| Product: |
Morphy Richards 42279 |
| Date: |
12.09.07 (795 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Reduces ironing time
Disadvantages: Takes up a lot of storage space
I had my old steam iron for several years and although it had a descale function it was producing less and less steam as time went on. Since ironing is one of my least favourite jobs there always seems to be an enormous pile waiting for my attention and it is so dry I need to use a plant spray to dampen each item. A friend takes in ironing to earn some extra money and she has always said how good the steam generator irons are, so I decided to take a look.
Steam generator irons are basically a steam iron attached to a base unit which is the steam generator, holding the water and making the steam. This means the actual iron itself is slightly lighter than a conventional steam iron as it does not have a water container in it.
This model is 2200 watts and as a rule of thumb the higher the wattage the greater the heat generated (but also the greater your electricity bill!) The iron has a stainless steel soleplate which claims to be smoother gliding than aluminium and distributes the heat more evenly making the ironing quicker and easier. There is a cable joining the iron to the base unit which is about 60inches long. This is about ¾ inch wide as it must have two cables inside it; one with power and the other transporting the steam from the base to the iron. I have not cut it open to take a look, I am just assuming this!
The power cable attached to the base unit is 2.4metres long which is quite good if you can’t have your ironing board right next to a power socket, although common sense says you must take care if there are young children in the house.
The base unit houses the water tank which holds 1 litre of tap water, which is quite a lot, so it means you don’t need to keep on stopping to refill. Into the water tank you place an anti-scale cartridge which looks like a bag of brown granules stuffed into a tube. Five replacement bags came with the iron and there is an anti-scale indicator light on the iron which will indicate when this cartridge needs replacing. I have been using this iron for about six months now and have only used two cartridges, but it does depend on how hard your tap water is. The instruction book gives a phone number to order replacements and I have checked the Morphy Richards web site (www.morphyrichards.co.uk) where they can be purchased for £8.53 for 5 bags although you probably have to add something for p&p.
So, to use this machine first remove the water tank, take out the cartridge, fill to the line with tap water, replace the cartridge and slid back the water tank into the steam generator. Plug in, press the power button and wait. This is one disadvantage of these irons as you have to wait about two minutes for it to ‘power up’. A green power light will flash while it is heating up and will remain on to indicate it is ready.
Select your heat setting; one, two or three dots, the same as most irons, on a dial on the iron itself under the handle. Next select how much steam you want. This is done by pressing a button on the back of the base unit which has three red light indicators with one, two or three little pictures of some steam indicating your choice. Level one produces 22.5 grams of steam per minute, level two produces 45g/min and level three 90g/min. By way of comparison a conventional steam iron gives about 20-40 g/min steam maximum. It is also possible to have no steam if required.
The next stage also differs from a conventional steam iron. You need to depress the steam button which is located on the underside of the handle where your fingers would naturally be. This button needs to be held down for about a minute to clear the system of air. While this is happening there is a clicking noise rather like a distant machine gun. When it is ready the clicking will fade and steam will be coming out the plate. It is now ready to go.
All this needs to be done each time before you start ironing which is fine if you have a lot to do but not if you only want to do one thing quickly for work or school.
While you are ironing, the steam button on the underside of the handle has to be held down all the time that you require steam and while it is producing steam there is a faint clicking noise which is strange at first but you soon don’t notice it (especially when I am watching one of my favourite soaps on TV at the same time).
Does it make the ironing easier and quicker? Yes it does, without any doubt. Cotton shirts (my family wear at least 20 each week) and t-shirts, which are bone dry, are ironed without any effort and no more spraying with the plant spray. The advertising says steam generators cut ironing time in half; this may be a slight exaggeration but it certainly does speed things up.
To switch off just turn the heat dial to minimum and depress the steam power button for two seconds which shuts down the base console with a beep, unplug and empty the water tank.
This does all sound rather complicated but after you have done it for the first time it is all quite straight forward.
In summary I would say:
You need to decide how much ironing you do in each session as the iron takes a while to heat up, so it is not practical if you only have a couple of items to iron. Some people may find the clicking noise irritating. Keeping the steam button depressed may be awkward if you sufferer from arthritis or similar in your hands. Replacement of the anti-scale cartridges could get expensive if you live in a hard water area. The large quantity of steam could cause condensation at your windows unless, like me, you are a fresh air fiend and always have a window open. The base unit is quite bulky so you need some extra space to store it and it may not safely fit on a smaller than average ironing board. BUT It does reduce the time actually spent ironing and the ironing is easier to do.
The rrp is £180, less one penny, which is a lot to pay but I decided upon this model for the simple reason it was less than half price in Currys and therefore much more affordable. £75 is still a lot to pay for an iron but in my opinion it has been worth it.
Has it turned me into a domestic goddess? Well, if it could also tidy, dust, vacuum, make the tea…..
© perfectly-p 2007 (aka perfectlypolished)
Summary: Speeds up my most hated job.
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