Steam Generator Irons: Tefal Pro Express Turbo GV8360 Steam Generator
October 6, 2010 – 12:44 PM
Ironing has got to be one of the most hateful jobs. It ranks up there with doing the dishes by hand, but at least you can buy a dishwasher to make that job less labour intensive.
Good news! Steam generator irons can cut your ironing time in half! That’s right. Due to the amount of steam and moisture that steam generators put out, they press creases and wrinkles out of fabrics at a much faster rate than a regular steam iron.
In case you don’t know the many reasons why you should be buying yourself a steam generator, I’ll provide a bit of a crash course here first. After that, we’ll get into the specific features of the Tefal Pro Express GV8360.
Okay, now for steam generator irons 101.
Because of the amount of steam they produce, steam generator irons make quick work of your chore of ironing. How do they manage that much steam? These ironing systems have a separate boiler, and that boiler is under pressure, forcing the steam out. The more pressure, the more steam, the quicker the job. The pressure is measured in bars, the highest being five (5) for the household models. If you are ironing for a large household, or have to do a lot of ironing for whatever reason – or even if you only small jobs but hate the task and want it to be over sooner – get yourself a steam generator with a bar 5 measurement.
The other important feature of these ironing systems is the steam output. Generally speaking, output varies from 70 to 140g per minute per model. The higher the output the better.
Tefal Steam Generator Iron
In line with the info above, here are a few key features of the GV8360 Steam Generator Iron. For a complete overview of the features list, please see our features section.
The Tefal Pro Express has a bar measurement of 5, so as far as this feature goes, it provides the best available.
The GV8360 has an output of 120g/min of continuous steam, but also has a turbo boost that ups the output to 200g/min.
Steam Irons
So, what do users of Tefal Steam Irons, specifically the GV8360 have to say about it? Here’s what one person has to say…
They Just Get Better – From CDurb @amazon.co.uk
This is the 2nd Tefal Steam Generator Iron that I’ve owned, and I love it.
A little expensive on the pocket, but worth every penny, having a family of 5 it cuts my time stood ironing by at least half. Whip over even the most difficult of items in a flash.
Anyone thinking about making this purchase and the price is putting them off, dont be tempted to go for a cheaper alternative, I have many friends then went on to buy Steam Generator Irons themselves after seeing and using mine, and the cheaper one’s dont compare.
Check the reviews section for more reviews from other consumers who have purchased Tefal GV8360 steam generator irons!
Tefal Pro Express GV8360 Steam Generator Irons
At this point, in all the reviews I write, I’ll generally highlight one or two of the potential drawbacks of whatever I’m reviewing.
As stated in other reviews I’ve written for steam generator irons, there really isn’t much in the way of cons or negatives to list. However, that could be because I’ve only reviewed the higher end models. I have heard that there are a lot of unhappy people who have decided to go the cheaper route and then regretted it. However, that isn’t going to be you, is it?
Having said that, please refer to the pros and cons section to see what I feel might be things that are slightly off putting. But don’t worry, there isn’t anything significant.
Steam Irons – Tefal Pro Express Features
As mentioned earlier, the Tefal Pro Express has a pressure rating of 5, which is the highest available for home steam irons. It also produced 120 g/min of continuous steam, with a turbo boost that will up that amount to 200 g/min to deal with extra stubborn creases… or the creases you accidently ironed in.
However, these steam generator irons have many more notable features, so I will detail in full here.
Since it’s that water tank that provides the necessary steam, the size of the tank should be taken into consideration. If the tank is too small, you need to be refilling it continually, which will quickly become a pain. The higher end steam generator irons all come with a respectable size tank, and the Tefal Express Pro is no exception. Its 1.8 litre tank means you can do approximately three hours of ironing without need for a refill. Note: if you are using the ironing at full steam continuously, your time will likely drop closer to two hours.
These steam generator irons come with a ceramic soleplate, which is considered the absolute best kind, as they glide smoothly across your fabric. There is some contention there, as some who use a lot of starch prefer a non-stick soleplate, but the fact remains that a ceramic surface is the best.
