Tefal Steam Generator Iron UK 

Express Essential SV6115 Steam Generator Iron

Our Opinion: Give this one a miss. Buyers say it is badly designed and just too heavy. around 40% of all buyers thought this was a good iron, 17% said it wasn't with the rest of buyers rating it as just OK. There are much better models.

Express Essential SV6116 Steam Generator Iron

Our Opinion: This model gets better reviews. Buyers did say that this was their first steam generator iron and it did take a bit of getting used to, coming from using a normal steam iron. They liked the larger water tank (1.4 litres compared to a 350 ml in a normal steam iron). Buyers really liked that this could be used for vertical steaming. They also loved the fact that it really did cut their ironing time right down.

Fasteo SV6035 Steam Generator Iron

this model also has a carrying safety lock and cord storage.

Our Opinion: With over 2,500 online buyer reviews it is clear that this one sells really well. The main reason for this is the low entry price for a Tefal steam generator iron. It is worth knowing that an average iron like this has a bigger tank of around 1.6 litres. This one is designed to be smaller and that makes it more compact and easy to handle. We think this makes a good low entry option if you are thinking of trying this type of iron for the first time. One disadvantage is you do need to buy the filter cartridges which cost around £15 and last for around a year. We also don't like that there is no automatic cut off.

Fasteo SV6040 Steam Generator Iron

This model also has a carrying safety lock and cord storage.

Our Opinion: With over 2,000 online buyer reviews it is clear that this one also sells really well. There is really no big difference in either model in this range other than the colour. The features are basically the same. One disadvantage is you do need to buy the filter cartridges which cost around £15 and last for around a year. We also don't like that there is no automatic cut off.

Liberty SV7020 Steam Generator Iron

This model also has a carrying safety lock and cord storage.

Our Opinion: This range is new to the UK market and with over 400 online buyer reviews it is clear that this one is starting to sell really well. The tank is larger at 1.5 litres and there is a big increase in the steam boost option which does make a difference. One disadvantage is you do need to buy the filter cartridges which cost around £15 and last for around a year.

Liberty SV7030 Steam Generator Iron

This model also has a carrying safety lock and cord storage.

Our Opinion: This range is new to the UK market and so far there are just not enough reviews from buyers to get a feeling for this iron. The tank is larger at 1.5 litres and there is a big increase in the steam boost option which does make a difference. One disadvantage is you do need to buy the filter cartridges which cost around £15 and last for around a year.

Liberty SV7040 Steam Generator Iron

This model also has a carrying safety lock and cord storage.

Our Opinion: This range is new to the UK market and there are only a small number of buyer reviews. This iron is the most powerful in the range with a 6 bar pressure tank and large steam shot. One disadvantage is you do need to buy the filter cartridges which cost around £15 and last for around a year.

Express Compact SV7111 Steam Generator Iron

This model also has a carrying safety lock and cord compartment.

Our Opinion: This is one of their best steam generator irons. It is lightweight, has a really nice appearance and gets really solid buyer reviews. If you can't make your mind up which model to buy, then we think this is really good value for money. You do not need filter cartridges for this one either as it has a built-in cleaning system. Buyers also said this is really easy to use and has greatly reduced their time spent on the ironing.

Express Compact SV7130 Steam Generator Iron

This model also has a carrying safety lock and cord compartment.

Our Opinion: This is another good quality iron. We did notice poor reviews at certain online sites so be aware of who you are buying this one from. The majority of buyers do say this is a high quality iron but that it is on the expensive side which is true. Once you start to get up around the £200 mark for a product, you are starting to spend big money and have higher expectations. Buyers said they were not disappointed when using this iron as it works great.

Express Power SV8062 Steam Generator Iron

This model also has a carrying safety lock, cord compartment and silent pump technology.

Our Opinion: This is also a popular choice for many UK buyers. This model opens up their silent pump range making the iron much quieter to use. There is also a larger 1.8 litre water tank and a high end soleplate. You don't need cartridges with this one either. Buyers rate this model very highly on all websites that sell it and that is always a very good sign.

Express Protect SV9202 Steam Generator Iron

This model also has a carrying safety lock, cord compartment and silent pump technology.

Our Opinion: This is the first model in this range and as you can see these are the Tefal top of the range products and have the price points to match. This has a very high quality soleplates, a large water tank, and buyers rate it very highly.

Pro Express GV7810 Anti-Scale Steam Generator Iron

This model also has a carrying safety lock, cord compartment and silent pump technology.

