Two irons in this test share a name, a shape and very nearly a model number. One of them puts out 200 g/min of steam and won the comparison; the other manages 170 g/min. Buy the wrong one and you will wonder what the fuss was about.
That is the short version of what a 41-iron field teaches. Here is the longer one.
How a steam iron actually works
A steam iron makes its steam inside the iron itself, which is what separates it from the larger, dearer steam stations. The consequences follow directly from that design: the water tank is necessarily small, so anyone who irons with plenty of steam will refill it often, and the iron delivers neither as much steam nor as much pressure as a station does.
Steam output is measured in grams per minute. As a rule of thumb, an iron pushing out around 100 g/min will give you good results. That is the number to look for on the box, and it is the number that separates the two Braun variants above.
Pressure decides how deeply the steam penetrates the fabric rather than sitting on the surface. Most irons work at four to six bar.
The most useful operating fact of the lot: steam generation is tied to the soleplate temperature. Set a low ironing temperature and there will be little steam available, or none at all. If your iron seems not to be steaming, the temperature setting is the first thing to check — not the tank.
One piece of received wisdom you can drop: distilled water used to be recommended, and is no longer necessary.
How to clean a steam iron
Most of the irons here, the winner included, have a self-cleaning function whose job is to clear limescale deposits out of the soleplate. It is worth running regularly rather than when something goes wrong, for two specific reasons: it preserves steam output over the long term, and it keeps the soleplate gliding properly. A furred-up iron loses both at once, and no amount of pressure compensates.
The picks
Best overall — Braun FreeStyle 3 FI 3194 BK. The test winner, and it wins on the two things that actually matter: steam production and glide. The steam comes out powerfully and evenly while the soleplate slips easily over every fabric, leaving laundry crease-free after a single pass — testers compared the steam development to that of a steam station, at a far more attractive position in the market. It is ready quickly, heating in just under a minute, with the steam arriving at the same time. The 270 ml tank is large for this class and can be topped up mid-session, so a big pile of ironing is not a problem. It sits comfortably in the hand without being heavy or bulky — the maker's ergonomic-handle claim was not something testers could actually distinguish from any other iron, but longer sessions are no hardship. There is an automatic shut-off if it is left unmoved, and the self-cleaning function noted above. The one genuine criticism: the control dial is not entirely convincing.
The trap on this model, and it matters in the UK. The FreeStyle 3 FI comes in two versions, both tested and both good, but only one is the winner. The winning FI 3194 BK is rated at 200 g/min and is sold exclusively in black and blue. The FI 3124/3144 variants deliver 170 g/min and come in white-and-pink or white-and-blue. The price difference between them is small, which is why the source recommends the more powerful one without hesitation — and the extra output is exactly what you need if you want to pass over each garment only once. The UK complication: the FreeStyle 3 listings we verified on Amazon UK are for the FI3124, the lower-output variant. Check the steam figure and the colour before you buy, because the two look almost identical in a listing photograph.
Best for not sorting the laundry — Russell Hobbs One Temperature. The dream of never pre-sorting a wash pile is what this one sells, and it delivers: a single temperature setting that suits every fabric in the basket, from linen through silk to cotton. You change nothing and simply glide. The tank is a generous 350 ml, fillable straight from the tap or with the supplied water cup, and the filling hole is big enough that neither method spills. It is noticeably heavier in the hand, but that reads as steadiness rather than strain, and the weight helps it sit down on the fabric. Ironing performance alone is convincing; add steam and most laundry is flat after one pass. The cable is unusually long, which genuinely matters if the nearest socket is not beside the ironing board, and it has an automatic shut-off when left unmoved. UK buyers get the exact tested model, sold here as the 25090-56.
Most comfortable — Philips Azur 8000 DST8050. Very well made, and pleasantly heavy in the hand in a way that tells you that you are moving something substantial without feeling clumsy. Like the Russell Hobbs it sets its own temperature, and in testing everything came out equally crease-free — men's shirts, jeans and a satin dress alike. As it heats water to release steam it gets audibly louder, in a way testers likened to a loudly purring cat and read as a sign of how forcefully it works. Steam output is impressive and constant even over a long session — close enough to a steam station that the separate steam-shot button is arguably redundant, though it is there. The cable is particularly long and the filling opening is generously sized for topping up mid-pile. The drawback is its position in the market: it is dear enough that a steam station, with more power again, comes into range. It is also very heavy. UK listings carry it as the DST8050/26, the same base model as the DST8050/20 tested.
Best budget — Philips EasySpeed GC1751. Priced at the bottom of the field and still convincing. It has a Drip Stop system, and in testing no water dripped from it at any point — not even under continuous steaming, which is where cheaper irons usually betray themselves. The surprise was the heat-up time, which is very short where several rivals took considerably longer. It feels very light in the hand. Two honest limits: it does not glide quite as well as the winner, and its steam output is lower — both forgivable given where it sits in the range, and it still irons well. UK listings carry it as the GC1751/89 against the GC1751/80 tested.
Also tested
Braun FreeStyle 3 FI 3124/3144 — the sibling of the winner at 170 g/min. Still convincing steam, a clear layout, vertical ironing like most of the field, and comfortable in the hand. Its one fault: under very heavy steaming sustained over a long period, it can shed the occasional drop of water.
Tefal Ultragliss Plus FV6846 — the genuinely stable one, with a wide heel that means nothing wobbles. More importantly it steams so well that testers were reminded of a cleaning appliance, which is remarkable for an iron. It glides easily, though it feels slightly bulky; if you are coming from a narrow-handled iron, expect a short adjustment before appreciating how fast it gets through a pile.
Philips DST5030/80 — very good ironing performance, a soleplate that glides so easily it often removes the need for a second pass, and powerful, even steam. The only criticism is that it is not especially cheap against the competition.
Tefal Easygliss Plus FV5714 — steams and glides well and does exactly its job, with an XL water opening that makes topping up easy at any point. It felt slightly heavier in the hand than rivals of the same weight, and the steam control is fiddly.
Before you buy
Four questions. How much steam? Around 100 g/min is the threshold for good results, and on the winning Braun the difference between variants is 200 against 170 g/min. Do you want to sort the pile? Single-temperature and automatic-temperature models remove that job entirely. Where is the socket? Cable length is the unglamorous feature that decides whether ironing is comfortable. And how heavy do you want it? — weight reads as steadiness to some people and as fatigue to others, and the two most capable irons here are also the two heaviest.
Our best steam cleaners and best cordless vacuums guides cover the rest of the housework.
