Steam and Heat
For any purchaser of steam irons, there are a few key features that the appliance must have. These are most likely a thermostat, steam option, heat-resistant insulation around the electric cord, and a water reservoir. However, a truly stellar iron will give you several additional features, that many frequent iron users find extremely useful, if not necessary.
The Steam Iron and the Fabrics
A regular iron can perform standard tasks such as smoothing out wrinkles in fabric, giving a sharp crease, and cementing decals onto fabrics. But a heavy duty steam iron can do all that and more. For example, rather than just emit steam when the steam button is pressed, a high-grade iron may have a dial that can modulate the amount of steam that comes out of the appliance. Fabric such as silk response to smoothing out with heavier blasts of steam, while regular permanent press fabrics can be ironed smooth with moderate or even no steam at all plancha de vapor.
The Heat Feature
Another excellent advanced feature many high grade irons have are a heat dial. There are often several heat settings that can be adjusted to comply with the kind of fabric being iron. Linen and cotton can be subjected to high heat, plus steam. Wools and silks respond better to lower heat, and synthetic fibers are best iron with a low heat. In most cases, advanced irons will have this dial graded not by temperature, but an easy-to-use fabric category interface.
The Steam Feature
The steam level in ironing is similar to the temperature level in ironing in that varying materials respond to moisture in different ways. For example, linen and cotton can be ironed at the high steam setting because the fibers are best smoothed over while damp. Wool and synthetic fibers should be both be ironed at low heat; for wool, high heat may cause a permanent kink in the fibers, and synthetic materials are often made out of acrylic or polyester, and maybe melt. However, these two fabrics benefit from heavy steam, therefore the advanced irons option that allows the maximizing of steam while minimizing heat.
Additional Features
High grade steam irons generally have at least three auto shut-off mechanisms, but some now have as many as four: dial shut-off, if the iron is left on for more than a given time period, if the iron is knocked over, or even if the iron is set upright.
More special features include self-cleaning-very useful for calcium or lime buildup on the iron itself, anti-drip systems, and energy-saving controls.