Our Opinion: This model also gets really high buyer ratings but again is expensive. It is a popular pick for some buyers and is a well engineered iron that works really well and efficiently. It has all the right features and is a classic steam generator iron that gives up two 2 hours of ironing with one fill of the water tank.

Tefal Pro Express GV7850 Anti-Scale Steam Generator Iron

This model also has a carrying safety lock, cord compartment and three one-touch settings – ‘Min’, ‘Normal’ and ‘Max for easier ironing temperature selection.

Our Opinion: This model also gets really high buyer ratings but again is expensive. This is particularly good for any area with hard water in the UK. The anti-scale collector captures up to 10 x more scale particles directly from the water tank to maintain long-lasting steam performance.

Tefal GV8932 Pro Express Plus Anti Scale High Pressure Steam Generator

This model also has a carrying safety lock, cord compartment and three one-touch settings – ‘Min’, ‘Normal’ and ‘Max for easier ironing temperature selection.

Our Opinion: This is one of their best selling models in the UK and has been for a long time. Most users can do a single week's ironing with one tank of water. This iron really does have all of the features that you get in the best steam generator irons. Buyers rate it very highly and there are plenty of them.

Tefal GV9071 Steam Generator Iron Summary Review

Click Here to Read Our detailed Review

Tefal GV8932 Steam Generator Iron Summary Review

Click Here to Read Our Detailed Review

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Tefal SV6020 Steam Generator Iron Summary Review

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Tefal GV9060 Steam Generator Iron Summary Review

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Tefal GV6722 Steam Generator Iron Summary Review

Tefal SV5021 Steam Generator Iron Summary Review

Key Benefits of Tefal Steam Generator Irons

 Below we have listed the key benefits of owning and using a Tefal steam generator model of iron:

• They cut your ironing time in half - Great choice for doing large loads of ironing very quickly - this is thanks to the high pressure steam, along with the soleplate can deal with multiple layers of fabric at a time
• Vertical Steaming -Vertical steaming is really useful for doing curtains, suits and delicate clothing which you cannot directly iron on.
• Quick to heat up - Tefal’s high pressure steam generators heat up in 2 minutes
• Long Lasting and Durable - Tefal steam generator irons have Anti-Calc lime scale collectors which can deal with hard water and extend the life of your machine and is available on most models.
• Large Water tanks - Most Tefal steam generators have  large water tanks so you can iron for hours without having to stop and refill.

Bar Pressure in a Steam Generator Iron

You will also see a reference to bar pressure. This is usually shown as something like 5.8 bars, 6 bars, 7 bars etc. A bar is simply the name given to the measurement of pressure. The higher this rating is the more steam pressure this can produce. Any bar rating of 5 or higher is more than enough for normal household ironing.

On every steam generator iron there are two steam outputs. The first is the rate at which the normal steam comes out of the soleplate of the iron. Typically this looks like 120g/min. That refers to grams per minute. 

The second steam setting is a "steam shot." This is where you hit a boost button on the iron and it gives a shot of higher pressure. It is used for particularly hard or stubborn creases or wrinkles. This will always be a higher rated g/min setting such as 200g/min and all the way up to 500g/min.

The rate of both these steam settings is set by the bar pressure of the iron. For example a 5 bar pressure steam generator iron may have 100g/min normal steam and a 200g/min steam shot. One with a 7 bar pressure may have 130g/min normal steam and a 400g/min steam shot.

In most cases 5 bars is enough. Some people like more steam as it does get the ironing done faster. If that is the case then a high bar pressure is better as it produces a lot more steam.

Power and Wattage in a Steam Generator Iron

This is normally visible somewhere on your iron, on the side of the box, or included in the instructions. It will look like 2400W, 2600W etc. This is the amount of power/energy that the iron uses to heat up the water. This is measured in watts (W) As a general rules most steam generator irons use either 2400W, 2600W or 2800W.

The difference in heat up time is minimal and on average it takes 2 minutes for the iron to start producing steam. You can also work out from this figure how much it costs to run your iron on electricity. Electricity is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh). One unit of electricity is 1 kWh. That means an appliance with a 1000W rating running for one hour would cost 1 unit of electricity. 

With regards to a steam generator iron, let's assume it is 2600W that is 2.6 kilowatts. If your iron was on for one hour it would use 2.6 units of electricity. From that, you can calculate the cost of the electric it takes. The average cost of a unit of electricity in the UK is 28p. Therefore this 2600W steam generator iron would cost 73p to run for one hour.

The larger the power rating the more this will cost. With electricity prices soaring, this is always worth knowing. You can read more about the cost of running an iron by clicking here.

