Accepted Answer

In England, the voltage is 50 hertz and 220-240 Volts. In Canada it's 60 Hertz and 110 volt (but in reality it's 120V now, oven have 220-240 and a different plug). That is one difference. A step up or step down transformer is economical if the system can run on 2 different frequency, but a frequency charger is not. It can break, it's not 100% efficient and it's costly.

There is also the power plug. In Canada we use the type B plug (Nema), while in England you might see type C (euro plug) or type G (british standard). Converter for those exist and are worth it for equipments that can handle the variety of voltage and frequency (electric razor, hair dryer and laptop computer usually are versatile at that).

Another incompatibility come from some electronics systems. A TV for example will not have the same refresh rate and signal compatibility will not work. DVD player and game console have what is called "regional protection". This will make them not play some media made in other regions.

You also have to think about how the inconvenience to use an adapter daily.

You also have to think about warranty, it can really be a pain to handle them if the stuff was bought in another country. Selling the stuff is really the simplest way. All the equipment for converting electricity is available on both side of the ocean.

Expert:	Martin
Pos. Feedback:	96.0 %
Accepts:
Answered:	11/6/2009

Engineer

i'm 35 and i never stopped studying and experimenting