Anyone bought a Medela electric breast pump from the US?

[kyojee]

Hi all... I've a friend in the U.S. who bought me a Medela swing breast pump, but later realised that the power unit may not be used in HK! She's wondering if she should go return it at the store, and get me something else instead.

Did anyone bring their Medela breast pumps from the U.S. to HK, and are you able to use it properly here? I feel bad to have her return it at the store and I really appreciate that she researched, spoke to mommy friends and think it'll be a suitable pump for me.

Thank you in advance for any advice!!

 

[Buckeroo]

Not sure about the Swing, but we bought our Medela Pump-in-Style in Canada. We have the option of either plugging it to an adaptor when using it or we could use batteries. We invested in an adaptor as we brought electronics/appliances from Canada and it was just easier.

 

[Portia]

I bought my Medela pump here in Hong Kong, but I was able to take it to Canada to use when I was on holiday. The Medela service centre in Melbourne Plaza told me that all I would need is the adaptor plug for the US/Canada which I bought from them. I had no problem using it there. I suspect that it will be okay and that you will just need the appropriate adaptor plug for Hong Kong. You could ask the Hong Kong distributor - call Celki at 2522-6811 or visit their office at Room 1005 (10/F), Melbourne Plaza, Central.

 

[MLBW]

I bought my breast pump in the USA and made the mistake of plugging it in here in HK and frying my adapter--but my machine was unharmed (it was a silly experiment). Anyway, my husband and I went to a local shop that sells light bulbs, adapters, power strips and they found an adapter that had 110-220v adapting ability and fit the attachment on my machine--the exact adapter was actually built for a camera but worked with my machine and that is how I used my pump. When I was out in the city I would use the battery function by just attaching the small battery pack (I think it runs on 10 AA batteries). I have the Medela Pump n' Style. Celki can't do any repairs for you or really get parts for you--they are a dealer-only--I found this out when I had to get another part for my machine. Your best bet is to go online and contact the company directly if you have problems or need something--I did this and they sent me my parts for free.

 

[Portia]

If all you need is an adaptor, then Celki do carry those (as well as bottles, shields, valves, etc). In fact, they were the ones that reminded me that I would need a US/Canada adaptor to use my pump there and they had them in stock which was great as I was about to leave the next day.

 

[kyojee]

oh thank you thank you ladies! It's such a relief to hear that getting the adapter would solve the issue. I would do it anytime than to have her go back to the store to return it!

Hooray!!! I have a breast pump now!

 

[Koan]

I got my breastpump from the US (from Ebay) and didn't need anything other than one of those $10 converters for the outlet. I checked the voltage and it was fine.

I have the Medela freestyle and use the power plug thingy once a week to charge the battery.

 

[MLBW]

If all you need is an adaptor, then Celki do carry those (as well as bottles, shields, valves, etc). In fact, they were the ones that reminded me that I would need a US/Canada adaptor to use my pump there and they had them in stock which was great as I was about to leave the next day.

That must be new because they didn't this past April when I went looking for them--we were told that they only serve as a dealer and don't carry other parts. Hmmm....We asked also for shields and valves (as they were broken on mine) and there was nothing they could do for me--they told me to contact the manufacturer directly. Maybe they were getting a lot of requests and decided it was time that they started carrying parts.

 

[tikkunolam]

Just to clarify, there is a difference between an adapter and a converter. An adapter will fit one type of plug with another but will not convert the voltage. If you step down from a higher voltage to a lower- say 220/240 to 110 you do not need a converter to prevent damage to your machine. If you come from North America or other lower voltage countries, you can damage your equipment by plugging into a higher voltage outlet. Some electronics come dual voltage such as laptop computers and mobile phone chargers. If you are trying to charge a battery on lower voltage it will take longer to charge. If you are trying to run equipment that was designed for 220/240 on 110 volts, it may not run to full power. You can always check what voltage your appliance is on by looking at the power plug or appliance to see what it runs on or if it is dual voltage.

I have a Medela pump in style from the US and I use a converter and adaptor here to run it. You can buy a travel sized one that is universal with all the different plug styles. Mine cost about $30 USD. I don't recommend you experiment to see if your machine will work or not or you will have the same problem that MLBW had. Luckily there was a safety mechanism in her pump plug that prevented it from permanently damaging the machine. If it were a hair dryer, it would have been permanently blown.

 

[capital]

I agree, with lady bug. I didn't realize the difference between the adaptor/converter and fried a hair roller set that way.