Side by Side Comparison of: Sunbeam

We're a few months in owning this iron. After having an iron that spontaneously leaked puddles of water on clothing, this is a HUGE improvement.

This iron SPEWS steam when you set it to do so, has a sprayer for even MORE water, works well without issues on the cotton setting (we haven't gone higher yet, likely never will), heats up quickly, and to be honest the safety features are what really sold us on this one in particular.

The reservoir holds a large amount of water and even though the steam that is emits looks like a steam locomotive, it is actually sparing on the water. I ironed multiple things (3 REALLY wrinkled button up shirts), and only filled it once. On the max steam feature, using the sprayer, etc, that's pretty awesome.

I think it has a few features I don't know about (the clean button?) so maybe there's a learning curve, but the only thing I don't care for is the winding cord. It works, but very underpowered and I can foresee the future of it breaking.

I have used a Rowenta German made model for years and didn't think I could find anything other than another Rowenta to replace it. Not so. This iron is equal to the Rowenta, and at a third of the price. It doesn't sputter and the heat is great. I always use the linen setting for anything that is non-synthetic, btw. I will still be loyal to my Rowenta (this iron is for upstairs because I am too lazy to go downstairs when I need a quick iron), but the Rowenta just might be retired to the upstairs at some point. The only negative is is the two buttons near the handle for burst of steam and spray. Rowenta has started doing this as well and I find it a bit annoying when my finger rests on it. But I can get used to it.

Being a professional seamstress, I use an iron daily. This is the best iron I have ever used!! I have had about 10 irons during my years of sewing professional sewing and this one is the best iron I have purchased, hands down!!! The steam is awesome and the temperature is spot on. I love the large water reservoir and the weight of the iron. This iron doesn't leak water, which is a pain when ironing. You will not be disappointed with this iron!!

After 15 year of owning ohe Rowenta iron, with only one repair, it bit the dust. Assuming I would buy another Rowenta I was surprised to see all of the reviews mentioning that the quality had really gone downhill. I bought this iron after reading all the reviews, but was a bit doubtful given it's low price in comparison to Rowenta. This iron was also the one available for pressing in an advanced sewing class I used and the instructor recommended this iron. I have used it now for about 30 hours of ironing time and can state that this iron is better than my old Rowenta. The only difficult thing is to see how much water is in the tank as the blue plastic is not as easy to see through as clear plastic. TIt is important not to overfill it as that just causes water to run out onto the board, but that is what overfilling causes in any steam iron. The steam tank lasts much longer than the Rowenta, and it's blast of steam works wonders on heavily wrinkled linen, heavy denim and cotton. It is not too heavy, and glides easily. It's fantastic for sewing, the blast of steam instantly presses seams without leaving them wet. I have also ironed silk chiffon and charmeuse (with pressing cloth), silk tweed, rayon challis, nylon - all perfect using the heat settings the instructions recommend. The retracting cord is great for storage, though I'd be careful to retract is carefully as is the case with all retractable cords similar to one in a vacuum cleaner. If you like to iron and need a strong performing iron, this is the one for you.

This is my second Sunbeam Steam Master. The old model was dropped so I had no hesitation in purchasing the same brand of model. This new model heats up fast and irons the winkles out of clothes much faster than the previous one. What is great about this iron and the iron before it is that it never self cleans all over your clean clothes leaving stains. It also has a retractable cord. The only negative is that it retracts so forcefully that it will wack your hand if you do not protect it somehow. I use the edge of the ironing board as a shield.

I bought this iron to use with my silhouete machine as I don't have a heat press and don't do enough to have a need to have one. This works great! The heat is so centralized that I couldn't imagine even a heat press doing a better job. While I haven't used it as an actual iron, I have no doubts this would meet those needs. The size is perfect to get the job done as well as being extremely portable.

I'm using this while I sew and it's perfect! Ultra lightweight and perfect for those difficult corners and creases. Watch out with the water when you fill it and turn it on. If you place it flat before it goes hot, it drips out.

