Compare the Best IronsJune 2018

Irons are something of a necessity if you want to make sure that your shirts or dresses are neatly pressed, look professional, and are free of any untidy-looking creases or wrinkles. Irons work by heating and loosening the molecules that make up polymer fabrics, making it temporarily more malleable. The weight of the iron and the motion of ironing stretches the material, removing the creases, and the fabric retains its new shape once it cools.

We have a wide variety of irons from many different makers, but it can be hard to choose the model exactly right for you. Here are the two main varities of iron:

Dry Irons: These are the standard type of iron you're likely to encounter - a wedge-shaped metal plate is heated up to high temperatures, which is then used to press clothes to remove creases. These irons tend to be cheaper than more advanced models, but may not proper handle all different types of clothing.

Steam Generator Irons: These are similar to dry irons, but have a reservoir of water that is built into the iron. This is heated up, generating steam that is dispensed through the hot metal plate on the base of the iron. The steam is necessary for some fabrics such as cotton, which will not react well to dry ironing. However they tend to be more expensive than standard dry irons.

Steam Generator Irons: These are similar to steam irons, but the device that generates the steam is held in a separate device. This quickly generates a large amount of steam, which is then fed into the iron when it's placed onto the generator. This allows the iron itself to be lighter than other steam irons, since it only needs to hold the steam, not generate it. It also allows a far greater amount of steam to be generated quicker. However they are the most expensive type of iron, and as a whole are far bulkier.

Temperature Control

Most more advanced irons - especially steam irons - have a temperature setting installed on them. This allows the user to maintain a constant temperature for both the metal plate and the steam. This is important because different types of fabrics have different temperature requirements for most effective ironing - it also serves to reduce the risk of damaging or burning delicate clothing.

Steam/Pointed Tip

Irons are usually shaped like a wedge - however some models have an especially pointy tip, which can be useful for getting under buttons, into corners, and generally making sure all parts of the fabric have been taken care of. More advanced models may also have a 'steam tip' - a special steam dispenser in the tip, which can send a burst of steam through the fabric. This is useful for ironing out stubborn creases.

Limescale Filter

Limescale buildup is a problem of frequently used irons, and can reduce the life of your device. Therefore looking for an iron that has a limescale filter built into it can help elongate the life of the appliance, especially if you plan on using it very regularly.

Iron Brands - Price Range

The highest average iron price out of all brands is Panasonic irons with an average price of $55. Panasonic irons range in price from $55 to $55.

Sunbeam irons start at $25 and their most expensive iron costs $25. The second highest average iron price out of all brands is Sunbeam irons with an average price of $25.

The third highest average iron price out of all brands is Rowenta irons with an average price of $0. Rowenta irons start at $0 and their most expensive iron costs $0.

Iron Brands - Average Ratings

We have analysed 16 expert reviews and 13,066 user reviews for irons and used this information to evaluate the average rating for each brand of iron. The top rated iron brand is Morphy Richards with an average rating of 93%. The second best brand is Braun with 90% and the third best brand is Philips with 87%.

Biggest Iron Retailers

We found 93 current offers for irons from eBay making it the biggest iron retailer. That is over 23 times bigger than the second biggest retailer, Amazon US for whom we found 4 current offers for irons. The third biggest retailer is Pricefalls with 4 current iron offers.

When Are Most New Irons Released?

Most new irons tend to be released between September and October. If you want the latest iron technology you may want to think about waiting until September 2018. Alternatively you might be able to buy one of the current irons cheaper in September once the latest models have been released. October was the biggest month in 2017 for new irons, with 27 new irons released that month. 114 new irons were released in September 2016 making it the biggest month that year for new iron releases. In July 2015 59 new irons were released making it the biggest month that year for new iron releases.

How Fast Do Iron Prices Drop After Release?

On average irons drop in price by 3% in the first 6 months after release. On a typical new iron costing $40, by waiting 6 months before buying you could save on average $1.

Powers

This denotes the power level of the iron, measured in Watts (W).

Comparing all irons, the powers range from 375W to 3,200W. The powers of the majority of irons range from 2,300W to 2,500W. The iron with the biggest power is the Sunbeam Steam Master, which is a 1,400W iron and sells for $24.99. The iron with the smallest power is the Panasonic NI-E660SR, which is a 1,200W iron and sells for $54.95.

Available Colours

We found 378 irons that are irons that have a White coloured, which makes White the most common colour amongst new irons. We found 208 irons that are irons that have a blue coloured, making blue the second most popular colour amongst new irons.

Steam Generating Capacity

This indicates how much steam the iron is capable of generating, measured in grams per minute (g/min).

Across the range of irons, the steam generating capacity range from 6g/min to 500g/min. The steam generating capacity of most irons range from 35g/min to 50g/min. The iron with the most steam generating capacity is the Panasonic NI-E660SR, which is a 190g/min steam capacity iron and is available at $54.95. The iron with the least steam generating capacity is the Sunbeam Steam Master, which is a 55g/min steam capacity iron and can be purchased for $24.99.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Irons?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying irons. For each retailer it shows the total number of irons where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying irons. For each retailer we took all of their prices and looked at what proportion of those prices where the cheapest on the market. The cheapest retailer that we found was eBay. 89 of their iron prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of Irons for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for irons by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of iron prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's iron prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 95.7% of their iron prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.