Steam Iron Review

Which irons are most reliable?

We found some thorough and exhaustive comparison reviews for steam irons at ConsumerReports.org, Slate.com and The Wall Street Journal. These reviews, however, date from 2006, and the majority of tested irons, including some that are highly rated, have been discontinued. More recently, Good Housekeeping magazine tested 11 steam irons for temperature consistency, stability when upright, steam production, wrinkle removal, ease of use and the quality of customer service provided by the manufacturer. So for this version of our report, Good Housekeeping takes the prize as the most helpful review source of steam irons.

One problem with professional reviews is that these publications, including ConsumerReports.org, test brand-new steam irons. No professional testing on new irons can predict whether an iron will still be working in a year or two. The unfortunate fact, supported by the hundreds of lackluster reviews on Amazon.com and Epinions.com, is that every iron will break or leak at some point. The typical lifespan seems to be two or three years.

In some cases, pricier irons appear to be more prone to problems than inexpensive models. We don't know whether this is because people who spend upwards of $100 for a steam iron use it more frequently or if these models are truly less reliable. Rowenta irons, for example, are stellar performers in professional tests and receive glowing performance reviews from owners who often say their tailors recommended a particular model. But some Rowenta irons also receive harsh criticism from users whose irons quit working suddenly, sometimes after just a few months. One model in particular, the Rowenta Professional DX8800 (*Est. $100) receives almost as many durability complaints as it does positive comments from users posting reviews to retailer websites. In a few cases, owners report that the iron burst into flames while in use. Other Rowenta irons have a substantial number of durability complaints, though none as severe as the Rowenta Professional DX8800.

We found the best reviews overall for the Black & Decker Digital Advantage D2030, but this iron has been discontinued. Black & Decker has since replaced it with other Digital Advantage irons. One newer model, the Black & Decker Digital Advantage D1700 (*Est. $50), receives mostly negative reviews at Amazon.com from owners who report numerous durability issues. This model was discontinued less than a year after its release. Two other Digital Advantage irons, the D1200 (*Est. $40) and the D1500 (*Est. $30) are still manufactured. Neither has been reviewed yet, so it's impossible to say whether they will perform as well as the Digital Advantage D2030 or suffer the same fate as the D1700.