LOOKING FOr/HELP: Universal Travel Adapter Fast Chargers with USB C and USB A

HappyChipMonk on 03/02/2026 - 19:56

Hi Cheapies,

Any pointers on how to find a Universal Travel Adapter (fast charging) for South Korea and Japan ? I am going there on holiday in a couple weeks time and I am trying to find a good reliable for that I can use.

There are a lot of options on trademe and and NZ retailers but mainly they are specific for that country. Is there any recommendations from the cheapies crew.

Im currently looking at this but open to options and will pay for quality - Ideally at least 1 USB A and USB C (IDeally more)

The only things we will be charging are Phones and Battery packs (no laptops or tablets)

Hoping someone can help !

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/computers/laptops/po…

General Discussion

Comments

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  • akhmed on 03/02/2026 - 21:19
    +4

    Hmm. Just wondering why would you buy all these adaptors when going only for a holiday.

    What I did was buy one single NZ to korea adaptor to the wall. And then took my NZ 6 plug multiboard with which I could use all my original adaptors?

    Does it make sense?

    • CheapAzChips on 03/02/2026 - 22:05

      Yep, if you have a good charger already then just take a couple of pin adaptors to change the NZ plug to Japanese (Type A, no earth) and Korean ("Type C/F") plugs. I haven't seen a single USB charger in the past 10-15 years that couldn't handle the full range of 100V (Japan) to 220 (S. Korea) / 240 (NZ). Likewise for laptop chargers, shavers, etc. Taking a NZ multi board is a great idea.

      There are a few high power appliances such as hair dryers that won't work properly, but chargers are pretty much guaranteed to work. Check the label if you're unsure. If it says "Input: 100-250V AC" then you're good to go.

    • BlackLab on 03/02/2026 - 22:13
      +1

      I was going to suggest the same thing.

      Just buy a cheap single plug adapter then bring your normal charger with you.

      Also, the multiplug (or small extension cable) can be useful as the adatpers are usually a bit flimsy. It takes the weight off the plug and it brings everything away from the wall (i.e. your charger can be closer to the bed or sit on top of a table).

  • HappyChipMonk on 03/02/2026 - 21:52

    interesting - didnt think about that… i assume I do that for japan as well

    • Alan6984 on 03/02/2026 - 22:42

      Yep - We have only ever bought one adapter for each country we visit (assuming we don't already have one), and take a six-way with us too.

  • vorman on 04/02/2026 - 00:31
    +1

    I bought similar from Temu and it worked great. Not sure if the others here understand how this works. This is a 'single adaptor' with push out pins for various countries.
    Others here have mentioned buying a single adaptor for each country they visit. This device negates that. You wont need to buy another adaptor for any country you visit in future because the push out pins are awesome! You just push out which country/plug type you want.
    I'd recommend this but the Temu version was waay cheaper ~$20.

    The added benefit of these are that they have USB and USB C ports, so depending on your devices, you can most probably plug your phone, smart watch in the USB ports and keep the actual plug free for any other device/appliance you may have taken with, for eg, laptop.

  • NovaAlpha on 04/02/2026 - 03:09

    I own several GaN chargers and I have one that I bought many years ago and it's still going strong. It might be considered pricey by some, but you get what you pay for and it's future proof for many years, so it's up to you whether you want to go down this route.

    Anyway, here's the link:
    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003803277086.html

    The option I went with is "With US Plug AC Cord" and with "Plug Type: US EU UK AU Plug". This gives you 3 different plug adapters and the US cord to go with.

    The reason I went with this approach is due to several reasons. Firstly, the charger itself doesn't need an AC cord. You can plug it straight to the wall if you want to. The plug it comes with built-in is a US style plug, so you don't need an adapter if you were to use this in countries that use US style plugs.

    Secondly, on the back of the adapters, they use the US style inserts. This makes sense, considering the charger's built-in plug is US style. Therefore, if you wish to extend the charger away from the wall using an AC cord, you need to go with the US style cord, as the end of the cord that plugs to the wall will have to be US style in order to use the adapters.

    Finally, since it's a GaN charger, it can do 2x 100W charging at the same time and there are 4 ports, which should be enough to charge multiple devices at once. Note that this isn't the latest GaN technology and this charger is already considered to be "old" tech by my standards, as I bought these 4 years ago. However, based on your requirements, they should suffice.

  • Elrops on 04/02/2026 - 09:28

    Hey OP.
    I bought a similar charger of Aliexpress a few years back and it's been invaluable for travel.
    The one you've posted is quite expensive. You'd be able to find the same product on Temu or Aliexpress easily for half the price

  • ScoobyNZ on 04/02/2026 - 09:40

    I bought one of these when I went to USA recently, predominantly to use for laptop but it can work for anything. It comes with all worldwide adaptors which you can chop and change when needed. Even just use it back here in NZ when you're finished.

    https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NBPKFD1003/KFD-100W-GaN-USB…

    If you don't want / need it for a laptop then you'll probably get away with the cheaper 65W version.

    It has the extra USB-A and USB-C outputs for 2nd and 3rd devices.

  • Martz5 on 04/02/2026 - 10:22
    +1

    I have one of these, the 65W 2U3C version. Has worked flawlessly, no issues. Although the price i paid 2 years ago was about half of what it currently is….
    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005088760785.html?

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