Home Appliance Selections

[Dewy]

I am new to Germany, (First time over seas), and new to the AAFES thingg, (I am Navy).

I was told by my sponsor about the power differences here in Germany to the states and it was reccomended that I leave certain things home because they either wouldn't work, or wouldn't work right.

Now that I am here, and am getting settled, I have had several occainsions to run over to the Brand New Giant BX/PX, (Which they waste space in their shleves by the way, another complaint), and have bought several items that I had to take back.

The complaint is that household appliances they sell here in the BX in Germany, have no business being here, I wonder if anyone thinks of these things before they get them for the store.

Specficially, I needed a microwave.  The BX had just put out 4 brand new boxes of a model that I really liked, (it didn't have any time knobs on it, it was all push button), but no where on the box did it say anything about being 220, no where on the shelf did it say 220.  I am not a electrical guy and living in on post housing I thought that I would be okay with it cause housing had 110 outlets.  Anyway, I truck it home and up 4 flights of stairs to unbox it and plug it in and find out it would work at all....nothing!  I get a quick education in the difference between 50 herts and 60 hertz, re-pack the Microwave and take it back.

Also this week, I was looking for a vacuum and had the same problem, alot of their upright vacuums were 110 only, and I assume with the difference in hertz that the 110 vacuum would run slower??  Why even bother selling this stuff?  The microwave especially, it for sure wouldn't work out in town if it won't work on base??!?

I think the Germany PX/BXs should look at this stuff....

Oh yeah, Irons too I ran into that were 110, (Not sure if they would have worked or not, I was told not to bring any appliances with heating elements that where 110??).

[TheFreud]

The Microwave thing is different. You should have been issued one. Yes, the one they give you sucks, but it is functional and no money out of pocket.

THe vacuums should work. Mine does, and I bought a 110. It's not the best brand on the market, but then I have very little by way of rugs. My Floormate is a godsend, even though it took those clowns 9 months of constant harassment to get it for me... 
In general I got pissed of when I got here- because I had been told to leave all my 110 stuff behind, and then I get to base housing to find 110 plugs and a whole lot of money out of pocket to replace everything.
If you need something specific for your home, I suggest you start bugging a manager now... So you can get it by Christmas.

[Dewy]

Thank you for the advice.  We too found that there were 110 outlets everywhere, but that one Microwave would not work at all.

The latest thing we just ran into was in trying to buy a stapler.  I found that at least one of the staplers they sell doesn't come with staples, and the staples sold right next to the stapler do not fit.  I was told that the Staplers were US, and the staples European?

Just little annoyances more than anything.

For the people that live in town, I don't see how any of the 110 appliances would benifit them.  I mean sure you could by a tranformer, but who would want to pay an additonal 25-300 dollars, (depending on the wattage), when you could just get the 220 version, (if they had it).