Steam Press vs Conventional Iron – Which one is better?

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Steamfast SF-680 Digital Steam Press

If you also do your laundry every day like millions of other people, you probably know how hard the decision is to choose one between a steam press and a conventional iron. 

 

While the steam press was not available decades ago, it has recently surfaced the markets and since then gained huge popularity, and people actually prefer steam press due to the advantages it offers. So, switching between these two really makes people confused.

 

While both have their own pros and cons, there are real places when it all comes down to your personal preference whether to choose a steam press or a conventional iron. 

 

Here in this article, we will see in detail about both and, in the end, give the verdict about which one might prove to be better for you.

 

Comparing Steam Press & Conventional Iron

 

Steam Press

 

The professionals, due to the high quality of pressing it offers mostly use steam press. The method is pretty straightforward, and you just lay the cloth down on the board and start pressing. 

 

You then close its top-down on the cloth, and the presser starts emitting the steam, which in turn presses the cloth you want to iron. 

 

The major advantage is offered here is that you don’t have to turn the cloth upside down when you’re down ironing it from one side as you would do while using the conventional iron, neither do you have to move the presser back and forth which makes the task of ironing pretty easy. 

 

Another thing is that the presser is not independent of the ironing board, and you don’t have to buy it separately as in the conventional iron. 

 

These are not the only unique feature it offers, but it also makes the task of ironing more productive. You can do the ironing quickly and conveniently without putting in much effort and get better results; the cloth is also not in danger of getting burned or anything. 

 

The surface area of the steam presser is quite larger and smoother than a conventional iron, which means that the ironing gets rid of the wrinkles quickly and more completely. 

 

Moreover, there are many settings available on the steam presser, which you can set depending upon your needs and the type of clothes you want to iron. 

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The steam press for clothes, however, is not as compact as a regular iron, but it’s not much large to keep either. Weighing between 20 to 30 lbs, it needs as much space as an ironing board does. The quantity of water steam presser can hold in a single go is much larger than a conventional iron so you can iron many clothes before you would need to refill. 

 

However, the situation is not all roses, as there are some cons associated with steam pressers also. The first and foremost being that the steam presser doesn’t support the 360-degree ironing of clothes. 

 

For such clothes, conventional ironing is still considered to be better. An example is clothing like a skirt, which makes the situation quite hard for the steam presser to manage as you cannot set it according to your needs, and the presser comes fixed in its shape.

 

The second disadvantage is also related to its shape. As it cannot be undone easily and the frame is fixed, it’s not very easy to store it, which is the reason why people who use it tend to keep it at fixed locations where there is enough room.

 

Vedoary Portable Steamer for Clothes

Conventional Iron

 

These are the irons which we usually have in our homes and use every day. The principle they use is pretty simple. They transfer the heat energy from their flat surfaces to the cloth they are laid upon. 

 

Some conventional irons use steam to iron the clothes like steam generator irons; some use heat while some use a combination of both to get the job done.

 

While it’s not the case with the steam press, you cannot leave conventional iron on a single spot for too long, or else it would damage the area of the cloth, so you have to be pretty careful. Find our top picks for irons here

 

However, conventional irons prove to be pretty easily usable if the material of the cloth is silky, and not for areas such as pleats or sleeves. They are also really good for clothes where you have to create creases such as formal shirts or trousers. 

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Nevertheless, the job with these depends a lot on the quality of the iron board you use. Without a good hard surface on the bottom, ironing would never be perfect. You have to buy the boards separately, so it becomes costly here a bit if you want to get a good quality one.

 

A major con here is that ironing is not as easy as it is with steam pressers due to the high amount of pressure you need to apply on the clothes. You might even need to stand for a longer amount of time while ironing. 

 

However, it also means that you can get the job done more perfectly as there are certain spots that need more pressure to be done correctly than the others, and steam pressers apply the same pressure everywhere.

 

Moreover, steam pressers do not necessarily reach every corner where conventional irons can reach. 

And they also carry a lesser amount of water hence for long jobs, they need to be refilled more frequently. And they sometimes might even leave wrinkles on sometimes.

 

A major advantage here is that they are really compact and easy to store. This also makes them extremely portable, and you can do the ironing anywhere, and when done, you can place them anywhere.

 

Conclusion

 

Now, as we have seen all the major pros and cons associated with both the conventional iron and steam press, it should be pretty clear to you now where is steam press suitable and where the conventional iron is. Both have their specific features that can be used according to the person’s needs.

 

However, if you are someone who does ironing more often or daily and do not want to put in too much effort while making the process as smooth as it could be, the steam press could be a very good option. 

 

However, if you do not do it much often, but you want perfection and even are agreeing to put in a bit more exertion while not having much room, using conventional iron would be suitable then.