About That “Two Times the Wattage” Rule

ACUPWR’s voltage transformers are made in the USA with premium parts workmanship. Our competition, however, is manufactured overseas using cheap labor and cheap parts such as aluminum wiring (notorious for catching on fire) and cartridge fuses as circuit breakers. The safety and reliability issue is a big one as these transformers are legendary for breaking down well under their stated wattage. For example, an Amazon.com review reports how a Goldsource model rated for 500 watts began to smoke when a 325-watt appliance was connected.

To skirt the safety and reliability issues of their products, manufacturers and sellers of the cheap, foreign-made transformers use a gimmick worthy of a FTC investigation: it’s called the “Two Times the Wattage” Rule. Here’s an actual explanation that we found on our competition’s website: 

“Remember to leave at least a 100% margin for power surges/spike when buying a transformer. Some items, such as Televisions, computer monitors spike when you turn them on. For these products you need to buy a voltage converter transformer that is at least 3 times the items capacity. Power tools, laser printers and heating appliances like coffee makers, toasters, microwaves, lasers, Halogen, Fluorescent bulbs you must leave a margin of 4 times. It doesn't hurt to buy a transformer that is rated much higher than listed watts on your device.”

Essentially, these companies are pulling a classic bait-and-switch by selling a transformer claiming to do something at risk of bodily harm, and avoiding liability by insisting that customers need to purchase a larger, more expensive model to compensate for a lousy product.

In contrast, when buying an ACUPWR transformer, the “two-times the wattage” rule doesn’t apply: you only buy the actual wattage that you need. If you’re moving to Germany with a 120-volt, 750-watt Vitamix blender, buy a 750-watt ACUPWR transformer (in this case the AD-750 model).

Another example of our superiority: ACUPWR’s voltage transformers will work 20 percent beyond their stated wattage, allowing a cushion in the event of slight over-wattage and voltage surges/spikes. And we use thermal protection circuitry instead of cheap cartridge fuses as protection from overload. Our transformers will automatically shut down when abnormal heat is detected. They’ll return to operation when the transformer returns to normal operating temperature.