Hate ironing? Upgrade to the best steam generator iron and you’ll whizz through the ironing pile in record time. Professional results are quick and easy – what’s not to like?
What is a Steam Generator Iron?
A steam generator iron works differently to a conventional iron. Water is heated in a tank that sits on the end of your ironing board. This enables huge volumes of steam to be pumped, under pressure, to a lightweight handset. The three main benefits of this approach are…
- Flatten every crease quickly & easily with two to three times more steam
- Save the faff of continual refills with a large water tank.
- Lightweight handset. Choose the right model and the handset is half the weight. This is much better for your wrist. What’s important is that the steam does the work, not the actual weight of the iron.
Best Steam Generator Iron
At Verum, we use 12 key factors to define the best steam generator iron – Pressure, continuous steam volume, steam shot, fabric temperature technology, water tank capacity, soleplate glide, limescale control, storage, overall weight, handset weight, ease of use & reliability.
Doing your own research can feel overwhelming & it’s certainly time-consuming. Worry not, to help find the right model for you, we’ve compared 78 steam generator irons to recommend the UK Top 5 for 2022 …
Budget Steam Generator Iron
Russell Hobbs 24420 Power 90 Station
With double the steam volume of a conventional iron, this Russell Hobbs steam generator will help you speed through the ironing pile in record time.
All good. But what really makes this model really stand out, is the rock-bottom price.
Pumping out 90g of steam through the stainless steel, non-stick, soleplate, this model makes ironing quick & easy, flattening the toughest creases without fuss.
Small details such as the quick heat-up (around 1 minute) & the removable water tank help make this model hassle-free. Also of note, is the cleaning system which filters the water before it reaches the tank. This helps reduce limescale build-up to keep your iron working like new.
This Russell Hobbs steam generator iron is the top budget choice for under £100.
Spend more (see models below) for additional steam, automatic temperature control & a ceramic soleplate.
SPECIFICATION: PRESSURE: 4.5 bar | CONSTANT STEAM: 90g/min | POWER: 2400w | AUTO SHUT OFF: No | SOLEPATE: Stainless Steel | HOSE LENGTH: 1.65m | HANDSET WEIGHT 0.9kg | TOTAL WEIGHT: 4.5kg | FOOTPRINT: 38cm x 25cm | HEIGHT: 26cm | TANK SIZE: 1.3l | WARRANTY: 2 Years
Russell Hobbs 24420 | Verdict Price £72.02
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Best Compact Steam Generator Iron
Philips PerfectCare Compact
Lightweight and less bulky than most models, thePhilipsPerfectCare Compact performs brilliantly & it’s super easy to use.
A steam generator iron is all about powering through the laundry pile. However, most are heavy to move and bulky to store. What’s great about this model is that it’s lighter and smaller than the alternatives, but importantly, it still delivers on performance.
Read our Philips PerfectCare Review for more details
Speed and superior results are made possible with large volumes of additional steam.
Delivering 6.5 bar of pressure, this Philips pumps out three times more steam than a standard iron – this makes a big difference.
Also important is the ceramic soleplate. This glides over all fabrics. And to make life easier, clever technology automatically adjusts the temperature to suit all fabrics. Go from denim to silk, without a worry. Philips offer a no-burns guarantee with this iron.
Don’t be put off by the compact design, this model from Philips is big on performance, easy to store and affordable.
SPECIFICATION: PRESSURE 6.5 bar | CONSTANT STEAM: 120g/min | STEAM SHOT: 400g | POWER: 2400w | AUTO SHUT OFF: YES | SOLEPATE: Ceramic | TANK SIZE: 1.5l | HOSE LENGTH: 1.6m | HANDSET WEIGHT 1.2kg | TOTAL WEIGHT: 2.95kg | FOOTPRINT: 37cm x 19cm | HEIGHT 22cm | WARRANTY: 2 Years
Philips Compact | RRP £220 | Verdict Price £129.99
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Large Steam Generator Iron
Morphy Richards
The Morphy Richards Power Steam Elite is built to handle oversize ironing piles. Crease busting steam coupled with an excellent specification will help you demolish the biggest ironing pile in record time.
With 6.5 bar pressure and decent steam volumes, this Morphy Richards is superior to most models in its class. However, there are numerous other features that make it stand out. A longer power cord and hose make life a little easier. Plus, a huge water tank means it’ll keep going for longer. This iron will work best if you use half tap/half distilled water (essential in hard water areas).
This Morphy Richards model stands out for the power and steam volume. It costs more than our budget recommendations, but if you plan to blitz a large ironing pile in one go, this steam generator iron is a great choice.
It can’t be described as compact, but with size comes power & less time ironing too.
