A steamy affair: does more steam give a smoother ironing experience?(Test: steam stations)(Product/Service Evaluation)(Buyers Guide)

Publication: Choice (Chippendale, Australia)

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COPYRIGHT 2004 Australian Consumers' Association

IN A NUTSHELL

* Steam station irons do the job well, so if you do a lot of ironing you could find one a good buy.

* As a unit they tend to be heavy and cumbersome, so are better suited to homes with a dedicated space for ironing, so that you don't have to set it up each time.

If you've got a large family, do your ironing in bulk and have an area in the house that can be devoted specifically to this chore, it could be well worth splashing out on this Rolls Royce equivalent of the humble household iron. If not, consider carefully before you spend the extra dollars.

Overall, the steam stations ironed better than the conventional iron included in the test for comparison. Our expert testers, who put the steam stations through their paces, were particularly impressed with how effective they were at tackling linen--a fabric that's often a challenge to iron. But they're significantly more expensive--the steam stations in this test cost from $199 to $300, compared with $58 paid for the conventional iron.

And despite the extra steam and better performance, you probably won't get through that pile of ironing any faster using a steam station. We timed how long it took to iron a selection of laundry using both types of iron, and found very little difference. In fact the whole process tends to take even longer with a steam station once you add the heat-up time, which can take up to eight minutes.

Steam stations also tend to be bulky and heavy--the ones in our test weighed around 4 kg even without any water (just the empty station and iron), compared with the 1.2 kg conventional iron. Ideally you'd leave it set up, so you don't need to lug it around or put it away every time you iron.

FULL STEAM AHEAD

The essential difference between a conventional iron and a steam station is the steam output. Even the least powerful steam station produced at least 35% more steam...

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