Steam irons are a category where spending more buys steam, not just badge, and where two models at The Good Guys have quietly gathered a couple of hundred reviews each. The picks below run from the workhorse most wardrobes need to the cordless one for awkward ironing corners.
1. Best Overall: Philips PerfectCare PowerLife
The PowerLife carries 278 reviews at 4.2 stars, and its trick is Philips' no-settings soleplate technology, one temperature safe on everything from silk to denim. That removes the dial-watching that scorches shirts, and owners with mixed washing baskets rate exactly that.
At around $145 it steams hard enough for creased cotton and glides well by owner consensus. It's on clearance pricing, which suggests a successor is coming, though Philips runs this line continuously.
What We Like:
- No temperature dial to manage
- Strong steam output
- Rated 4.5 by owners
What We Don't Like:
- Clearance status hints at model change
2. Best Value: Tefal UltraGlide Plus
At around $80 the UltraGlide Plus is the sensible default, with 212 reviews at 4.3 stars and Tefal's durable ceramic soleplate doing the gliding. It covers the weekly basket without fuss and descales with a simple slide-out collector.
The water tank is mid-sized, so big ironing sessions mean one refill, and the steam boost is a step below the premium models.
What We Like:
- Around $80
- Smooth ceramic soleplate
- Easy descaling
What We Don't Like:
- Mid-size water tank
3. Best Premium Steam: Tefal Ultimate Pure
The Ultimate Pure is the pressing iron: up to 55 grams of steam a minute continuously and a 260-gram boost that relaxes linen and doubled denim seams. Owners rate it 4.5 across 143 reviews at around $180.
It's heavier in the hand than the models above, which helps pressing and tires wrists over a long session, and all that steam empties the tank quicker.
What We Like:
- Serious steam boost
- Anti-calc system
- Presses heavy fabrics flat
What We Don't Like:
- Heavier in the hand
Other options worth a look
- Tefal Freemove cordless — around $100 with 46 reviews, it recharges on its base between passes and solves the cord-wrestling of awkward board positions. Steam pressure drops as the charge fades between docks.
- Garment steamers — for delicates and hanging clothes, a steamer replaces none of the pressing above but adds a different job. Braun and Tefal both sell well-reviewed entries at The Good Guys.
How to pick a steam iron
Steam grams per minute is the real spec. Continuous output around 40 to 55 g/min separates irons that press from irons that warm fabric. Wattage alone says little.
Soleplate glide decides the experience. Ceramic and Tefal's Durilium-class plates glide with less effort, and owner reviews reflect it more than any other feature.
Descaling is why irons die. Australian tap water kills irons via scale, and models with slide-out collectors or anti-calc systems are the ones whose reviews mention years three and four.
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FAQs
Why does my iron spit water?
Ironing before it reaches temperature, or scale in the chamber. Waiting for the light and running a descale cycle fixes most spitting, which is the most common complaint in every iron's reviews.
Tap water or distilled?
Modern anti-calc irons are built for tap water, and the manuals of everything above say so. In very hard water areas, alternating with demineralised water stretches the descaling intervals.
