The universal motor can operate on both AC and DC power sources. When powered by DC, a constant magnetic field is produced, but with AC the field polarity changes with the current frequency. This causes the armature current direction and torque to also change to match the changing field. Universal motors have lower efficiency than DC motors due to losses, but they are compact and provide good torque for portable tools powered from AC mains. Laminated cores and increased conductor numbers help reduce losses and improve performance.