A bit more than the last deal.
Tefal Pro Style One Upright Garment Steamer IT2461
Tefal Steamer Steam Silver/Black IT3440
CamelCamelCamel.
Honestly reviews for the Tefal and other brands are all over the place for each model. If yours works, the hose isn't kinking, it doesn't shock you or spatter water on clothes, and is still steaming, then I'd say stick with what you have until it breaks.
i have the kmart ones as well. I struggle to iron the bottom part of the garment cause it's just hanging and not stretched firmly if that makes sense. Any tips?
I pull it tight with my finger tips and hold the nozzle just above that and haven't had an issue so far. I know exactly what you are talking about though, I have figured as long as you can get it to the stich the fold over bit doesn't matter too much, otherwise I just hold the steamer just below the garment.
I use pegs and hang it upside down so I can pull from the top of the garment
I have tried three different steamers, one of them being a Tefal. The overall experience seems to be about the same.
There are a few features that I liked in each, which when combined might make the perfect steamer for my use.
1) Longer hoses are better. Some have been so short that I have had to place the steamer on top of a bucket/chair to use it without stooping over.(I'm only 5'11").
2) Some of the steamers have a steel face plate. This seems to become significantly warmer than the plastic ones, which seems to help 'iron' out stubborn wrinkles in thick cotton and denim items.
3) A larger water reservoir obviously means you can steam for longer… Having said that, I've never needed to refill midway (usually do about 25 shirts/trousers).
4) One of the steamers had one of those retractable 'boards'. I liked the idea of having something firm to push against, instead of having to stretch the clothing item out but in practice, the challenge of trying to position large items on the 'board' was more time consuming than just stretching the item out.
Someone commented the last time the "Pro" was post:
Not great at all. Poorly insulated (got a shock) and water just start pumping out of everywhere once it boils.
Wow, there are so many negative one star reviews on both products, especially for the "Pro" model.
My K mart one i got for $50 has been doing the job well for the past 4 years.
I have a more expensive Phillips one in my other property overseas and dont notice any major difference.
Save your money and just get a K mart one.
It's just steam, really not that complicated.
I've had 4 steamers in the last few years. Love them, but they ALWAYS fail after 1-2 years. I only buy from either Amazon or a big department store so returns are super easy.
I had a Kmart one for myself last year and returned as it wasn’t doing a good enough job even after a few attempts. Tefal was recommended to me by Peter Jackson staff as they use the same at their stores.
Do you rinse the water out once in a while to prevent limescale build up?
I only used mine a few times and then returned.
I had an older version of the pro - it's got a port that you undo and let out water and scale.
I found Tefal steamers keep tripping up my circuit breaker, changed to another brand and it has been okay since.
I've had the same problem with two tefal steamers! Im starting to think I'm doing something wrong..
Do you just use tap water or demineralised bottled water?
Has anyone tried one of the fully automatic ones that have been advertised recently?
My friend sold me on a steamer a few years ago - her words - what do all the clothes stores use to keep the clothing crisp? not irons, steamers. Can confirm the logic is sound, steaming clothes is sooo much faster and effective than ironing, so yeah +1 for changing to a steamer.
Having said that - my question to more experienced steamer users - is there any value in purchasing an established brand? I am currently using the Kmart one and its been great so far, now I am wondering if by going to something like tefal brand the steamer will be even better, or is it a case of diminishing return where the basic functionality of a steamer will be the same whether its kmart or tefal or whatever other options are on the market.