Customer Reviews

Lewis N. Clark Immersion Heater 120/240V

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I just returned from Europe and I am in the process of returning this item. It started by breaking the plastic pin that holds it to the cup and I had to hold it to prevent it from immersing completely in the water. Then, it worked once, when I tried it at home,at 110 voltage, which prompted me to take it with me on my trip. When I plugged it to 240, it worked once and never more. It left me stranded with no device to heat my water for a cup of tea or coffee during my trip. I did everything right: never plugged it without a liquid, because I know that the element would burn in the absence of liquid, and I unplugged it before removing it from the liquid. It just did not work. I will never recommend this item.

I bought this as a present for a family member who was traveling abroad. Egypt to be exact. She used it successfully twice a day for 3 days (6 times) and on her seventh use it stopped working. I guess I should have trusted the other reviews which indicated that this heater fails after a couple of days. Obviously this is a poorly designed device and should be avoided unless you only need it to work a couple of times. Look elsewhere.

It worked wonders in India, where I travelled to. Very useful, everyone should have one handy.

I followed the instructions and it broke after exactly one use. Garbage. Do not buy at this price. Made in China.

This item worked for one day, despite the fact that I carefully followed the instructions. I will be returning it.

This is a must have for travelers who love tea. While it takes a few minutes for the tea cup water to boil, it's much faster and cheaper than waiting for room service to bring you hot water for which you must tip! The little clip at the top keeps the heater from toppling over. And it's so small it fit easily in my suitcase. And to think I was considering buying a small tea kettle for my trip. A quick rinse under cool water and you can place it on the counter. I'm going to get one for my husband and friends who travel.

This product, a dual-voltage immersion heater, worked when I tried it in the US. I took it to Europe and it worked for exactly one day (2 cups of hot water). The next day, it didn't work at all. I followed the directions exactly. Amazon immediately refunded my money, so I may consider trying this product again before my next trip overseas. I should point out that the problem was not caused by a voltage issue at my location. My dual-voltage curling iron worked fine throughout my stay.

This water heater works great. It comes with a European (works in Germany) AC adapter. I used mine for several days without a problem. However, I was very careful not to plug it in within having it submersed in water. I also did not try it on US 110 VAC power.

All that being said the product does what it is avertised to do. From other reviews I've read you do need to be careful not to plug it in without it already being in water. The packaging has the same instructions so I believe this to be true.

It worked well in the US for quite awhile, but burned out the first time it was used in Europe.

Before embarking on our recent month-long European trip, I purchased two immersion heaters, one each of the following:

> Voltage Valet Dual Voltage Beverage Heater - sold by E Vincent Leathergoods, Inc $14.95.
> Lewis N. Clark 120/240 Immersion Heater with European Plug - sold by: Emporium Luggage $14.36

I turned out that they are identical units - P/N CH101 rated 120 V/125 W or 240 V/500 W. Both came with a 2 prong US plug (no Euro plug was provided, contrary to the Emporium luggage claim). I had several adapters so no problem. These accept the US 2-pin 125V male plug, and have the std Euro 2-pin male plug (two 1/8" dia pins ¾" apart between centers).

This 2 pin Euro plug worked in Holland, Prague (Czech Republic), Sweden and Norway, but not in England, which requires a 3-pin adapter with rectangular pins (one vertical for ground, and two horizontal).

Each heater has a clip-on plastic piece which is pressed inside the two 1' diameter heater coils. Its idea is to keep the hot coils away from the side of a plastic mug. It is rather hokey and comes off easily. Each heater comes with a 3 ft cord, which makes for compactness but is a little short - 4 ft would be better. The plastic handle of the heater has a protruding clip which allows one to suspend the heater coil 2.5" down into the water (measured to center of 1" dia coil). One problem with a tall 16 oz mug (which I use) is that the heater coil is then too far from the bottom, so the top section would boil while the bottom section of water would be lukewarm. In this case one needs to stir regularly. After a while I got tired of doing this and simply immersed the entire heater, plastic base and all, into the mug. This boiled fine without stirring - life is too short to stir a mug until it boils! The instructions say not to immerse the plastic but it withstood the heat OK.

I timed one heater - on 240 V, it took 5 minutes to boil 16 oz from room temperature. On 120 V it will take 4 times as long (20 min), which is too long for me. (An 8 oz cup will take only 10 min on 120 V, of course).

There is no thermal cutoff so don't leave the heater or it will boil over and make a big mess, as I discovered. Also, don't power it up without water or it will rapidly burn up.

I used one of the heaters for about 2-3 weeks of our trip, during which time I boiled about 8-10 x 16 oz mugs of water. I bring my own tea and coffee/ mocha mix. Great for Reykjavik airport at 7 am, when there were no coffee shops open, or in Stockholm airport where coffee or tea was $4 - $5. In most cases one can boil the water in the bathroom. I also did this in gas stations in Norway.

After about 10 cups the first heater gave out. I suspect the element in the coil burnt out. Perhaps immersing the plastic handle accelerated this, but I don't think so. Anyway, it saved me 10 x $4 = $40, plus provided us with coffee/ tea when none were available, so it paid for itself.

The second unit worked fine for the remaining third of our trip. It is still functional.

So, buy two of these for use on 240 V. On 120 V, only one is needed. It will last for ever on 120 V, but your patience and sanity may not. You could buy two and place both in the same mug (120 V only !).

The Bush CH-101 heater may be the same thing, and is cheaper - $10. Amazon rates this as 500 W but doesn't state the voltage. I bet it is 500 W @ 240 V.

I would buy this device again for Europe - maybe go for the Bush version. I bet they are all made in the same factory in China.