TefalExpress Essential SV6110

Box of Delights
For a start, 110g of continuous steam is double even the best traditional hand iron, and there's a 260g/min steam burst shot on tap for really stubborn creases. Vertical steam allows you to easily freshen curtains and hanging garments.

Perfectly Formed
The water tank has a 1.4 litre capacity - that's 4 times the size of a normal iron's storage meaning far less time spent filling up and more time just powering through your ironing. We find this is just about the right size - some generators with larger water tanks can be really bulky.

The auto-off safety feature is a welcome bonus, while anti-calc technology keeps limescale at bay even in a hard water area (which is just about most of southern and eastern England!)

Holes in the Sole(plate)
The "Express Essential" moniker aptly describes the soleplate of the iron. Smooth and easy gliding, with a good range of steam holes evenly covering the whole underside.

On the downside, there is no locking mechanism for keeping the iron secured to the base - more expensive Tefal's have it but it is missing in action here. There's also no kind of carry handle so you'll need to grasp the unit carefully when moving it around. To be fair, not many rivals offer anything better at this price level.

A Weighty Issue?
Another thing to consider is the weight of the hand iron. At 1.3kg it is lighter than a traditional iron but not as lightweight as premium steam generator models (more expensive of course) that weigh in around 1kg. However, we think that 1.3kg is a good compromise between comfort for long ironing sessions and enough mass to crush troublesome creases.

A big plus point is that the iron can be rested on it's heel - even some much more expensive irons have a curved heel which prevents you from just plonking it down anywhere.

Power on a Budget
Despite being an entry level model in Tefal's range, and lacking some of the features that its more expensive siblings have, this is a capable iron from a well respected manufacturer.