SPECIFICATION: PRESSURE 6.5 bar | CONSTANT STEAM: 200g/min | STEAM SHOT: 310g | POWER: 2400w | AUTO SHUT OFF: YES | SOLEPATE: Ceramic | TANK SIZE: 2.2l | HOSE LENGTH: 1.8m | HANDSET WEIGHT 1kg | TOTAL WEIGHT: 5.2kg | FOOTPRINT: 38cm x 22cm | HEIGHT 30cm | WARRANTY: 2 Years
Morphy Richards | Verdict Price £189.00
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Best Steam Generator Iron [BEST BUY]
Tefal GV9220Pro Express Protect
For performance and price, this Tefal model is hard to beat. It pumps out 3 to 4 times more steam than a conventional iron. Plus, it’s well built with top-notch limescale protection.
The average UK household spends around £250 on a steam gen iron. Clearly, this is no small investment. What’s important here is that this model from Tefal truly stands out within this price class, making it our overall Best Buy.
Not only will this Tefal help you get through the ironing quickly, it makes the job easier too.
There are six headline specifics that make this model worthy of your consideration.
Along with the high 7.5 bar pressure & lightweight handset, the Durilium soleplate glides & flattens all fabric, with ease. And making everything easier, clever technology continually adjusts the temperature. This means you can go from denim to silk with the same setting. No burns, no checking labels, no fiddly settings & no worries!
Adding to the high steam output, top-notch handset and clever temperature control technology, the Tefal has a removable 1.8-litre tank, making it easy to refill. And for longevity, the Tefal uses its patented limescale collector to keep the ironing working like new.
Compared to other models at a similar price (& a good number costing significantly more), the Tefal Pro Express truly stands out, winning our overall best buy.
SPECIFICATION: PRESSURE 7.5 bar | CONSTANT STEAM: 135g/min | STEAM SHOT: 540g | POWER: 2600w | AUTO SHUT OFF: YES | SOLEPATE: Ceramic | TANK SIZE: 1.8l | HOSE LENGTH: 1.6m | HANDSET WEIGHT 0.9kg | TOTAL WEIGHT: 4.2kg | FOOTPRINT: 40cm x 25cm | HEIGHT: 30cm | WARRANTY: 2 Years
Tefal Pro Express | RRP £290 | Verdict Price £247.00
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Ultimate Steam Generator Iron
Philips PerfectCare Elite
If you’re serious about super fast ironing this Philips steam generator iron is for you.
With 8 Bar pressure, it glides over everything & anything – professional results are quick & easy.
Every detail on this Philips model shines. It’s lightweight, heats up quickly and has a large water tank.
The handset weighs only 800g. This is around half that of a conventional iron. To be clear, a heavy iron doesn’t help remove creases (the heat & steam do this). And of greater importance, a heavy iron is bad for your wrist & back.
Try this lightweight handset a couple of times & you’ll never use a standard iron again!
The 1.8-litre tank means there’s no need for regular refills. However, if you’re powering through a huge laundry basket, the removable tank makes topping up easy. Plus, heating up only takes a couple of minutes.
Never Think About Ironing Again…
From denim to silk, there’s no need to adjust the temperature or steam output. This clever technology really does work. Plus, it’s backed up by a ‘no burn’ guarantee from Philips. So if you’d rather watch TV or think your own thoughts while ironing, this model from Philips is for you.
This Philips steam generator does everything brilliantly. No ifs and no buts – this is the best steam generator iron money can buy.
SPECIFICATION: PRESSURE: 8 bar | CONSTANT STEAM: 165g/min | STEAM SHOT: 600g | POWER: 2700w | AUTO SHUT OFF: YES | SOLEPATE: Ceramic | TANK SIZE: 1.8l | HOSE LENGTH: 1.9m | TOTAL WEIGHT: 5.1kg | HANDSET WEIGHT: 0.8kg | FOOTPRINT: 45cm x 23cm | HEIGHT: 29cm | WARRANTY: 2 Years
Philips PerfectCare Elite | RRP £590 | Verdict Price £553.96
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What Else Do I Need to Know?
A good steam generator iron should last for years – assuming you keep it limescale free. Once it’s clogged up with limescale, it’s usually too late & time for a replacement.
Each model, detailed above, has easy-to-follow instructions on dealing with limescale. Generally, it’s much easier to avoid limescale build-up than to deal with it afterwards. It only takes a moment.
Plus, do register your purchase with the manufacturer. This may seem like an additional hassle but in most cases, it will double the length of your warranty.
Out of Stock?
We’re working hard to keep our verdicts updated
However, our best buys keep selling out
If your top choice is available (don’t miss out) buy it today…
BEST SELLER
BEST BUY
ULTIMATE
UK Verdict
The justification is simple – buy a steam generator iron and spend less time ironing (+ get better results)
For around the same price as a top-end standard iron, our best seller the Philips Compact will cut your ironing time, give you better results & won’t break the bank.
Getting the perfect balance of price, performance and features, the Tefal Pro Express is our overall Best Buy. Lots of steam, a great handset, temperature control & a removable tank with good limescale control make this Tefal stand out compared to its peers (and numerous models costing a chunk more). It’s not cheap, but this is a purchase you won’t regret!
Aside from the price, we can’t fault the Philips PerfectCare Elite. With more steam, robust build quality and clever technology, this is as good as ironing gets!
Buy this model for high speed, no fuss ironing – coupled with incredible results.
S H A R E
