How to choose a modern iron for home use?

Working surface

The first and most important element of the design is the sole of the equipment. There is a lot to say about it, but the main criteria for its selection are the material, shape and number of holes for the release of steam. Consider how to choose an iron on the sole and which is better for domestic needs.

Production material

Worktops are available in aluminum, stainless steel, ceramic, Teflon coating and titanium. For a home, it is better to choose one of the first three options. To your attention a review of the advantages and disadvantages of each material:

1. Aluminum. The cheapest version of the sole, which has high thermal conductivity. The aluminum surface heats up quickly and cools quickly. Another plus is the small total weight of the iron, which, depending on the application, can make it a winning option. As for the shortcomings, the main point is the vulnerability to scratches - during prolonged use, aluminum becomes less smooth, which worsens the slip and, accordingly, the ironing process.
2. Stainless steel. The exact opposite of aluminum in properties in stainless steel. It is an order of magnitude heavier, which is not always convenient. In addition, it heats and cools longer, which is more related to the lack of material. The advantage of the stainless steel surface is that it is not afraid of scratches and other damage, which positively affects the service life. If you want to choose an iron for a house with a stainless steel sole, give preference to an improved option - a stainless steel with a chrome finish. This type of work surface is easier to clean and even better glides when ironing.
3. Ceramics. Ceramic sole has the easiest glide, which is its main advantage. Cleaning such a material is not difficult - you just need to wipe it with a wet rag with liquid soap. Another plus of the coating is its scratch resistance, so the glide of the iron will be good even after several years of use. As for the disadvantages, the most important are the high cost of ceramics, as well as its fragility. At the thematic forums, you can see a lot of reviews about the fact that on the ceramic coating, especially in the area of ​​the nose, chips are formed at the slightest damage, so the problem of strength reduces the demand for choosing this option.
4. Teflon. The modern sole material is Teflon coating.Its advantage is that at a low heating temperature, slipping over clothes will be good enough, which cannot be said about aluminum or stainless steel. At the same time, Teflon, like ceramics, has a low strength, so when it hits metal buttons, chips and cracks can form.
5. Titanium. Another modern material is a titanium coating that is applied to a steel sole. The advantages of this combination are increased strength and good gliding during ironing. At the same time, the disadvantages are the high price and the long heating time of the working surface (and, accordingly, cooling).

When choosing an iron on the sole, we recommend buying ceramics or stainless steel. Give preference to the option that is more suitable for the application. If you need to iron a thick and too wrinkled fabric, we recommend choosing a heavier unit with stainless steel, for normal conditions it is more advisable to use a ceramic surface.

The form

As for the shape of the working surface, there are not so many nuances that you should be aware of when choosing an iron for home use. The first and most important nuance is the shape of the nose. The sharper it is, the easier it will be to iron things with buttons, collars and other uncomfortable areas, especially for children's things.

The second, no less important point is the surface area. The more you choose the sole, the faster ironing will take place, but at the same time it will be more difficult to crawl to uncomfortable places. Small irons are easier to use, but it takes more time to iron the same shirt.

Holes

Well, the last criterion by which you need to choose the sole of the iron is the number and quality of the holes for the steam to exit. Here it is impossible to say with certain accuracy how much the normal number of holes should be and what size they should have. Each manufacturer in its own way increases the efficiency of use of technology. Some make about 100 small holes, some 50, but oversized. The main thing is to choose an embodiment in which holes are located over the entire working surface.

Power

A very important point during the purchase is that you need to choose the right iron for power. If you buy an insufficiently powerful technique, the ironing process will be difficult, and some folds will not work out completely. At the same time, a heavy-duty device may not be needed if you iron a small number of things. Today, modern world-leading firms produce models from 1.5 to 2.5 kW for home use. The more power, the correspondingly greater power consumption and product weight. It is believed that for the home the most suitable option would be to choose a model of no more than 2 kW, but no less than 1.7.

By the way, the greater the power of the equipment, the faster the work surface heats up, which means that you can start the process of ironing things faster!

Design

Oddly enough, but when buying an iron, you need to pay due attention to its design. Modern models can have rubberized handles with an emphasis for a finger, a convenient arrangement of regulators, a stylish appearance, etc. All these little things are actually very important, because directly affect the purchase price that you decide to choose. For example, why pay extra money just for the fact that the case is a little rounded, if there is a similar, but more strict model?

A very common design problem that buyers face is a palm-shaped pen. In fact, this model is more suitable for right-handed people, for a person writing with his left hand this option will be completely uncomfortable, as evidenced by many negative reviews on the forums!

