Side by Side Comparison of: Sunbeam vs Dritz

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 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.

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!

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.

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.)