This will be a short and prosaic post.
I need a new iron. I’m fed up with my current iron not producing enough steam. I’ve looked at the John Lewis website but the range of irons and steam generators (look like irons but apparently you don’t have to change the temperature……..no I don’t know either) has left me completely bemused. Do I really need to spend £200 or will a £50 job be ok? Surely it shouldn’t be this complicated.
My current iron is fairly new and I think cost around £40, so not the cheapest but not the most expensive either. I thought it would fit the bill but one tank of water will last several loads of ironing. The problem is that you don’t really know how these things perform until you have tried them.
Has anyone out there bought an iron recently and do you have any advice?
Jane's Sew & Tell 
Get one with a separate water tank – but if you live in London and can’t be bothered with fancy water for it don’t expect it to last longer than 10 minutes!
Good luck !
I have a model similar to Philips GC9241/02 PerfectCare Steam Generator Iron. I love the water tank I can lift off, and the decalcifier does its job. I’m using it on everything.
I bought a Phillips Speedcare steam generator last month with my Tesco points just before they removed Boost. I love it. Steam is plentiful, the tank is enormous and the decalcifier works very well.
FWIW I’m very happy with my £50 iron for dressmaking. I made sure to get one without an auto shutoff feature and with a big water tank for long sewing sessions. It’s a Bosch and I think it came from Argos about two years ago.
I’d like to try a steam generator but am reluctant to drop that sort of money for an experiment that might not work out.
Good luck with the search!
We have a steam generator I got on Amazon and I use it every day. It is a good quality one and it was expensive. But dressmakers use them often and the rest of the family want their clothes pressed well and quickly. Nothing beats it. Fast, reliable, irons continually for about an hour with loads of effective steam if you left your jeans to dry full of creases. In terms of hard water in London – what Alice said is true. It can spurt dirty brown water if the heat is a bit low. Beware. It will come out if you wash immediately. I use a pressing cloth but I would not change back to a regular iron.
I’m a newer follower of your blog; I’ve been enjoying it very much!
I use an old school style iron (think 1950’s). It looks like the old Sunbeam iron my mom had. I bought it, because a) it was not very expensive, and, b) it had a linen setting.
The sleeve meant to keep the cord up, and out of the way, disintegrated rather quickly. But, otherwise it’s range of heat settings have made me quite happy.
I should note that I do not put water in my irons. Rather, I use the old method of spritzing the item with a spray bottle. I prefer that method.
I have a Rowenta Eco Focus DW6010. It is currently £70 on Amazon. Over the years I have gone through lots of irons. This is my favourite. Only one complaint – the lead is a bit on the short side.
I did have one of those irons that you do not change the temperature, but there was so much steam, it was like ironing in a steam room. Everything was very damp. Not a pleasant experience.
The best water for steam irons is the one you get defrosting your freezer, almost pure water (no drinkable)