Useful little things

Above, we have provided the most basic criteria for choosing the right electric iron. You should pay attention to these criteria first of all, but there is more to come.To ensure that the equipment lasts a long time, allows you to comfortably iron things, it was also inexpensive, we recommend that you pay attention to the following additional parameters:

1. There are models with a steam generator that make the ironing process more convenient, fast and of high quality. For this embodiment, you will pay more money, but at the same time, if you have weekly large volumes of things that need to be ironed, it is better to be generous and choose an iron with a steam generator.
2. Instead of a steam generator, a tank with water — a steamer — can be installed in the apparatus body. A cheaper option for spraying steam on the surface of things. For home use, this option is preferable, because costs an order of magnitude less, which is why we recommend choosing it. There are also irons with vertical steam, which allows you to iron curtains thanks to a useful function - steam boost. In addition, steam boost effectively smoothes out jammed areas of things that the toe of the sole cannot handle. As for the volume of the water tank, it should be at least 250 ml, so that the ironing process is not interrupted by frequent refueling.
3. A very important function for the safe use of technology is automatic shutdown. In the event that you put the included iron on the ironing board and forget, the heating will stop immediately after a few seconds of inactivity. Also, some companies create original technology of the sole with a self-elevator - outgoing legs (shown in the photo), which prevent the heater from touching the fabric when idle for several seconds.
4. When choosing a modern iron of good quality, pay attention to the temperature regulator. The larger the temperature range, the easier it will be to iron wool, synthetic and other delicate fabrics.
5. New models of irons include anti-lime rods (see photo below), which are inserted into the body. Their purpose is the fight against scum on the heating element. It is the scum that is the main reason for the failure of the device, so it is better to choose and buy such a variant of the product in which anti-lime rods are installed. An alternative way to deal with hard water is to use built-in filters that more effectively deal with the problem. If you did not find a suitable model with such an addition, we immediately recommend that you read the tips on DIY iron repairwhere methods of descaling the heater are provided.
6. The power cord for connecting to an outlet also has special requirements. You need to choose an iron so that the cord is with a fabric coating that does not wear out so quickly. In addition, pay attention to the length of the cord, it should be no less than 2 meters, which is enough for convenient ironing. Otherwise, you will have to connect through the extension cord, which will get confused under your feet and only interfere. With frequent use, the cord bends and may break, which is also a popular cause of equipment failure. To solve this problem, we recommend choosing a cord that can be rotated 360 degrees at the point of entry into the housing^about. This design option will not be much more expensive, but several times more convenient! By the way, there are modern wireless models of irons, in which the sole is heated on a special stand. The disadvantage of this option is that the working surface will quickly cool down, and for small amenities you will pay for frequent heating, which tears off from ironing.
7. Another useful feature that should be present in the new iron is the anti-drop system. If you iron things at a low temperature, steam will not be able to form quickly, and as a result, when you press the steam outlet, water will pour out of the holes, leaving spots on things. To prevent this from happening, manufacturers invented special anti-drip systems that prevent the release of water from the holes.
8. Self-cleaning system.In order not to scale the iron yourself, we recommend choosing a model with a self-cleaning system (“Self clean”). It allows you to extend the life of the equipment and at the same time perform cleaning without much effort.
9. Constant steam supply. This function is equipped with all models of irons 2017-2018. It consists in the fact that a continuous stream of hot steam softens the fabric, making the ironing process even easier.
10. Automatic cord reeling. Allows you to save free space when storing the iron, makes it more compact.

That's all, important parameters that you should pay attention to if you decide to choose a reliable iron in 2018. Decide for yourself what features you need in order to buy the most suitable model at the best price and good quality.

Rating of manufacturers and models

To complete our recommendations, I would like to answer the question of which iron manufacturer is better to choose among the many existing companies. According to experts in the category “price and quality” in 2018, such firms as the following have proven themselves best:

• Philips
• Tefal
• Braun
• Rowenta
• Scarlett
• Bosch
• Vitek
• Maxwell
• Moulinex
• Zelmer
• Gorenje
• Aeg

These brands are world leaders and the standard of reliability, durability and functionality. As for the best irons of 2018, we decided to provide you with several ratings to separate the models by functionality, purpose and, most importantly, the price segment.

So, for starters, we will provide the best models of irons that you can choose with a budget of up to 3000:

• Braun TexStyle TS375C
• Bosch TDA 3024010
• Polaris PIR 2695AK
• REDMOND RI-C254S
• Sinbo SSI-2892

If you have a budget of up to 5000, we recommend choosing one of the following irons, quite popular in 2018:

• Philips GC2998 / 80 PowerLife
• Bosch TDA 3024010
• Tefal fv3915
• Braun TexStyle TS375C
• Polaris PIR 2695AK

Well, with a sufficient budget (from 10,000 and above), you can choose a more functional iron with a steam generator. We recommend that you pay attention to the following models, they have many good reviews among buyers:

• MIE Stiro 1100
• Braun IS 5055 WH
• Philips GC9670 / 50 PerfectCare Elite Plus
• Tefal gv8963
• MIE Bravissimo

Also, if you want to choose a wireless iron, the best 3 models to date are presented in our rating:

• Philips GC4595 / 40 Azur FreeMotion
• Polaris PIR 2489K
• Tefal fv9970

So we provided tips on how to choose an iron for home use and which is better in 2018 in terms of power, manufacturer and functions. We hope that this information was interesting for you and now you know which design option to choose for your home so that you do not regret your purchase in the future!

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