Japan Heater for use in Canada?

Hi,

I bought an Electrolux heater from Japan, but would like to use it in Canada.

Do I need a 300W step-down transformer, or can I do without?

I really want to just go ahead and plug it in. But...

Japan Specs:
Power 100V 50/60Hz
Power 300W (High Heat) / 150W (Low Heat)

Any advice is much appreciated.

The infamous heater:

http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switchlanguage/product/B002NGMQLU/ref=dp_ch...

"(step)down trans/transformer [•Ïˆ³Ší:Hen-atsu-ki]" for 300W(watts).

ex)
http://bit.ly/hleaxN

The link Jin gave did not work for me.
The link to the transformer is to a step down transformer from 220V to 110V so it is of no use in Canada where the voltage is 110V.
Given the price of this transformer and the extra shipping cost i would just buy a new heater in Canada (or is the heater a very special type of heater?)
As the voltage difference is only small (110V versus 100V which gives about a 20% higher wattage) i would just use the heater in Canada and see how it works. I bet it will work fine but this only if you feel comfortable with trying this.
Tip: Search in this forum on transformer, adapter, heater or kotatsu and you will find some other solutions.
B. Slager

The correct URL must be:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language/product/B002NGMQLU/ref=dp_c...

On a guidance page in Japanese of its website, Embassy of Japan in Canada says:
some appliances work without a transformer; however if you use an appliance for a long time, that may cause trouble, so you need a transformer.
http://www.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/JapaneseSite/Taishikan/ottawa-annai-09.h...

In this case I think you'd better not ignore a gap in the standard voltage. Presumably your heater has neither a seamless power adjuster (if it had one, maybe you could prevent overheat by manually adjusting the power to the medium level) nor a circuit breaker.

A voltage at a wall socket is not always 100V in Japan: a closest transformer lowers the voltage to 110V, then it becomes a bit less on the line. ''100V'' is only a standard voltage, and a real voltage can be higher. I suppose the same apples to Canada. So, a gap in the real voltage can be over 10 percent.

About 10,000 yen for a heater might have been a big deal for you. If you have enough time, maybe you can trade in your heater when you buy a new one in a shop of a major electric appliance chain.

Good luck!

Just another suggestion.
If you realy want to go for a step down transformer (heavy, expensive) you might consider a step down convertor (light, inexpensive). I could not find a 110-100V convertor (maybe knowbody uses them ;-) but here you can see an example: http://www.amazon.com/Simran-Converter-Products-Countries-SM-1875/dp/B... , Keep in mind you can use a convertor only for heaters or incasdescent light bulbs and they are not advisable for electronic equipment.
If you live in Canada far away from a power transformer the voltage in your house might be already a little bit low (and fall then within the tolerance range of the heater).
BTW I looked up the standard voltage for Canada and this is 120V (not 110V) see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mains_power_around_the_world
B. Slager

So, in summary so far:

*The safe bet would be a 300W step-down transformer.
http://www.adaptelec.com/powerbright-vc300w-stepupstepdown-voltage-tra...

*The light and cheap (and unsafe?) option would be a Japan to America Voltage Converter: http://www.travelproducts.com/japan-to-north-america-converter.html

I am going to look into the second option because transformers are too bulky.

My major concern is that I have a heater. So, I think I would need a converter that supports the wattage. But I am no electrical engineer. I'll ask a few companies and post their response.

Thank you everyone for chiming in with helpful responses.

I wish Electrolux made space heaters for NA markets. They make everything else.