One iron fits all - {Review of Philips PerfectCare Steam Generator Iron}

If there's one household chore that I dread the most, it is ironing. Yes, I would rather wash a sinkful of dishes or fold mountains of clothes.

So, best as I can, I try to wear wrinkle free blouses and close one eye when I see creases on my baby's romper. However, let's face it, there will always be clothes that cannot do without the iron. Long-sleeved shirts, denim skirts, pants, school uniforms, bed linen, dresses etc.

When Philips sent over their PerfectCare Pressurised Steam Generator (PSG) iron that promises to be 2 times faster than regular steam iron, I was somewhat skeptical but motivated to give it a try.

The first time I laid my eyes on the box, I marvelled at its size and thought to myself "This is ginormous!", "Am I even able to carry it?", "Does fast means big as well?" and "Is ironing going to be a test of my arm power?"

Obviously, this was my first time using a steam iron and much to my relief, the bulkiness came from the detachable water tank and the iron itself was light-weighted at only 1.2kg and thus easy to hold and glide.

You know how you usually need to adjust the temperate dial of a regular iron depending on whether you are ironing cotton, nylon, silk, wool or linen? Plus, you have to stand there and wait till the iron achieves the correct temperature. When you have a hungry preschooler or crying baby in the house, time is really of the essence.

What I love most about the PerfectCare PSG iron is that thanks to OptimalTEMP technology, it delivers one perfect setting for all your clothes. That's right, as long as your garments are ironable, you can iron them one after the other without having wait, adjust or care about what fabric they are made of. 

Despite the fact that the water tank can hold as much as 1.5 litres of water providing up to 2 hours of ironing, at its maximum level, the PerfectCare PSG iron is ready for use in just 2 minutes.

 There are some other features of the PerfectCare PSG iron that I loved:

1) Secure lock
Makes it easy to carry around and no risk of iron falling over

2) Cord storage compartment
No more wrapping of cords around the iron after use

3) Easy De-Calc
Hassle free anti-scale system to prolong life of iron

4) Extra large filling hole
Makes filling and emptying faster



Last but not least, there is also a steam boost function which you can activate at the push of a button and voila, there go all the stubborn creases! I was pleasantly surprised by how fast and powerful it was!

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Coming to the ironing board, when you have an iron and base which weights 5kg when combined, obviously you need a larger than life board. The Philips Easy8 ironing board comes with a XL board shape (45cm x 120cm) and XL iron tray, which is a perfect fit for the steam generator.

Some highlights of the Easy8 ironing board:

1) Cord holder
Elevates the cord so that it does not interfere with the garment during ironing

2) Hanging rail
Makes it easy to hang up garments directly

3) Retractable ShoulderWing system
Saves time and effort when ironing shirts because there is minimal rearranging

4) Storage basket
Keeps the remote control, mobile phone or other devices within reach

5) Child and transport lock
Prevents the board from accidentally collapsing while ironing

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As you can see, I am loving my new iron BUT there are also a couple of cons to it.

1) The steaming can get a little noisy
This means you run a high risk of waking up the household if you were to carry out ironing early in the morning or in the middle of the night, which is when I usually have more free time to spare. (The Philips PSG iron is also available in a silence version known as the PerfectCare Silence, click to find out more)

2) Big iron + Big board = Big space needed
These two items would be perfect for a house that has room to spare. For our cosy home which has no ironing corner and it usually has to be done in the kitchen, that means it becomes a chore to have to constantly keep and store the items.

3) High cost
At a retail price of S$699 (with a complimentary Easy8 ironing board worth S$299), this is not exactly the most affordable iron around. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

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The Ironing Challenge

Lastly, just so I could prove how much time I could save with the PerfectCare PSG iron, I decided to put it to the test and time myself on how long I take to iron the below garments.

And here are my results!

1) Men's shirt - 1 minute
2) Single bed sheet - 4 minutes
3) Baby's romper - 10 seconds
4) Girl's dress - 20 seconds

I have to admit it is indeed twice as fast as compared to using a regular iron. By saving time and effort with this new steam generator, I guess ironing need not be such a dreaded task after all.

The Philips PerfectCare PSG Iron retails for S$699 (with a Complimentary Easy8 Ironing Board worth S$299!) at leading electronics and departmental stores.  

Disclosure: A Happy Mum received a complimentary Philips PerfectCare Steam Generator and Easy8 ironing board in writing this review. No monetary compensation was received and all opinions are my own.