Using US tools overseas?
#23
My 2 cents. I agree with Mr. Hill. I would not bother at all to bring your tools. I have been in Asia a long time, and in Thailand for about 7 years now. I did try the "Amazon" transoformer route on a few small tools and it did not work worth a darn. Burned up a Dewalt circular saw in no time at all. I think you just have to plan on buying local as you can. Depending on where you end up, don't count on a lot of different choices and be prepared for some serious sticker shock. But it can be done. Best of luck to you.
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#24
I've been in Germany since 2000 and my experience is different from some others who have replied.  My tools only get light use and they are lighter duty.  They may be used (one at a time) for 2-4 hours a day for two or three consecutive days. 

At this point, I have a mix of European and U.S. tools.  For the smaller tools, such as mini lathe, Dewalt scroll saw, circular saw, routers, cordless drill chargers, jigsaw, ROS, drills, Dewalt planer and a shopvac, I use large transformers (1500-2000 watt).  They seem to work fine for the universal motors.  When I can, I wire the U.S. motors to run on the 220-240 voltage.  I have a Rigid table saw and jointer, jet dust collector, band saw, and a couple other motors which run directly off the German current.  The only motor that seemed to have any problem is a Steel City drill press.  It runs, but can get hot whether I wire it for 110 and run it off a transformer or 220 and use direct current.  All of the other tools seem to work fine, and although I assume they run slower, I can't really tell any difference in performance. 

I work for the military, so I do have access to a well-equipped woodworking shop, although I've rarely used it.  Many people use the shop, but only the larger bases have them now with downsizing and budget constraints. 

As others have suggested, you can buy what you want/need fairly easily, (at least in Germany).  Some items are more expensive so even if you are coming to Germany, you might want to bring your Domino.  However, the lower budget Chinese and East European power tools are in all the baumarkts, similarly priced to the U.S. big box stores.  

Wood tends to be more expensive, (although I have a nice bunch of European beech in my firewood pile
Big Grin  

Michael
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