I have been using this iron for little touch up pressing that I need to do while I am sewing garments. I was using a regular iron, but that is very large and takes time to heat up properly. This little iron sits well on my tabletop ironing board and is easily accessible while I am working on my sewing projects. I also like that it is small and I do not worry that my children will trip over the cord and have a huge iron crashing down on your feet! I highly recommend this!

I'm a young man living by myself and, let's be honest, I hate ironing. So I use this little iron to quickly get rid of the most noticeable creases on my shirts, and it does a great job at that.At that price point (13$), it's definitely a good purchase.

I bought this little iron to use for sewing purposes because I was tired of hogging the regular sized iron in our house. I received it in the mail today and immediately opened it. I was really excited to give this mini iron a try. The only gripe I have about this iron is the light. The light goes on when it warms up for your desired setting and then turns off. There is no light indication that the iron is still on. Otherwise, it's great! I tested the ironing capabilities by ironing an extremely wrinkled piece of heavyweight canvas that I had washed and didn't iron after. It's been crumpled in my fabric stash for months. This little iron and its steam function took care of those wrinkles. I was very impressed with how quickly it heated up. Putting water in the iron was very easy. The steam function works just like a regular sized iron. I would use this to iron my clothes too. I am extremely satisfied with my purchase.

Bought this iron to use on trip to France staying in hotels without irons in room or where I did not want to use laundry facility. Strange as it seems I iron every day - pants, lab coat kid's clothes which my wife finds funny as she never irons. I tend to be a perfectionist so like to iron my own stuff.I have owned four travel irons over the years but this is the first that did not spit - not once - or leave wet spots on clothes that take forever to get out. In fact it performed as well as my full-size Rowenta iron. I did follow the instructions about filling with water but I don't know if this made the difference. I am truly impressed with this product.When I needed to pack one day I found I could use cold water to cool the plate down if careful attention was paid anfd the handle part was not too hot to pack. I know this is probably not recommended but I have done it beforeIf i had a niggle, maybe half-a-star, it would be the "extra steam" function is a little awkward owing to the price of the iron I'd guess. The buttons work and deliver the extra steam useful for ironing cotton shirts etc but are a little stiff in use. Not too bad but just not great,A dedicated bag would be nice too but it is not a deal breaker

I previously owned one of these and purposely purchased a second one just like the first since the first one was so great. With the first one, I had an issue with the cover where the water goes in. It did not close tightly, and sometimes water dripped out of it while ironing. This last one I bought fits tightly, so problem fixed. The only other issue is with metal flakes coming out of the iron when I use the steam button. The instructions say clean iron monthly but I iron a lot, so I clean it every 2 weeks. Even so, I still have a problem. Instructions also say to use tap water, which I did with the first one. I am now boiling water out of the tap, and I'll see if that makes a difference. Of course this problem is also present with all other irons I have used in the past, so it's not just a Sunbeam problem. Other than that, GREAT IRON. I like the way it handles, it is lightweight, and it gets the job done. Gets wrinkles out easily, and leaves a nice crease.

I got this iron to replace the one I have had for probably more than 10 years. Although I like the idea of the automatic cord roll up, be aware that it adds a lot of inches to the iron. I love where the controls are on this iron. I wore the settings off my last iron so I replaced as I could never tell where I set the temp at. The water is easy to add and I love the "clean" feature. Over all a nice light and easy to use iron. It is taking me getting use to the added size of the iron, but so far so good.

Pros:
Reliable heat settings.
Great glide.
Steam options are great as well.
Cons
Feels a bit clunky. I am pretty small so that might play into the equation.
The cord winds dangerously quickly.

I truly enjoy ironing my clothes with this!just bought it yesterday and I am already loving it!! This iron box comes with multiple options like steam ironing and dry ironing which leaves u with choice of how u wanna iron u r clothes. . Though at first I was little puzzled with so many options, they are all easy to understand and apply ! It doesn't require too much of work on pressing as it also has a setting to choose on your clothe material like linen, cotton, synthetic , wool etc.. The wiring cord is self attached to the steam master so u don't have to worry about maintainING it.. just press one button and u have the cord set inside the steam master.. The look is good too and works amazing! ! I am only giving 4 star rating as I have just started using and would love to increase my rating based on its durability.. highly recommend this steam master for anyone who wants to save time on pressing u r wardrobe ! Thanks

I'm a guy that has been doing his own ironing for 50 years. This iron is the best I have used. Good weight and lots of steam. well worth its cost. I have tried it out on varied material and have no problems yet.

