Russell Hobbs 25090 One Temperature Steam Iron, 2600 W, Red/Black

Product Information

There’s one single optimum temperature, which is ideal for different types of fabric so no more fussing about with different settings or waiting for it to heat up or cool down. The Russell Hobbs One temperature iron also comes with an automatic three-way shut-off for peace of mind. Only a slightly weak steam shot lets it down. If you want to dry iron, you have to empty the reservoir first to avoid spontaneous bursts of steam. If the iron is motionless, with the soleplate down or on its side for 30 seconds, it will automatically shut off. This happens after eight minutes if it’s upright on its heel. The iron beeps and flashes its light. You move it to return it to operating temperature. To avoid scale build-up, the iron needs to be cleaned once a month. It will require cleaning more frequently in a hard-water area. You fill the tank to the “max” mark, set the steam control to “no steam”, stand the iron on its heel, and switch it on.

When the light stops flashing, you hold the iron over a bowl with the soleplate down and move the steam control to the self-clean setting. Then you gently move the iron to and fro as water and steam washes scale and dust through the soleplate. Once the tank is empty you switch off the self-clean button, stand the iron on its heel and leave to cool. Russell Hobbs 25090 One Temperature Iron – Handling and performance Since the Russell Hobbs One Temperature Iron uses plenty of steam, and has an unusual soleplate, it can get creases out of cottons at a lower temperature. It’s definitely a good iron. It gave a nice effect on polyester and on wool, and an excellent result on my heavy cotton shirt. The snub nose point manoeuvred well around buttons. Families with young children will benefit from the peace of mind that a safety auto shut off feature can give. This means that the iron turns itself off when it hasn’t been used for a certain length of time. It’s also a great feature for those who tend to wander off to answer the phone or door and forget they’ve left the iron on. Burst steam function: Anyone who has ever done some ironing before will know what a great little attribute this is. This will improve your steam output so that taking on the tougher creases becomes more of a breeze. Even wrinkles on linen won't stand a chance. A nifty idea, this iron has a special coating that prevents stains without any maintenance on your part - ideal when you’ve not ironed for a while and are worried about staining.The ceramic soleplate, with its 138 steam holes, glided well over fabrics. The ceramic is infused with titanium and tourmaline – used in hair straighteners – and this gives a strange purplish-brown tint to the soleplate. The titanium is there to spread the heat and eliminate cold spots; the tourmaline emits infra-red heat and negative ions, making that heat gentler. With this, it means that it works just like a steam generator – which is a bulkier version of an iron that sits on a large water tank – but is lighter and easier to handle. The pump will give a constant steam injection, just when you need it. It seemed really magical, and completely counter-intuitive that an iron could successfully smooth both cottons and synthetics at the same temperature, but the mystery was solved when I used my infra-red thermometer. The iron is always at 100ºC, which is basically the normal (low) temperature for synthetics. The shut-off feature makes the 25090 One Temperature Iron very safe, and it’s easy to clean. Nevertheless, it isn’t for me, though, as I like a more powerful steam shot. Verdict

There are four settings: no steam, steam, high steam and the self-cleaning button. When you turn on the Russell Hobbs One Temperature, the red light on the main body of the iron slowly pulses on and off as the iron heats. When it glows steadily, the iron is ready to use. The horizontal steam shot didn’t get all the creases out of dry linen, and wasn’t strong enough to penetrate four layers of sheet. Why buy the Russell Hobbs 25090 One Temperature Iron? What we like about this steam iron from Morphy Richards is that it offers that little bit more than a typical steam iron, which is why it gets our vote for the best steam iron for families. The Russel Hobbs 25090 One Temperature Iron needs distilled water if you live in a hard-water area. The iron took a super-fast 7.18 seconds to heat up, and was good and steamy. The spray was fine, but left a visible wet patch on fabric. (The manufacturer advises you to do a patch test when using it on delicates in case it stains.)The 210g steam shot was good when you used it vertically to drop creases out of hanging fabrics, with a loud “poof” sound and a cloud of steam, but I was much less impressed when it was held horizontally above fabric. It didn’t really make much of a sound, or emit much steam, and it’s difficult to work out the reason for this without taking the iron apart.

A great feature for families or those who tend to wander off and forget they’ve left the iron on, the built-in safety auto-off feature works from 30 seconds after the iron is left on its side or soleplate – or eight minutes when left on its heels. To use the water spray, you press the left-hand button on top of the handle. Spray comes out just above the point of the iron. To use the steam shot, you lift the horizontal iron a couple of centimetres from the fabric and press the right-hand button on the top of the handle. To fill the Russell Hobbs 25090 One Temperature Iron, you open the water cover on the front and pour in water up to the “max” mark. Then you set the steam control lever (which sits directly above the water cover) to the setting you want. On its side it switched off after 28 seconds, and left upright on its heel it shut off after 7mins 50secs.You have to leave four seconds between shots to allow the temperature to build up. To steam vertically and remove wrinkles from hanging clothes and curtains, hold the iron close to the fabric (or a distance away, if the fabric is delicate) and press the steam-shot button. If you're starting out on your search for the best steam iron then there are a few factors you may want to consider when looking into the best ways to do washing and care for your laundry.