What Water Tank Sizes are available in a Steam Generator Iron?

Steam generator irons are really in two parts. There is the tank, boiler etc and the actual iron itself. With a normal steam iron all of the parts are inside the iron so when you pick it up, you have the total weight in your hand. With a steam generator iron, the tank, boiler etc sits on the ironing board, and you are literally just holding the iron.

That means that manufacturers can produce larger water tanks. That is because they sit on the ironing board. The benefit of a larger tank is that you don't have to fill your iron as much, and can get the ironing done faster. A 1.6 litre water tank is plenty for about a week's worth of ironing.

The disadvantage is that larger tanks when full, are very heavy, and many of them don't fit on to a standard ironing board. So when it comes to storing the iron away, you still have to lift the tank.

A normal steam iron has an average water tank size of around 300 ml (0.3 litres) So compare that to a 1.6 litre tank and it will be about 5 times as heavy. When ironing it doesn't matter a great deal, but it does when it comes to placing it on your ironing board, or storing it away.

The larger tanks 1.5-1.8 litre sizes really need to be placed on a steam generator ironing board which is larger and much stronger than a normal ironing board. Manufacturers realised that and started to make the tanks slightly smaller. They are now made from 1 litre to 1.5 litre sizes as well as the larger ones.

So when buying a steam generator iron, you should know that water tank sizes range from 1 litre to 1.8 litres. With the larger sizes though you will need to get a steam generator ironing board, which can be expensive.

Water tanks vary in size quite a lot across the Tefal range. Does the size of the water tank really make that big of s difference? We think it does matter a lot. The larger the tank, then the lesser amount of times you will have to fill it. That means a larger tank is better for longer and continuous periods of ironing.

Almost all of the tanks are removable. That means they can be detached and carried over to the water tap and filled up. The one thing to note is that the bigger the tank, the heavier it will be to carry back to the iron. Larger tanks like 1.6 - 2.0 litres can actually be quite heavy. This is worth bearing in mind especially if you are frail.

One other point worth mentioning is that a larger water tank, filled with water will sit on the steam generating unit (not in the iron itself). So although it has zero impact on the weight of the iron, that unit still sits on the ironing board. That can also be heavy for the board so make sure to have a suitable board that has the strength to carry this weight.

Anti-Scale Feature

Around 60% of the UK water is classed as hard water. While still very safe to drink it does contain calcium. That calcium when in contact with metal and heat can turn to limescale. Over time that can clog up pipes, the boiler and the holes in the soleplate.

Most Tefal irons have some form of anti-calc on their irons. Usually this is a filter or cartridges to help control this limescale and in turn, prolong the life of your iron.

Heat Up Time Feature

This is simply the length of time that it takes your iron to go from cold to being ready to use. It is directly related to the power that we have described above. The more power to the iron the faster it will heat up.

In reality this is not a huge concern, as most of these Tefal irons, will be ready for use in 2 minutes or less.

Soleplate Technology Feature

Soleplates come in different styles and are made of different materials. The materials are typically steel or ceramic. Tefal use primarily Durilium Airglide Autoclean soleplate. These are very good soleplates that glide easily and most of their models will self clean, which is always a good thing.

Anti-Drip Feature

The newer models of Tefal steam generator irons have what is called a "Spiral Protect anti-drip system." This new system turns water drips into steam. That prevent water marks on garments and also prevents staining.

Easy Cord Feature

With most Tefal irons there is a cord that wraps around the base for easy storage. Some of their models will have auto-rewind but not many.

Safety Lock Feature

Most of the Tefal irons have a handy lock system that ensures the iron is attached securely to the base so you can transport it safely. 

Tefal Guarantee

Most Tefal steam generator irons come with a 12 month guarantee. This guarantee applies only for products purchased and used for domestic purposes and will not cover any damage which occurs as a result of misuse, negligence, failure to follow TEFAL/T-FAL instructions, or a modification or unauthorised repair of the product, faulty packaging by the owner or mishandling by any carrier.

It also does not cover normal wear and tear, maintenance or replacement of consumable parts, or the following:
- damages or poor results specifically due to wrong voltage or frequency as stamped on the product ID or specification
- using the wrong type of water or consumable
- mechanical damages, overloading
- ingress of water, dust or insects into the product (excluding appliances with features specifically designed for insects)
- scaling (any de-scaling must be carried out according to the instructions for use)
- damage as a result of lightning or power surges
- damage to any glass or porcelain ware in the product
- accidents including fire, flood, etc
- professional or commercial use