CREASE IS THE WORD
Get through that mountain of clothes in record time with a steam generating iron. Kate Hilpern tries eight of the best
A good steam-generator iron can help you get through your ironing in record time, and makes it effortless to remove even stubborn creases. Buy the wrong one, though, and it may be no better – perhaps even worse – at banishing wrinkles than a conventional iron. Steam generators are big and bulky too, making them potentially tricky to store. So be sure to check out our itguide to the best steam irons before making your decision.
First, decide between non-pressurised or pressurised. The latter gives twice as much steam as a conventional steam iron and because the water is held in a separate tank base unit, the iron is lighter to hold and the water needs refilling less often. Pressurised steam generator irons produce the same amount
of steam as non-pressurised, but the constant flow of high-pressure steam means it’s easier to penetrate entrenched creases, making even faster work of your ironing.
Next up, think about what’s important to you. Would you benefit from a one-temperature-for-all-fabrics iron? Do you want it to heat up quickly? Do you want it to be on the quieter side? Would a steam shot button be useful? What about vertical steam for curtains and suits on the hanger? Check how heavy it is, how comfortable the handle is and if the cord is long enough to reach your nearest plug socket. Does it have a good limescale resistance (important in hard water areas)? Do you have to regularly clean the iron? Is the soleplate thin and tapered for hard-to-reach areas and is it scratch-resistant? Is it easy to see when the water needs filling up (and do you get a warning telling you when it’s almost empty)? What about auto shut-off – a useful safety feature that kicks in after 10 or so minutes of inactivity?
Once you’ve ironed out all those issues (excuse the pun), take your pick from our selection.
Tesco Steam Generator Iron IRSG2416: £64.50, Tesco Net weight: 3.5kg Tank capacity: 1.2L Steam rate: 100g/min Power: 2000W
We weren’t sure if this supermarket own-brand iron would stand up against the big names in the world of irons, but we were very impressed with the amounts of steam it produced, which made for effortless ironing for lighter creases, although you may need to work a bit harder for more deep-rooted ones. And it stands up well against limescale, thanks to the good anti-calc system and indicator light to tell you when to change the filter. The soleplate is adequately thin, but prone to scratching, so be sure to look after it. For the price-tag, we were seriously impressed.
Philips PerfectCare Elite Silence GC9650/80: £330, John Lewis
Weight: 5.1kg Tank capacity: 1.8L Steam rate: 140g/min Power: 2400W You’ll have enough puffs of steam to make short work of your ironing pile with this heavy-duty, yet quiet machine – all helped by the fact that the soleplate is exceptionally smooth and there’s a single temperature setting for all fabrics, which saves having to fiddle about with controls. The soleplate is also thin enough to reach under buttons, an eco-setting reduces the steam output, the water tank is easily removable and the de-calc system is effective in getting rid of limescale. Faults? Zero.
Bosch Series 6 Pro Hygienic: TDS6080GB: £216, Amazon
Net weight: 5.5kg Tank capacity: 1.5L Steam rate: 120g/min Power: 2400W Clean freaks, rejoice – this has a special hygiene setting for anything washed at low temperatures, helping to remove any remaining bacteria from the fabric. Like many irons, it has a one-size-fits-all temperature but, more unusually, this is in addition to traditional temperature settings and even an eco-setting. What it doesn’t have is a steam boost button but the ironing quality is so good we found we didn’t miss it. It stands up well to limescale but the water tank is inbuilt, which means you have to tip the whole iron upside down if you want to empty it.
Swan Compact: £70, Amazon Net weight: 3.6kg Tank capacity: 1.5L Steam rate: 90g/min Power: 2400W This is a great option for those short on cash and storage space as it’s a lot cheaper and more compact than most steam generator irons. It doesn’t have quite the oomph of the others we’ve included here, but for lighter creases, it’s superb. For more deep-rooted ones, the steam boost can help, as well as going over the same spot a couple of times. Be warned that the soleplate is prone to scratching if not taken good care of.
Rowenta Silence Steam Extreme Generator Iron: £270, Lakeland
Net weight: 5kg Tank capacity: 1.4L Steam rate: 120g/min Power: 2400W Another iron that glides over fabric, flattening even obstinate creases in its wake, this one also won us over by its good looks and extremely good resistance to limescale. It’s the quietest machine we tried too – a boon if you don’t want to be deafened by bursts of steam as you try to catch up with the latest Netflix series. But while the soleplate is thin and pointy enough to tackle embroidery, pleats and get under buttons, it’s not as scratch-resistant as some, so watch out for zips.
Tefal GV9061: £300, Argos Net weight: 5.81kg Tank capacity: 1.6L Steam rate: 120g/min Power: 2200W Colossal amounts of steam and a durable, smooth soleplate mean you can be sure of quick and easy ironing with this one. And if you’re a fan of warning lights, you’ll be pleased to know that this iron tells you it needs topping up with water or descaling. Select from “delicate”, “normal”, “max” or “eco” settings, and you can lock the iron on the base when you’re done, ready to store away. The soleplate is a little too thick for our liking and it’s not the fastest to heat up (over two minutes), but you can always make a quick cuppa or choose your TV channel while you’re waiting.
Morphy Richards Powersteam 333005 Steam Generator Iron: £98, Amazon
Net weight: 2.88kg Tank capacity: 1L Steam rate: 120g/min Power: 2600W With a single-setting temperature to save you twiddling any knobs, this iron stands out for its reasonable price tag. It does well on lighter creases, although a cotton duvet cover with entrenched wrinkles needed some serious elbow grease. The soleplate is particularly durable and even zips don’t seem to scratch it. It’s
ready to go in an impressive half a minute and limescale doesn’t even seem to touch it. But the other irons in our round-up produced a lot more steam and we struggled to see when the water tank needed filling up.
Braun CareStyle 3 IS3044: £100, Currys Net weight: 4.26kg Tank capacity: 2L Steam rate: 120g/min Power: 2400W
Here is another product that automatically adjusts the temperature according to whether you’re ironing on delicate or thicker fabrics. Its vertical steaming function is particularly effective. It’s good for hard water areas, with a powerful limescale filter, and the soleplate is durable, scratch-resistant, smooth and thin. It’s surprisingly lightweight, but on the downside, the square handle could be more ergonomic and the cord is a bit short at 1.8m.
The Verdict
It’s not often we can’t find at least one niggle with a small electrical appliance, but we were blown away by the quality of the Philips PerfectCare OptimalTemp GC9650/80, so if you can afford it, it’s our favourite by a long shot. Too expensive? The Tesco IRSG2416 was the best for under a £100, and gets our Best Buy.