This little iron really heats up and even provides steam. After only a few uses (I quilt) it has started leaking, but it is still usable. Would be totally satisfied if no leakage.

It works pretty dang well for it's size. Definitely better for iron-ons or arts n' craft projects rather than for ironing clothes, but still does the trick if you're a broke student living in dorms with clothes all wrinkled from being folded and crammed into drawers. I mainly use it to put iron-on patches on my backpack and other things. It takes a few minutes to heat up and you sorta have to iron longer than you would with a full-sized iron, but I found this to be useful because it makes it less likely that you'll singe your clothes or whatever you're ironing.

I do like using it; beats a larger, more cumbersome iron. I do not like the steam feature, though. I have tried repeatedly to press the buttons to get a burst of steam (yes, I put water in it), but it doesn't work.

A nice little travel iron. It's a clean design with clear controls, and it heats up very quickly. I bought mine to wax my skis, but I'm sure it works perfectly well on clothes.

Doesn't get as hot as a full size iron and, understandably is a bit more labor intensive since the face is smaller than a regular sized iron so you have to go over things more. However, the size is perfect for travel and great for ironing "in a pinch". I don't have a ton of storage space so I use this as my primary iron and it works ok. If you love things being really flat with no wrinkle at all, you may want to find another iron.

Wish this would let you give this a grade with 1/2 stars. I would rate this as a 4 1/2. A five would mean it was perfect and nothing is perfect in this world. BUT, I do like it. I have small hands and it fits in there perfectly. It heats up quickly and works quite well on my small 16 x 16 pressing board at quilting group. It also cools off quickly, so I don't have to shut it off before I am done sewing. Have not tried the steam feature as this was purchased strictly for dry ironing, but I do like it very much.

I have 2 irons Mercedes by Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and Shark by Shark iron to now add Sunbeam to my collection. I was not impressed at all!! I used it for a month hoping the steam blast would get better, not! So, I put one of each on my ironing broad thinking maybe I was exaggerating about the amount of steam I’m accustom to. Well by far was it an exaggerating both my old iron, Mercedes, and Shark kicked ass there was so much steam my fire detectors went off LMBO. That didn’t happen but the steam was totally more excessive than Sunbeam. GOOD use for travel but not for your main. I’m trying to keep my cleaners bill at -0-.. Sorry SUNBEAM but you are FIRED!

So far I am very disappointed in this iron compared to a T-FAL I also bought. This iron doesn't glide as nicely or as easily, it also leaks, regardless of the label saying it doesn't. It also doesn't have as much steam as the T-FAL.

So very, it's just meh to me. I will likely return it.

This iron was much bigger than I thought it would be (too big to use comfortably), and the steam function does not work well, and it uses up the water reservoir in just a few minutes when using steam. The shot of steam button doesn't work reliably either.

Very large iron due to retractable cord but at the expense of an adequate size sole plate. Too few steam vents. Reasonably priced. A good overall performer for it's price but better products are out there. You know the old addage, you get what you pay for.

I've been looking for a dependable iron for years and have read quite a few reviews and initially the reviews were pretty good. However, this does not perform the way a lot of the reviews boast, so I may have gotten a bad one (hey, it happens). I mainly needed a iron that does not leak, unfortunately, after a month this one started to leak really bad. Worse than the one I got this one to replace. The retractable cord gets stuck in the middle of retraction and you have to manually lead the cord back into the iron, so what's the point?
It looked used and was tempted to send it right back before using it, but I was curious from the awesome reviews and wanted to see for myself. It does create a lot of steam and has some weight to it, but after 5 uses, the writing on the buttons for steam and the sprayer are worn off. Very disappointed!

Dripped. Returned, quick refund is why it's a 3. If you just want heat without steam - this would be great.

Good for travel. Steam and spray rather weak.

