TefalPro Express Ultimate GV9580

Fully automatic controls will always deliver the right amount of steam and heat for the fabric you are ironing. You can still command a 600g/min burst of steam if you should struggle with particularly tricky creases.

And you can steam away as much as you like - a very large 1.9 litre water tank means trips to the tap will be few and far between.

Limescale's Worst Enemy?
Tefal is really on the limescale prevention case, and provides lots of useful tips on keeping the iron working at it's peak.

However it's the advanced calc-collector system that really wins the day. It's one of the most advanced on the market and collects up limescale in the water tank in one place - just remove the anti-calc unit, rinse out and replace. It is nowhere near as fiddly as some rival brands where there is often a long-winded process involved.

Cord Stuffing
The large water tank is a double-edged sword, as it does of course mean the unit is quite bulky, so it probably won't fit on most ironing boards. Another particularly annoying aspect is that the cord does not retract back into the case, so it can be tricky to stuff it back in neatly and quickly.

The hand iron is light at just 1.2kg which makes it easy to manoeuvre, but you might find it a little too light when tackling really stubborn creases, compared to a heavier iron.

You do however have plenty of extra steam to compensate, and at 8bar pressure it really penetrates deeply into the fabric. In fact, with lighter garments such as t-shirts, you only need to iron one side.

Some aspects of the plastic casing seems a little flimsy, especially compared to previous models, which is surprising considering it's made in France so you'd expect something a bit more substantial.