Irons

Irons

Three formats, and the right one depends on how much ironing you actually do. A standard steam iron heats a soleplate and holds its water in the iron itself, which keeps it light and cheap and suits a normal household load. Wattage runs 2400W to 3100W and higher wattage mostly means faster heat-up and better steam recovery rather than a hotter plate. A steam generator iron separates the tank from the iron, feeding pressurised steam down a hose from a 1.7 or 1.8 litre base. The iron in your hand is lighter, the steam shot is far stronger at 100g and above, and you can work for an hour without refilling, which is what makes it worth the extra outlay and worktop space for a family. A garment steamer does no pressing at all: it hangs the fabric and relaxes creases with steam alone, in handheld form for travel and touch-ups or upright for curtains, suits and anything that cannot take a hot plate. Travel irons fold small and run dual voltage.

Russell Hobbs carries the largest range, covering the Powersteam Ultra and Ultra Pro at 3100W, Diamond Elite at 3100W, Ultra Steam Pro and Copper Express at 2600W, Pearl Glide, Colour Control Pro, Light and Easy Brights and Easy Store Pro Plug and Wind at 2400W, the Fabric Luxe irons in stone and blue, the Fabric Luxe Steam Station and Steam Generator, the Quiet Supersteam and Supersteam Pro generators, a dual voltage travel iron and the Steam Genie Maestro handheld garment steamer. Morphy Richards covers the Crystal Clear range at 2400W in gold and amethyst, the Turbosteam Pro Digital Intellitemp at 3100W, AutoClean Speed and Power SteamElite generators at 3000W, Easy Steam and Jet Steam compact generators at 2200W, and the Turbosteam and Express garment steamers. Braun supplies the CareStyle Compact Pro generator and FreeStyle 5 steam iron, with the Tefal Express Steam+ at 2600W completing the range.