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115V shaver plugs

Arran Cameron
Why do shaver sockets accommodate round pin plugs in the 115V outlet when countries with 100V to 120V mains supplies use type A plugs with flat pins? Is there a country somewhere with a 100V to 120V mains supply that just so happens to use shavers with round pin plugs?
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    The US uses 120v not 110v.
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    With reference to the US voltages, it depends WHEN you ask...110, 112, 117 and 120 are all legitimate, depending whether you are specifying supply voltage or utilization voltage. 125 may be considered ok by the utility co on a high loaded transformer


    They take volt drop into consideration on appliance ratings. Hence why a device specified for 110 or 112 or 117 v is fine when connected to a transformer whose actual output is 125v


    The reason I (purely guess) is that they use smaller transformers with a higher inherent impedance. It's typical to assume the substation transformer here in the UK has negligible impedance at its terminals. In the US, with maybe a 5kva transformer feeding a single highway sign... that doesn't apply


    I think Kelly Marie's point is actually fairly reasonable, most people are led to believe the world is divided in 2... '100ish to 125ish at 60hz, and 200 to 250ish at 50Hz, with japan being a bit weird'... And of the 100 to 125ish at 60Hz clan, the USA is definitely the leader. And her assumption is basically sound. It's so the 2 ranges are covered, a shaver or electric toothbrush doesn't really care, even back in the 70s... as long as the voltage is close enough....


    I actually remember reading a leaflet that came with a US to Europe travel adaptor from the 70s (amazingly crude, it was basically a dimmer with a fixed preset potentiometer instead of a knob) that warned that things like shavers would run slower and be noisier (because of the weird waveform).   We had it to run, via a shaver adaptor with the fuse bypassed, a popcorn maker purchased in california.


    Amazingly, unlike the horrible device, i survived
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    MHRestorations:


    I think Kelly Marie's point is actually fairly reasonable, most people are led to believe the world is divided in 2... '100ish to 125ish at 60hz, and 200 to 250ish at 50Hz, with japan being a bit weird'... And of the 100 to 125ish at 60Hz clan, the USA is definitely the leader. And her assumption is basically sound. It's so the 2 ranges are covered, a shaver or electric toothbrush doesn't really care, even back in the 70s... as long as the voltage is close enough....




    The 100ish to 125ish countries all use type A and type B flat pin plugs apart from Brazil - unless somebody knows of any others. The 200ish to 250ish countries have a diverse variety of mains plugs.


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    The 100ish to 125ish countries all use type A and type B flat pin plugs apart from Brazil - unless somebody knows of any others.



    Unfortunately it seems messier than that... Indonesia apparently use 110V as well a 220V but only uses type C (2 pin Euro) and F (Schuko), Suriname is 127V likewise only on C and F. American Samoa uses F and I (AUS/NZ) as well as A and B on their 120V system.


    Not to mention places like China and Antigua and Barbuda and Peru that appear to put 230V into type A and B sockets.


    All according to the IEC: https://www.iec.ch/worldplugs/typeA.htm


       - Andy.
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    AJJewsbury:


    Unfortunately it seems messier than that... Indonesia apparently use 110V as well a 220V but only uses type C (2 pin Euro) and F (Schuko), Suriname is 127V likewise only on C and F. American Samoa uses F and I (AUS/NZ) as well as A and B on their 120V system.

    There is a question whether any electrical appliances, especially shavers, sold in these countries require a 115Vish supply and are factory fitted with a type C plug? In some countries appliances aren't always sold with a fitted plug; plugs are often changed by owners; or plug convertors are commonplace.
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    GeorgeCooke:

    I would not buy one that could not take type C plugs in the 115v socket for reasons about the poor regulation I mentioned earlier.In fact I don't buy MK ones either as although they can take type C plugs in the 115v side they cannot tale UK shaver plugs there.




    Do some makes of shaver sockets have better regulation than others?


    I have used shaver sockets to power Japanese MSX computers. The sockets supply more than 115V under no load (sometimes in the 130V to 140V region) but they are VA limited to a bit less than the power consumption of some computers. I have yet to conclude which model provides the most current at 100V.


    Something that annoys me is that there aren't many horizontal shaver sockets on the market. They usually look neater outside of bathrooms than a vertical socket and they can replace an existing double socket.


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    I have used shaver sockets to power Japanese MSX computers.



    Just for information, there was a case a while ago where a shaver socket had been used to re-charge an electric toothbrush but the transformer had overheated despite the toothbrush charger drawing less current than a typical shaver. The socket manufacturer's defence was that the device was clearly marked 'shavers only' and it was the long-duration nature of the load that had caused the issue - the nominal shaver socket VA rating being only valid for the short duration typically needed for a shave. I suppose that's similar to the 'tool rating' of CTE site transformers - the continuous rating being far lower.


      - Andy.
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    AJJewsbury:


    Just for information, there was a case a while ago where a shaver socket had been used to re-charge an electric toothbrush but the transformer had overheated despite the toothbrush charger drawing less current than a typical shaver. The socket manufacturer's defence was that the device was clearly marked 'shavers only' and it was the long-duration nature of the load that had caused the issue - the nominal shaver socket VA rating being only valid for the short duration typically needed for a shave. I suppose that's similar to the 'tool rating' of CTE site transformers - the continuous rating being far lower.

    Experience has revealed that shaver sockets can get quite hot if used for prolonged periods powering computers. There is no ventilation to enable the transformer to cool by convection, but the transformers are probably physically too small or made of too lossy materials to sustain continuous loads without getting hot. Some makes probably get hotter than others with the same load and metal fronted sockets might fare better than plastic sockets.

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