Travel adapters are a staple in all airport newsstands, and for good reason, most international travelers use them. With a dozen or more different types of plugs in common use around the world, it won’t be long before you need one if you’re traveling outside of the United States.
Although they are such a simple concept, it is remarkable how often the manufacturers of these accessories get it wrong. They are often bulky and heavy, fall off, break easily, or cost much more than they are worth.
We have used many different models over the years, and we have never been completely satisfied with any of them. SKROSS sent in its World Adapter for review, to see if it might be the one that finally changed its mind.
Features and specs
The first thing to note is that SKROSS has many different versions of its World Adapter: grounded and ungrounded, built-in or optional, small, full-size USB ports, with portable battery connection, and more.
The review sample was the MUV USB, a two-pole adapter with a pair of built-in USB plugs, which works in almost all countries.
Like most other universal adapters, it is neither small nor light. On the positive side, the weight gives the impression that it is well made and is not likely to break right away. However, you will notice the weight.
In addition to the two-pin US plugs, the input plugs also handle European / Asian, Australia / New Zealand, Japanese and UK plugs. That is useful if you buy a device while abroad, as you will be able to use it through this adapter when you return home.
As mentioned, outlet plugs deal with almost every part of the world, with a visual list of options on the product page. Select the type you want with one of the black sliders on the side, which pushes out the necessary pins. To retract, press a release button on the other side and return the slider to its original position.
The adapter can handle voltages ranging from 100 to 250 volts, but that doesn’t mean what you’re plugging in can. As always, compare the voltage range of your appliance with the one you use in the country you are going to and buy a voltage converter if necessary.
The two USB sockets on the top of the adapter can draw a combined total of 2.1 amps. That’s enough to charge a couple of smartphones or other small devices, or an iPad alone, at regular speed. However, it is not enough to quickly charge the latest generation of phones, so if that is something you want, you will need to plug your usual phone charger into this adapter instead of using its USB ports.
Real world tests
We use the MUV USB adapter in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, Southeast Asia, several European countries, and largely the United States, with two-pin and USB plugs. Even after several months of being hit inside a backpack, the adapter shows no signs of wear or damage.
In all countries, the necessary pins were slid and locked firmly in place until the release button was pressed. Unlike some adapters, the European pins were long enough to fit the recessed plugs often found in that part of the world.
Regardless of the types of plugs in use, the adapter fits perfectly into them without any flex or wobble, even when halfway up the wall. A heavy laptop charger stayed firmly in place, as did the adapter itself. That hasn’t been the case with just about any other tested universal adapter, many of them fall straight out of the loose power outlets often found in Europe and Southeast Asia as soon as they have a real weight on them, and it is definitely an advantage for the SKROSS.
The USB plugs worked as expected, charging a phone and Kindle at normal speed, even while powering a laptop from the adapter, but they slowed down when we swapped the Kindle for a tablet.
When we are not traveling, we have also been using the SKROSS MUV USB Travel Adapter on a daily basis to charge a phone via a 3 Amp high power USB charger that we collected from other parts of the world.
Fast charge mode works perfectly with that charger and has been doing so without fail for almost two years. Since travel adapters aren’t necessarily made to handle this kind of long-term daily workload, that’s another brand in the box for this model’s build and durability.
A nice touch from the manufacturers is the use of a dim red LED to show that the adapter has power, rather than the flashy blue versions on many others. In a dark hotel room, the last thing you need is a bright light to keep you awake while you charge your phone. Most of my other adapters have ended up with a strip of masking tape over the LED, but that is not the case here.
The only real problem with this model of travel adapter is the lack of a ground connection. This means that you won’t be able to use Macbook and some other laptop chargers or other high-drain devices that require that third round hole.
For some travelers, that won’t be a problem at all. However, if it does affect you, you’d be better off with World Adapter Pro Light USB World, which handles three-pin plugs. Unlike other models, the Pro Light USB World can handle charging from both power and USB plugs simultaneously.
Verdict
So has this changed your mind on travel adapters? The answer is: almost. It’s easily the best two-pole universal adapter we’ve ever used.
It has been robust and reliable, it works well both in the US and many countries abroad. That pair of USB jacks has meant that we can charge everything we travel from a single wall outlet at the same time. Given the shortage of sockets in some hotel rooms, it doesn’t matter at airports, in transportation, and elsewhere – that’s a good thing, even if you can’t always charge at high speed.
In a perfect world, the adapter would be a bit thinner as it is definitely possible to block adjacent wall sockets when using it. The company actually makes a smaller version, but with that model, USB sockets become an option or an option.
If SKROSS made a model that combined the best features of this, the Pro and the MUV Micro, it would probably be the best universal travel adapter on the market. This version comes close though, and for those who don’t carry Macbooks or other devices with three-pin plugs when traveling, it’s ideal.
