit: The Insignia has a clever interlocking and compact design, akin to that of the old Flight 001 universal adapter (Flight 001, the specialty travel-gear retailer, is now no longer operating in the United states of america), and the private plugs feel solid. Nonetheless, information technology is expensive compared with our picks, and it doesn't offer anything that you couldn't do with our picks just past connecting them stop to end (if you wanted to).
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-travel-plug-adapter/
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