Here is a must have feature in any kind of iron in my opinion, not just steam generator irons. What is it, you ask? An auto shut off feature. If these steam irons are left sitting for 8 minutes, they system shuts down.
There are some things that are difficult to iron laying flat, the shoulders and sleeves of jackets and blouses being just one. Or perhaps you’d like to steam your drapes or curtains. The Pro Express has a vertical steam feature! Iron your curtains while the hand on your windows and your jackets while still on a hanger. This is a great feature!
There is an anti-scale function that, when used regularly, will help to ensure that your ironing quality is maintained.
You can remove the water tank, making refilling a snap.
Need to iron delicate fabrics at times, and other times cotton, linens or synthetics. No worries. The variable steam features allows you to change or cancel completely, the amount of steam generated.
At the touch of a button, the power cord rewinds and stores itself.
To ensure safety, a locking system locks the iron to the base.
These Tefal steam generator irons heat up within 2 minutes.
Steam Irons – Tefal Pro Express Specifications
- Weight 4.7kg
- 2200 watt element
- Dimensions – 29H x 26W x 50L
- Cord Length – 1.8m
Tefal Steam Generator Iron
The Tefal Steam Generator Iron is just one of several steam generator irons that I’ve reviewed. I’ve reviewed irons that range in price from approximately £100 to £200, and I’m pleased to say that all of them are excellent products. The GV8360 is no exception.
Many have looked at the price of steam generator irons and hesitated from purchasing. Those that that have sucked it up and spent the money have realised they made the right choice.
I’ve decided to share with you some comments from others who have purchased this Tefal Steam Iron.
Tefal Steam Generator Iron Reviews
Not Disappointed – From Diane Co Antrim @ amazon.co.uk
After many weeks of will I or won’t I. Reading countless reviews of countless irons I took the plunge and bought my new generator steam iron. To be honest felt a little bit sick on my way home having just spent such a large amount of money on an iron.( well actually hubby did ! But I do do all his ironing ) anyway after about 5 mins of use, after I got over the shock of the amount of steam shooting out of it every time I pushed the button,and after having to take cover when my 14 year old son picked it up pointed it in my direction and decided to fire of some steam as it looked cool ( obviously not cool or clever ) I thought this might actually be worth the money.
By the time I’d finished I was sure it was. I reckon I cut about an hour of my usual ironing time, and think this could still be improved on as I’m still on my “L” plates but was really pleased with the results. Great on jeans and duvet covers, didn’t need to refill the water tank at all and just wizzed over shirts. Yes it is a little on the large side for storage purposes, had to do a bit of reorganising to find it a home,and yes it is expensive, but I would defiantly recommend spending that little bit extra on this iron. As Cheaper options may be a false economy. This iron had all the features that I had read were important i.e large water tank, 5bar pressure,large steam vents on sole plate and quick heat up time and yes the generator is to big to sit on my ironing board, but was able to sit it on my work top without any problem.
I’m really pleased with my new iron and would highly recommend that you spend that little bit extra as I think in this case you get what you pay for.
All I have to do now is pretend I’m having so much fun ironing that it might persuade a few others in our house to have a go !
Tefal Pro Express Turbo GV8360 – From Anita @amazon.co.uk
This is my 3rd tefal pro-express turbo. the 1st one lasted for years before breaking. I bought a cheaper steam generator and it really showed, 3 weeks later i sold it to my friend and bought another tefal pro-express. I’ve had that one for 3 years but as my son has just bought his first house i’ve given it to him and bought myself a new one (due to me going round there to do his ironing). This new one is a little more advanced than the last one but still the same quality. These steam generator irons provide so much steam the make even the most arduous ironing tasks easy. Don’t get me wrong, i am not a ‘stepford wife’, i do not love ironing, in fact i positively hate it, but this makes it a little easier to face. It makes ironing bedding so much easier as you don’t have to go over creases over and over and over.
