Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsHow to choose an iron ? This one-A decent combo of features & price.Cable quality not good though.
Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on 10 October 2017
Update as on 28.10.2018:
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The power cord has developed twists beyond repair and the seperate cores are now visible,the insulation pvc of the cores doesn't look very durable.I don't know why such standard manufacturers can't provide a decent durable cable?
The iron however is performing flawlessly.Still disappointed ,as in coming weeks i'll have to change the cable for sure.
Reducing one star for compromising upon the cable quality by such a big brand name.
HOW IT STARTED - THE NEED FOR AN IRON:
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Recently , my previous Bajaj make dry iron, which I received as a gift from somewhere, started giving problems after two years of occasional use & with “not so careful handling and care”. Initially, Its wires insulation inside was found rotten around the iron entry point which I repaired myself and later its thermostat started giving problems. Finally, its ON indication went OFF and I decided that it was time to bid goodbye to it and find a new one.
Hence, my search for a reputed brand make , best value for money device began .
Being from Electrical Engineering background & occupation, I fairly summed up my expectations from the power device as below:
1.) DRY IRON VS STEAM IRON :
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This was fairly simple if we consider the explanation that a steam iron could perform as a dry iron but vice-versa was not possible. Also, almost always you find some or the other stubborn wrinkles and crease distortions that is hard for the dry iron to overcome and you need to use water for the purpose.
On the contrary, As the steam loosens the individual fibres of the clothes, the steam iron's pressing action smooths out wrinkles
Hence it was better to be equipped with the facility in the first place in the device itself.
2.) BRAND REPUTATION & WARRANTY:
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As an average consumer, We are not wrong in generally assuming that products of bigger established brands have a higher quality and perform better. Rightfully so ,A brand which has been working with a product for decades has a plenty of experience & research regarding the possible points of failures of the product and can be surely trusted upon.
Following the same footprints I thought not to take bets upon power devices like iron and go with the Super brands like Philips having decades of expertise in this field..
Our product comes with a two year global warranty which is quite decent in my opinion .
3.) STEAM OUTPUT , STEAM BURST & VERTICAL STEAM FEATURE:
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During normal usage with steam a delivery of anything above 8 grams/min is okay but Some ironing jobs such as curtains or quilts require a much more supply of steam. In such cases the steam burst feature comes in handy. Users can push a button to receive a burst of steam when needed. More holes in the sole plate add to the effectiveness of steam supplied.
Vertical steam feature in theory can direct clouds of steam in and around vertically hung garments or curtains which eliminates wrinkles without the need for a pressing force.
However in practical scenario and by virtue of its design and water tank limitations , a steam iron is virtually incapable of addressing the wrinkles like that and hence paying more for such a feature is not advised.
Use dedicated garment steamers for that purpose.
** Our Philips GC1905 comes with a variable setting for steam output with a continuous delivery of up to 17 grams/min which is quite good.
Additionally, It can provide steam burst too for stubborn wrinkles. Vertical steam feature is not available though.
4.) ELECTRICAL RELATED FEATURES: WATTAGE, CORD,THERMOSTAT etc.
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The simple maths that more watts means more heat or more steam or quick heating is not as simple as it looks.
1. Surely, more watts means more heat generated but more wattage limits our ability to plug the iron at any socket in the house as for any power above 1500 Watts , I would suggest to only plug-in to the power sockets.
Going for more power demands must be backed up with careful examination as to whether you really need that much heating if its normal clothes only that you need to iron most of the times.
2. Surely, More heat developed is capable to deliver more steam but that depends upon the number of holes in your sole plate for it to be really effective ,Your water holding tank size and lastly steam delivery settings.
Generating too much steam without delivery can be dangerous as it can pressurize the system.
3. Last but not the least - More power doesn’t always mean quick heating as heating of the sole plate depends upon a number of factors like the material & thickness of the sole plate , Surface area of the heating element used inside the soleplate etc.
Most of these intricate details are variable in nature and cannot be specifically mentioned by the manufacturer.
