Steam generator irons

I shall watch this thread with interest as I, too, never seem to have much luck with irons. They seem to last an average of about two years regardless of the price paid.

I don't do enough ironing to warrant buying one of the expensive steam generator ones, but I do know a friend of my sister who has one and swears by it.

The one I have at the moment cuts the electricity off if I use it with steam so I am having to spray everything and then dry iron which is a bit of a faff.

I found that steam generator irons produce wonderful results with masses of steam as required. That said, after my third one bit the dust, I have gone back to conventional steam iron. I found that the generator ones did not seem to last very long, usually just the guarantee period plus a month or so and also made the most horrendous noise. As I like to watch catch up TV on the computer whilst ironing, the noise was a problem. These were not the really expensive £200 ones, but MR type price. Perhaps you get what you pay for?

I have had steam generator irons for about 10 years and wouldn't go back to an ordinary one. I wish they had been around when I was ironing uniforms for 5 children!!

I find that using one is much faster and the results are much better than before. Worth every penny!

Agree with you 100% kitty if I had to name my most important item it would be my iron,not that I am fond of ironing but it has really been worth the extra money it cost at the time,I've had mine about 6/7 yrs now and wouldn't be without it.

I don't do a lot of ironing, mainly my starched cotton sheets. With the aid of a steam generator and extra wide ironing board they are done in no time! Like others, I would never go back to a basic steam iron. Yes, they are noisy, but well worth the extra cost.
DD1 bought a cheaper re-furbished one on ebay which has been going strong for a number of years with no problem. I have had 2 over time, both Tefal.

I agree - love my steam generator iron - I had a Bosch one about fifteen or more years ago and that lasted well and then the thermostat stopped working. My second one is a Philips which I have now had for about six years ( bought for this house in France so for a while only used when we were here on holiday) - it is a much improved design and has an easy to fill reservoir and a button which can be used to have continuous steam but i rarely need that. I use filtered water in mine and so far have had no clogging up issues. Would not go back to a normal iron.

I'm convinced, will now shop around and give one a try a bit worried about finding space to store it in though!

Just a thought Suzied, you may need to get a new ironing board too. Older ones have a small metal iron rest at the end, but it is now possible to buy boards with large space suitable for a steam generator. You can manage without, but it is easier with a purpose built one. More expense

I've had mine for about 8 years- and would not be without it. I have to clean the system every few months as I water is very limey- but it's great.

My DS and his partner have one of these and I have used it. It does make a lovely job of the ironing and is lighter to use than many conventional steam irons. It makes some very rude noises!

I have a steam generator and wouldn't go back to an ordinary iron. I got it because I can't stand for very long and it really cuts my ironing time and the finish on the clothes is great. I would highly recommend them.

I haven't had to buy a new ironing board Purpledaffodil. I iron close to the work top and have the water tank on there and only use the rest just for the iron. My TV is on a shelf above that particular work surface so I'm sorted.

What an ingenious set up kittylester. Wouldn't work for my ironing/TV catchup procedures but useful suggestion

Update on iron purchase. After reading the reviews I bought a Bosch steam generator iron. It does iron brilliantly and easily. The actual iron is very lightweight and doesn't make a noise apart from when the steam is jetting through. Only downside I would say is the big tank takes up space in the cupboard and if you only wanted to press the odd top you wouldn't be bothered to get it all out, so I will hang onto the old one just in case. More reason for letting the ironing pile up and doing it all at once.

I agree about it not being worth getting out the steam generator for one item. For this I bought a small steam iron from Wilkinsons for £2.50!!

If you do lots of ironing I would say steam generators are perfect solutions. They are a bit expensive than steam iron. Check this website for reviews steam iron reviews

What is the difference between a steam generator iron and an ordinary Steam iron? Please someone explain!

The steam is consistent, more efficient, and the water container is much bigger so you aren't constantly topping up. I get about an hour's ironing with each fill of (tap) water.

There's much more steam pressure from a steam generator. It makes ironing ( almost) effortless.

always used Tefal so cant reccomend any other for you but hope you find what youre looking for ;)

however the only problem of steam generator irons are the price too expensive in my opinion - worth checking reviews for it though <a href="http://beststeamgeneratorirons.com/">here</a>

sorry here it is

I had a steam generator iron when they first became popular. I found it marvellous but very cumbersome. It also doubled as a steam cleaner. I did not buy the ironing board that went with it which was a mistake, as I had nowhere to hang the reservoir, and had to sit it on a chair beside the ironing board, not ideal! I would have one of the new ones any time.