Small, practical, and strong. Thanks. I specially like the dual voltage on this. SUitable for around the world.

Not the best iron, but works in a pinch. I swear everything I iron re-wrinkles immediately after garment is cool again. I don't know. Maybe I'm ironing wrong...? I did fail home-ec in high school. Ha! But if you're traveling a lot, it's small and fits nicely in suitcase.

This is a nice iron which is easily adjustable and also steams. I bought it for quilting when sewing small pieces but would travel well. The only problem is that the handle is thick and fingers don't fit thru so a bit clumsy. I was hoping for the tip of the sole plate to be more pointed for precise press.

I was slightly disappointed by this iron, which I bought for personal use while traveling abroad (inc. hair styling).Cons: handle extremely unwieldy, hard to get a grip on. Temperature dial very small, stiff, hard to turn, with no fabric settings, so have to guess at the right setting (as has been pointed out in another customer review.)Pros: Does get very hot. Neat small size. Even neater small price.Haven't used it yet as steam iron, so can't comment on the supposed leakiness.So, not bad quality, just some functional aspects that could be more functionalie. user friendly.Update: As of December 2013 and following very limited use, this travel iron died on me. No hope of reviving it, so I ordered another, different one, smaller but better-made, I think. Can't really recommend the above product if it only gives one year's service.

This produce was much larger and heavier than it was made out to be. It was like a giant iron compared to the one I had. Some of it may have been the area for the retractable cord. Regardless, I needed a much lighter one because I have wrist problems. I got one at Walmart for 1/5 the price and if it does not last as long, who cares for $6!

Initially, I was very happy with this iron. It has a nice weight, steamed well and did a nice job. It wasn't long, however, before it started dripping from the side. It's very aggravating to have water spots all over your freshly laundered & ironed clothes. I went through all the troubleshooting suggestions from the book & website to no avail.

I liked the iron... worked well. YET, had to return it because of it's design... As you held the handle to iron... your hand naturally presses forward down on the handle and would turn off the iron by the on/off switch located at the top of the handle... Not a good design.

This iron is attractive and works great...for a while. 4 Months after purchase it just stopped working all together. I plugged it in and the light came on but it never heated up and the light STAYED on. It never shut itseff off and went back to a blinking state despite not moving it for an hour, setting it on it's side, etc. For the amount spent I would expect it to last much longer. I previously owned a different Sunbeam that I paid $16 for and it lasted 6 years! All in all I am very disappointed and not likely to purchase another Sunbeam product.

I've grown to dislike this iron because of the placement of the cord and the amount of water it uses in the steam chamber. I have my own clothing business which requires I iron fabric frequently. The placement of the cord, for a right-handed person, is horrible. It grabs the cloth and knocks into the ironing board constantly. And the steam function uses so much water that I am wasting distilled water which I have to buy. I'm going to find another iron that has a better design.

This iron is okay. It does the job, and it's a convenient size. But the cord comes out the side and doesn't swivel. It doesn't show that in the pictures, so be warned. You can't just set it down any old way: it turns when the cord pulls it against the side of the ironing board.

Bits of the teflon on the bottom started chipping off pretty much from the first use and the areas left behind snag delicate fabrics like knits and silks leaving runs. Gross. It also leaks water from the upper reservoir closure and sometimes spits out the bottom steam vents.NOT recommended.

I found that once I got this out and really tried to use it, i was a little disappointed. I bought this iron for a business trip. and while it performed ok, it was not what I would call up to my standards. I'm a person that likes razor sharp creases when I iron something and while it did give a crease wasn't what I expected. And it seemed to leak water, I don't know but I was not impressed with this iron.

I bought this iron while my full size one was in storage. This little iron just doesn't do the job. I tried to iron khaki pants and a button up long sleeve shirt, bot 100% cotton, and ended up having to hang the clothes in the bathroom and hope the shower steam would get the wrinkles out. This iron is a good idea but just didn't perform.

The iron gets hot enough to work, but you are going to want to pick up a spray bottle. The steam iron function is completely unusable. It sputters water everywhere and is very unpredictable.

