In this article I will have a detailed look at the product design, features and practical use of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3.

“The SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 – awarded for the product of the year 2010 and reddot design award 2010 – is a revolutionary adapter that is suitable for most 2-pole, 3-pole and grounded plugs of protection classes I and II; this is the safest way of plugging in your portable devices around the world. It can be used with a range of devices, [...]“

Introduction

You might remember that I reviewed the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter a few months ago, a brillaint solution for the frequent traveller, that has a Lenovo notebook.

“While almost every component of the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter is characterized with a high degree of modularity, that is clearly not the case for the cable that connects with the wall charger.”

I do understand the business decision behind this, and you have the possibility to order a spare cable with a different country specific power plug. However this probably isn’t the best solution for the frequent traveller to different countries around the globe.

Furthermore if you purchase a power adapter or charger for a smartphone it is often common to get a set with adapters, you can click on the wall charger. An example is the MaxiMobileShop 4-port USB Power Adapter Kit, that features 4 complimentary charging plugs.

After some (online) research I found a solution the perfectly fits the described gap in my travelling needs above:  the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3.

SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 hardware design

The picture above shows the right side-view of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3. The right side of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 is dominated by four sliding mechnisms that release the different country-specific charging plugs from the adapter. In the picture above you can see that the UK charging-plug is released (just for the picture).

In the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 user manual (p.11) you can read the following steps to use the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 in practice:

• Before use, move all sliders on the sides completely back into their starting positions;
• Press the unlocking button and move the slider you have selected forward until it clicks into place;
• Connect the device plug receptacle of the electrical circuit to the adapter;
• Connect the adapter to the main wall charging socket;

You can clearly see the black unlocking button in picture above from the front view of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3. Below the black unlocking button you see the destinctive SKROSS branding (which includes some Swiss proudness).

On the left in the picture you can see the sliding mechanisms, while you can also clearly see in this picture that the top-part, the so called Schuko plug, is removable. You will get a more detailed view of the Schuko plug in the upcoming pictures, however you can find the following description in the user manual:

Schuko plug for Germany, France (and other European countries). Adapter with receptacles, mainly for the UK, Switzerland, Australia, North America, Europe and Italy. Suitable for: 2pole/3pole/grounded plugs (classes I and II).

The picture above shows a view of the backside of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3. You can see the all the different country specific charging plugs are retracted in the compact design of the adapter. I would like to invite you to puzzle, and find the different integrated country specific charging plugs from the figure below.

In addition I would like to share the texts on the right side of the picture, which provide you with some helpful summary of the technical details and caution notice:

• World travel Adapter, Model: SWA3.1, Input: 100-25 VAC~, Max. loading:  10A, Integrated fuse: T 10A, Indoor use only IP20/TA40.
• Caution:  Unplug adapter and plugs when not in use! Adapter does not convert voltage!

Country specific charging plug for Italy and Switserland, cool solution

I would like to discuss some engineering cleverness here. As you can see in the picture above, the charging plug of Italy and Switserland are almost identical, except for the position of the red middle part.

When you look at the photograph above with a view the backside of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 you can see the country specific charging plugs for these countries in the bottom part of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3. The middle pin however, is integrated into a slit, so you can easily switch the middle pin from Italy-mode to Switserland-mode. For a graphical representation you should consult p.12 of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 user manual.

The picture above shows a view from the frontside of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3, where the Schuko adapter is inserted on the other main part of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3.  If you look closely you can see the “pattent protected” text in the bottom area of the Schuko adapter in the picture above.

“Remove the integrated Schuko adapter from the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 and connect it to the receptacle. Connect the device plug or charger to the Schuko adapter. You do not need the World Travel Adapter 3 itself.”

Thi is the description in the user manual how to use the Schuko adapter. In some of the previous sections I already provided a more technical description of the Schuko adapter, but it simply allows you to connect chargers or devices from other countries to connect, and plugin directly to the European wall charger sockets.

In the picture below you can see that the Schuko adapter is removed from the main part of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3.

Awards received for the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3

You really don’t need to have an engineering degree to see that the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3, has a clever and well-thought-out design.  However in this section I would like to briefly share the awards that the SKROSS World Travel Adapter has received for the excellent design and engineering.

Plus X Award

World Connect received a Plus X Award last week for the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 from a jury of reputable experts in the field.

“SKROSS has swiftly achieved an award, the first time it took part in the most important technology contest of Europe, the Plus X Award: the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 was honoured with the highly coveted Plus X seal in the “Ease of Use” category.”

Reddot Design Award 2010

“In the “red dot award: product design 2010” the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 was awarded the “red dot” quality label for high design quality by the jury consisting of top-class experts.”

On the World Connect website you can read a little more background information, how and why this prestegious design award was received !

Pro-K Product of the year Award 2010

Last year the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 receveid the Pro-K product of the year 2010 award !

“World Connect’s innovative SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 was nominated the “Product of the Year 2010” for the category “Electrical Equipment” (and won the award). The SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 is a product of advanced Swiss design and engineering skills.”

Concluding thoughts and wrap-up

The SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3, is a great solution that perfectly fits the described gap, with regard to the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter, in my travelling needs.

However after some use it is fair to generalize a little more, since you can connect almost every device independant of the charging plug to almost every wall charging socket on the world, no matter where you are. In other words this is a must have product for the frequent traveller.

You can really feel the solid build-quality, the excellent and clever product-design, when you play with the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 for just a few minutes. These idea’s are certainly represented in the awards that were received for the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3, however compare the design for example with the product in the webstore of the ANWB (a large Dutch support organization for Dutch travellers).

Finally you should compare the value for price ratio of both the products. Given the great amount of clever engineering, safety and excellent product design and -quality in a compact formfactor I do think that the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 pricepoint of E38,95 is a fair price (certainly if you compare with the ANWB product).

If you want to “Adapt to the World”, please head over to the World Connect webstore and order your SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 !