5.0 out of 5 stars I think I'm in love . . .

M. · 1 April 2016

I thought long and hard about buying this expensive bit of kit for a one-person household, but the £40 price reduction in March 2016 convinced me to risk it, thank goodness. I read all the reviews, but from the moment it arrived, my misgivings began to disappear. It isn’t over-large, it isn’t over-heavy. I’m an 82 year old woman with a heart condition, but I don’t have problems lifting it, and it fits beautifully on the upper shelf of a sort of half-width unit in my kitchen, (25cm wide, 32 cm high, 50 cm deep). It seems like sense to store it near the source of water, and I wouldn’t keep it high up. To those reviewers who say they don’t think their elderly mother could cope with it, think again – she might love it.I also don’t at present feel the need for a new, expensive ironing board. The steam generator sits comfortably on the counter by the sink. My ironing board, bought because there is nowhere in my house to store a full-length board, folds over at both ends for storage and might also be described as a bit rickety; but it copes perfectly well with the Philips. It gets pretty damp by the end of an ironing session, but I leave it by a radiator for an hour or two before putting it away, and it dries out. I might buy an additional felt cover.But the ironing experience! Like most reviewers, I’m not fond of ironing, and recent health problems had led to me reducing my ironing to a minimum. I started on a basket full of bone-dry domestic items such as table napkins and drying-up cloths. I had no trouble setting up the iron and using it. Creases disappeared at one sweep of the iron, and in no time the basket was empty. Then I went on to a heap of collared cotton jersey tops. Fairly soon I found that doubled cloth sections, such as the collars, really didn’t need to be ironed on both sides – they looked just as good after being pressed on the top side only.The end result was a pile of laundry ironed in half the usual time, and looking very much better than it used to when I was using my old steam iron. To summarise the benefits of this marvellous contraption:1. Time taken halved, because of absence of faff.2. The sheer joy of absence of faff.3. Excellent quality of ironing.By absence of faff, I mean everything that Philips and Bolo reviewers describe about the iron: only having to wait for it to heat up once, for two minutes; not having to refill the tank: not having to sort items at all, or think about temperatures; being able to put the iron down anywhere on the board (or the laundry) without risk of scorching; one sweep of the iron over the surface being enough, no ironing up and down or increasing the pressure by using one’s physical force. I was so pleased that next day I went through my wardrobe and picked out all the remaining badly-ironed items, and re-did them with the new iron – the first time in a long life that I have ever ironed for the fun of it. I must be in love.June 2019.I'm 85 now, but still in love. To call an iron life-changing would be a bit OTT, but this one certainly makes a tiring chore much easier, and I continue to iron with a certain zest. Buy it for your mum or your granny, she'll love it. Buy it for your wife - she'll love you.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic iron but comes at a price

W. · 27 December 2018

This is a top end iron. It is sophisticated through intelligence which makes it very easy to use.Will iron thick denim then straight into thin man made fibres. Can leave it face down on board and clothes so no need to twist and stand it to keeping space free on your board.Will iron sheets which are layered and doubled over.Eco mode, with reduced steam, is fine for shirts but need full power for heavy cotton.Generates a lot of steam which blasts through clothes. Clothes can feel damp after but you can go over again without steam. Does steam a room up quickly so work with a window open or alfresco ironing in the summer.The whole unit is bulky but easy to carry two handed. Light head unit would be good for anyone with grip weaknesses. But they may find moving the whole unit around a challenge.The start up time is less than 2mins. The hose is long enough to have the base on the floor or on the board if stable.Water capacity is good for at least 1 hour of ironing on full power.The cable and hose storage is odd and takes some getting used to, but works and feels like it doesn’t stress the cable like the coil around my old iron.You could buy multiple mid range irons for this price. I bought on Black Friday so a much lower than RRP. While a great iron the RRP is too high. Feel it should be perhaps 2 x a mid range iron / basic steam generator.If you do a lot of ironing (love or hate it) this iron is worth the investment.

5.0 out of 5 stars Way better than a standard iron.

G. · 20 October 2025

Very easy to use, ready to go in a couple of minutes & will handle quite thick materials as well as more delicate items. Way better than a standard iron. I cannot compare against similar steam generators but this is my second, the first lasted 9 years!

4.0 out of 5 stars Great steam generator - excellent warranty service

M.B. · 2 May 2025

Fantastic steam generator to use. Lightweight iron with long pipe allowing you to site the water unit on a worktop & still iron the full length of a large ironing board. Easily removes creases from a large pile of mixed ironing without you having to sort due to the single heat setting. Unfortunately I have had to have the unit repaired three times already in 18 months due to issues with the sole plate - it stops heating up & water instead of steam comes through. It's heading back for a fourth time time now so the 2 year warranty has been beneficial and easy to arrange repairs but I'd have rather not have to!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Still an excellent iron four years later!

A.P. · 8 October 2025

I just stumbled across this iron & realised I hadn't written a review for a purchase over four years ago.The iron is working perfectly to this day & is without doubt the best iron I have ever used. It outperforms other steam generators we have had both in terms of functionality & longevity and is an absolute pleasure to use (did I relay say that about ironing??).I wouldn't hesitate to purchase again should I ever need to, it's brilliant.