While it seems like a great product at first and I used it once with no issues, once was ALL I used it. A couple months later I went to use it again and it wouldn't even power on. Not sure if I got a lemon or not, hence the 2 stars, but I am not impressed. Sadly, by the time I realized there was a problem the window to return it had passed.Updated 12/4/14:I just purchased my THIRD one of these in the last 6 months. ALL of them work a little while and then just die inexplicably and without warning. I keep buying them for the price. I could pay $60 for one or just buy 6 of these. I think at the point I am on my 6th one it will be time to pay $60 and see if the other one lasts longer than the other 6 combined. I just wanted to update this to be more accurate since I clearly did not get a lemon the first time.

I was very disappointed when I opened this package... Thought I was ordering a new iron (didn't see any notes indicating a used or refurbished product), yet when I opened the box, it was quite clear the iron has been used as there are various wear spots and small dings.

I bought this iron last year and only used it on dry a couple of times as I don't have a lot of clothes that need ironing. I now used it on all my summer cotton clothes on the steam setting with water in the chamber and it leaks around the back of the iron splattering steaming hot water on me as iron. Obviously defective and past my return window. Be sure to test out your iron immediately after receiving.

Bought this because of the positive reviews. I've had it packed away for a while and just used it for the first time. Spilled water everywhere. And the cord button doesn't retract anymore.

Also doesn't come with the small cup to add water to it (luckily I had one from a previous Iron).

To be fair, I did not order this from Amazon, I purchased it at Target. I am leaving this review on Amazon because I believe this iron may be potentially dangerous. I have purchased two of this model in the last two months. I had the exact same problem both times. The first had the problem so I returned it thinking it was a random defect. I purchased a replacement and had the exact same thing happen. The iron worked great for me, but I soon noticed it always left a strong, weird smell in the air. It wasn't long before I noticed that the front end of the iron was actually melting. Apparently it was overheating and causing the front part of the iron to literally melt. Just like the first one, I returned it for a full refund. I plan to notify Sunbeam as well as the CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION.
If it hadn't been for this defect I would've loved the iron. It worked well and looked great, but certainly not worth having your house burn down.
Please see the attached photos of the melted and deformed iron.

The first thing I ironed with it, fortunately, was an old towel. That is generally a good idea is you are worried about getting rust or hard water stains on clothes you intend to wear. Sure enough, the towel got rusty. We rinsed out the tank as well as we could and sort of forgot about it, until my wife ruined a good shirt with it the other day. Pattern of rust spots same as the steam holes in the iron.

The one-star is because of the rust. If it weren't for that, I'd say the retractable cord is a minus. It adds length to an already too-bulky iron and makes it top-heavy. A portable ironing board isn't the most stable surface to stand an iron on, but the added length due to the cord retractor makes this iron absolutely dangerous to put there. Other than that, it is a pretty iron. It probably works, but I'm not putting any more of my clothes under it, because of the rust.

(Update: Sunbeam sent us a replacement. We bought a 97 cent spray bottle at Walmart to get clothes wet for "steam" ironing, because we don't want to ruin anything by putting water in the probably-rusty reservoir of the replacement. We will probably buy something else for our working iron, and this replacement will get stored away as an emergency spare. Very unhappy with this purchase.)

Cute iron and comfortable to use but mine leaks terribly!I bought it refurbished for less than $10 so will probably keep it and use without water but really wish the hole that you put water into for steam would seal properly.Purchased for crafts and sewing so only use infrequently.

Broke after one use.

Leaks always, you cant put water past the cap.

I bought this as a Christmas gift for a friend of mine that travels a lot. He just texted me and said his first attempt at using it, it caught on fire within 10 seconds. Very disappointed and embarrassed.

After a couple uses. The inside gets rusty and releases rusty water vapor into your clothes. Save your money for a better one.

If I could give this iron no stars I would. I took this iron on an out of the country trip to Ireland because it was suppose to be a travel iron with dual voltage. I went to use this iron and it would turn on but the iron would not heat up at all. I had no iron with wrinkled clothes for a meeting the next day... to top it all off the hotel had no more irons. Was not happy with this product.