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How to choose a steam generator iron

Updated: October 2026

A Sunday pile of school shirts is a different job from pressing one blouse before work, and an amazon.co.uk title will not sort that for you. How to choose a steam generator iron means starting with the wash, then continuous steam in the unit the listing prints, then water, temperature, a BS 1363 plug, and whether the base fits the cupboard. A higher bar number is a weak place to start, because brands do not share one pressure scale. The Products Compared editorial team checked twelve amazon.co.uk listings on 15 October 2026 and did not run a lab test. Those listings are the [steam generator comparison](/hub/electrical-equipment/steam-generator).

A Sunday pile of school shirts is a different job from pressing one blouse before work, and an amazon.co.uk title will not sort that for you.

Our top picks

Tefal Tefal Pro Express Protect GV9230

Best overall

Tefal Tefal Pro Express Protect GV9230
9.2/10about £199.00
View offer
Russell Hobbs Russell Hobbs Steam Power 24420

Best value

Russell Hobbs Russell Hobbs Steam Power 24420
8.8/10about £49.00
View offer
Hamilton Beach Hamilton Beach Pro Care HB268SGBG

Alternative

Hamilton Beach Hamilton Beach Pro Care HB268SGBG
8.2/10about £69.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Start with the wash, not the bar number
  2. 2.Read continuous steam before boost
  3. 3.Water, temperature, plug, then storage
  4. 4.What this page will not decide

Start with the wash, not the bar number

Decide from the wash you iron, not from the largest bar number on the page. Which? points steam generators at large loads, and describes them as dearer, bulkier, and noisier than a normal steam iron. If you only press the odd shirt and a base of roughly 3–6 kg will not fit, leave the category and use an ordinary iron. Family washes in this set sit around a 1.7–1.8 litre tank. A smaller tank means a refill halfway through the basket. Do not sort the shortlist by bar. Pump pressure and boiler pressure are not printed on one shared scale, so a higher bar is not automatically a better iron. The Tefal Vision is printed at 9 bar, and Braun’s bar is not stated, so the column cannot even be filled.

Read continuous steam before boost

Continuous steam is that next figure, and you should read it only in the unit the listing prints. It is the flow while you move the soleplate. A boost, or steam shot, is a short burst. A highest-steam ladder that mixes the two will put the wrong iron first. Both Russell Hobbs listings print 90 g, which means grams, not grams per minute. The Tefal Vision prints 180 g/min of continuous steam. Do not rewrite 90 g as 90 g/min to neaten a column. For a family wash, look for about 120 g/min where the unit really is grams per minute. The Hamilton Beach states a 4–5 g shot, and the Tefal Vision states 750 g/min. If the listing never names the unit, leave that iron out of any steam ranking.
Tefal Tefal Pro Express Protect GV9230

Testsieger

Tefal Tefal Pro Express Protect GV9230
9.2/10about £199.00
View offer

Water, temperature, plug, then storage

After the steam unit is honest, four stops remain: water, temperature, the UK plug, and what you actually store. Hard water scales electric irons. The Drinking Water Inspectorate notes there is no UK hardness standard, and that 200 mg/l as calcium carbonate is a level that produces scale. A brand may refuse tap water, or refuse distilled water, so the wrong fill builds scale either way. Both Philips listings use OptimalTEMP, one setting, and state that the iron will not burn ironable fabric if you leave it unattended. Keep that claim on those Philips models. The plug outranks the wattage. Regulation 35 of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 requires a correctly fitted BS 1363 plug for a UK socket, or a proper conversion plug with a BS 1362 fuse. Electrical Safety First puts irons on a 13 A fuse, in a band of about 700–3,000 W. The Morphy Richards 333202 is listed at 3,000 W, and a Hamilton Beach listing at 3,100 W sits just outside that band. One Morphy Richards review reported a two-pin plug. If your box is Schuko-only, fit a fused conversion and do not shave the pins.

What this page will not decide

Prices on 15 October 2026 do not rank the irons. Entry listings were about £49–£70, mid-range about £119–£199, and the upper end about £249–£340. The blue Protect at £320 is the same 7.5 bar family as the colour versions at about £199. This page will not name a top pick or a best value model. A qualifying purchase through an amazon.co.uk link on this site, tag pcuk26-21, can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Common questions

Is a higher bar pressure always better?
No. Pump pressure and boiler pressure are not one shared scale. Braun’s bar is not stated, so it cannot be ranked. The Tefal Vision is printed at 9 bar, which already breaks shop advice that about 6.5 bar is a current maximum. Read continuous steam, in the printed unit, before you sort by bar.
Does the listed weight tell you how heavy the iron is in your hand?
No. The listed weight is the whole station, base included. You press with a lighter handle on a hose, and the hose still tugs. The storage test is the base, roughly 3–6 kg, which is what you lift into a cupboard. A comfortable handle does not rescue a station you cannot store.
How much electricity does a steam generator use?
Ofgem’s Great Britain Direct Debit cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026 averages 26.32 pence per kWh in England, Scotland, and Wales. A 2,400 W element at full power for one hour is about 63 pence at that rate. Real ironing cycles, so a session costs less than a full hour. Northern Ireland is outside this cap.
What continuous steam figure suits a family wash?
Look for about 120 g/min, and only when the listing says grams per minute. The Tefal Vision prints 180 g/min. Both Russell Hobbs listings print 90 g, which is grams, not a rate, so do not convert that to 90 g/min. A 4–5 g shot and a 750 g/min boost are different measurements.
What plug and fuse should a UK steam generator have?
Use a correctly fitted BS 1363 plug, or a proper conversion plug with a BS 1362 fuse. Electrical Safety First puts irons on a 13 A fuse, about 700–3,000 W. A Hamilton Beach listing at 3,100 W sits just outside that band, so check the plug rather than treating the watts as a verdict. Do not shave the pins.

Related pages

Best steam generator iron

Steam generator vs steam iron

Steam generator hard water

Steam generator

How to use a steam generator iron for the first time

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and specification lines are from amazon.co.uk on 15 October 2026.

  1. Drinking Water Inspectorate — water hardness (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK — product marking, UKCA and CE (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Electrical Safety First — plugs and fuses (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Which? — how to buy a steam iron (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. Which? — why you need to clean your iron (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Philips UK — descale steam generators (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Ofgem — energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 (retrieved 15 October 2026)