This product is at the expensive end of the market but for anyone with a large family or very large amounts of ironing to do i would recommend buying it. It will cut the time spent ironing and everything will be ironed crisp and sharp.
They Just Get Better – From CDurb @amazon.co.uk
This is the 2nd Tefal Steam Generator Iron that I’ve owned, and I love it.
A little expensive on the pocket, but worth every penny, having a family of 5 it cuts my time stood ironing by at least half. Whip over even the most difficult of items in a flash.
Anyone thinking about making this purchase and the price is putting them off, dont be tempted to go for a cheaper alternative, I have many friends then went on to buy Steam Generator Irons themselves after seeing and using mine, and the cheaper one’s dont compare.
Less Steam… More Steam – From JuicyJuls @amazon.co.uk
I’ve been using the Tefal Steam Generator Irons for the last 5 years for both commercial and personal use. I don’t think there is anything currently out there that can beat this one. I’ve bought this one just in case the one I am using gives up after the constant use it goes through. If you live in a hard water area like me, I would only suggest that you clean the Anti Scale rod and the contents of the unit regularly. Love it!
Tefal Pro Express GV8360 Pros
Since we’ve already spend a significant amount of time talking about all the amazing qualities of the Tefal Pro Express GV8360, I don’t plan to keep beating you over the head with it here. If you missed it, check out the features section, where you will learn everything you need to know about why this iron is a great choice.
Having said that, I do feel the need to mention of few of the most notable pros here.
If you are in the market for and/or are doing your research on steam generator irons, do yourself a favour and avoid the cheaper models. You may initially fool yourself into thinking you are saving money, but when you need to head out and buy another one because the cheap model broke or didn’t do the job you expected it to, you’ll quickly realize you didn’t make the right decision.
In line with that, the best steam generator irons will have a bar pressure between 4 and 5. The Telfal Pro Express GV8360 has a bar pressure of 5, which is the best you can buy for a consumer grade steam generator.
At 2200 watts, these steam irons are in the higher end a quality as well. Anything below 1800 watts should only be considered as “fair” quality, with 2200 watts being at the high and low end of the “better” and “best” categories.
Tefal Pro Express GV8360 Cons
As I’ve mentioned in my other reviews of the best steam generator irons, there really aren’t a lot of cons, unless of course you buy the cheaper, low quality models. Since I haven’t reviewed any of those, I, for the most part, only have great things to say about steam generator irons in general.
As far as the Telal Pro Express GV8360 goes, here are a few things you may want to watch out for. Please note the most of these will be the same issues other steam generator irons have, so in the long run it may just come down to your personal preference when buying your iron.
This needs to be expressed strongly. These irons – all steam generator irons – are gargantuan. I posted the dimensions in the specifications section, but here they are again: 29H x 26W x 50L. Make sure you are comfortable working with something that size before you make a purchase. But believe me, the results and benefits you get from these irons far out way their unwieldy size.
The water tank holds 1.8 litres of water, which weighs approximately 1.8 kg. Add that to the weight of the iron and tank itself, you are talking about 6.5 kg. Know your strength before you buy one of these! Of course, you are not holding the iron in the air while in use, you are just pushing it back and forth over the ironing board, so its weight is more of an issue when it’s in transport around your home, not when it’s in use.
One reviewer on amazon.co.uk complained that the iron was a “beast” which is true – but then goes on to say that they disliked the iron because it wasn’t “chic.” Um, okay. So if it’s important to you that your iron is chic, keep that in mind. If the actual job this steam generator is capable of is more important to you, I’m fairly sure you’ll ignore that complaint!
In line with the size and weight of this steam generator, you need to make sure your present ironing board is up to the task. If your ironing board is old and wobbly, you’ll need to get a newer, sturdier one. And remember, this iron is 50 cm long. How wide is your current ironing board? Will your new steam generator iron fit?
That’s pretty much it! Buy the Telal Pro Express GV8360 with confidence.
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