** OUR PRODUCT:
# Comes with a decent 1440 Watts of power good enough for routine casual use along with occasional use on heavier fabrics.
# Comes with a 250 Volts, 10 Amp ( Max. rating of plug is always extra to actual amperage) 3 pin Top which can be easily plugged into our casual 6 amp sockets as well without any damage to the socket.
Hence enhanced mobility & performance.
# The cord length is around 1.8 meters which is good enough for any practical lengths,Any more than that would be cumbersome to handle.. The cord is braided with an insulated cotton sleeve which is useful for twists as well as insulating during a cable damage.
However in due course of use, the cord often develops rigid twists & turns beneath the cotton braiding which is hard to straighten out.So not so great on the cable quality terms.
# The cable only comes with 180 degrees of swivel movement, which is quite disappointing and I would have really wished if it was 360 degrees of cord freedom.
# The thermostat knob for temperature selection comes with regular 5 settings but going with a reputed brand like Philips always assures of a good quality of thermostat.
After all, the thermostat is the heart and soul of modern day irons and must be highly durable and reliable.
# Lastly our product is an ISI marked product which is quite an assurance for sure.
5.) SOLEPLATE MATERIAL & SHAPE:
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This is probably the toughest part where each company claims to have the best and easy gliding soleplates.A variety of soleplates are available in the market today like non-stick Teflon coated ,aluminium plates with American heritage coating, Steel plates with alloys or Ceramic coated.
Each has its pros and cons.
# Teflon coated plates are easy to get scratched and gather dirt over a period of time.
# American Heritage is similar to Teflon and glides over the fabric even better.
# Stainless steel is the most durable and easy to clean however may stick to clothes on higher settings.Adds weight to the device. Metal works better than ceramic for pressing in sharp creases on sleeves and trousers.
# Good for smooth gliding and even heat distribution but biggest advantage is to eliminate static charge at high temperatures which may cause clothes to stick.
When ironing on synthetics and fabrics blended with spandex, a ceramic iron will suit your needs best, as ceramic does not stick to these fabrics but the coating may peel off on rough handling.
# Aluminium soleplates heat up quickly but are prone to damage and may stick to clothes.
** Our Product comes with a linished soleplate which is quite inadequate detail as linishing is a process of grinding or polishing a surface to make it a perfect flat.
# However apart from linishing stuff, I can surely say that the soleplate in our device is decent gliding but not the best gliding, Its heavy but doesn’t stick to the clothes yet.
For that matter I trusted the brand reputation and went ahead with this linished soleplate. Stay away from Teflon coated ones though as its bound to wear off fast.
Regarding the shape , I honestly wanted it to look like American fighter planes with sharp beak design and dark colors..LOL..
However ,those models with my looks were weak in overall specs so had to settle down with this “Still-Decent Looking “model.
6.) FEATURES LIKE ANTI DRIP ,ANTI-CALC, GRIP:
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To tell you the truth these are more of a fancy terms rather than actual purpose for most of the users. Presence of these features, isn’t a problem though , as in areas where the water comes hard, Anti-calc may stir and clear the calcium build up ,if any in the water tank.
However ,If you use proper water, drain it out timely , Do not fully fill the tank , allow it to heat before using steam & follow all procedures correctly, you won’t actually need to use these features.
Regarding Grip ,Many iron nowadays have some unique design which is set ergonomically to give a better grip.
** Our product comes with the anti-calc function and is decent to grip though I think not ergonomically, still nothing for a deal breaker and these are minor features to discuss upon.
7.) PRICE VS PERFORMANCE:
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Even though I did not have any preset price tag in my mind but still going over 2500 would have definitely felt extreme for a thing that I don’t make use of that much.
** I bought it at a price of around 1200 bucks & for all the features and performance it delivers - I think it is worth it.
FINAL VERDICT:
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All in all , I would just say, that even though our product might not have the best appealing looks or the best soleplate or the best burst of steam or the best swivel of the cord , still, what it has is – a complete package of all the individual features clubbed together in a decent right-performing way, which is hard to come by in an individual model.
