Breville VIN214

Being your average teenage male, I don’t do very much ironing as my darling mother insists on doing it all for me, however when I got myself a new job and moved out, the one thing I required was an iron as my job required very ridged uniform and I had very minimalist ironing skill. This is where my natural masculine instinct came into play; I walked into Argos and got the iron with –

1. Big numbers and lots of features
2. Which cost lots and was reduced in a sale
3. Has LIGHTS on it!

This is how I ended up buying the Breville Technique Vin214 Steam Iron. Having owned the iron for about 6 months now, I can easily say that it is well worth the money I have paid for it, it turns what could be a chore to something, somewhat enjoyable. The many people who have seen the iron, where quite impressed by its look and one friend who lent it from me was so impressed, he bought his own.

Look and Feel of the Iron

As the saying goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” comes into mind; I can without a doubt say that if you saw this iron, you’d expect it to be good (which it is). When switched on, it looks like a spaceship with all the beeping and clicking it does when heating up.

When switched off the iron is primarily black with a see through greyish blue bit in the middle through which you can see the water and measure the maximum level of water within it. The main thing I noticed about the iron is the fact that it does weight quite a bit compared to the cheaper irons I’ve used in the past, it comes it at about 2kg without water, you could just place it on the creases to even them out. The Ceramic Soleplate is very smooth with numerous steam holes.

When the iron is switched on, this is when it comes to life! The greyish sees through bit turns blue and the digital display comes on, and it looks quite impressive to say the least. You set the heat appropriate for the material on the display pressing the + or – buttons, when the iron is hot enough it will beep twice, it usually takes only a few seconds when to the hottest setting.

In all, the look and feel of the iron is very impressive, although it is quite heavy, I don’t personally mind it, however transporting it can be a hassle.

Features

The main reason I bought the iron was for the many features it had compared to the others in the same price range (although I got it on offer). I am by far no iron expect, but from doing some research for this review, I will do my best to explain some of the features.

Ceramic Soleplate

This is the plate which gets hot at the bottom of the iron. The advantage of supposedly having a Ceramic Soleplate is it distributes the heat evenly over the plate, so the entire surface is at the same temperature. Having stupidly tested the heat via a laser thermometer, I can confirm that the entire Soleplate is the same temperature.

Steam Output

Steam is the main element which helps get creases out of the fabrics, or put them in, if that’s what you’re after (e.g. trouser legs). The Breville Vin214 produces a Constant Rate of 50g/min of Steam, this is when you place it on the Constant setting which can be turned off, or turned down. I found this the perfect amount of steam, as it releases it constantly, and really sorts the fabrics out nicely, but I can’t really compare to a higher level.

This iron, as many other traditional irons has a steam shot button which releases a large amount of steam in one burst. According to the iron manufacture industry the more steam the better, and this one can manage a hefty 110g/min, it seems to work on any creases I have, so I am happy, I would hate to see a creases which doesn’t disappear with 2 blasts of 110g/min steam.

Another feature, is that it can produce steam vertically, from the video I’ve seen on the Breville website, it’s great for ironing curtains (insert confused smiley).

It also comes with a spray at the front, unlike some of the cheaper irons; the spray produces a mist of water for ease of distribution from a distance

2700w of Power!
Basically it gets really hot with 2700w of Power, it also comes in a 2400w version which would be slightly cheaper. When on the hottest setting (Denim), it does get pretty dame hot!

Probably the more important feature is the fact that it doesn’t take all that long to heat up, not having timed it, I can give a ball park figure of under 30 seconds to get to the hottest setting. The iron is digital so will let out 2 beeps to tell you it is done heating up.

Digital Display

Never again will you turn a dial to choose the heat setting, it is all digitised! Well it is basically a blue screen with 2 buttons on it, one makes it hotter and the other colder, you use the display to select the heat setting for the particular material, I typically just use Cotton for everything, unless it’s Denim. It also shows if you are running low on water.

It also has an Auto Shut down feature which in all honesty is simply very annoying! Every time you l leave the Iron in a horizontal position (e.g. on the rake), it will start beeping, it only takes 10 seconds, so if you’re hanging up something, it takes longer when it is vertical. I like the safety factor, but the beeping factor is a nuisance!

400ml Water Capacity
It seems like a fair bit of water, but with the 50g/min Constant and 110g/min Steam Shots, it does drain quite fast. But if you turn off the Constant Steam or turn it down, it does last for a good while. It also comes with a measuring jug to allow the exact amount to be placed in. You can also see the max level on the iron.

Anti Leak

Quite honestly, this is not at all leak proof. On the aspect of no water comes from the Soleplate, it is true, however the fill cap is not very tight and often comes open, so when you are ironing with a full tank, you often get splashes of water on the fabric. No big deal, iron it out, but Leak Proof it is not.

Self Cleaning
I never have figured out how this works. The button is on the tank and you’re meant to press it/hold it, and it will clean itself by releasing a load of steam, basically cycle the water. But it often doesn’t work. I press the button and nothing happens, it seems to have a mind of its own….or I am using it wrong. Either way, it is there.

3 Metre Cable

Typically, it will be a 2 metre cable; you get 1 metre extra with this one. I must say it is convenient.

Summary

I have never once thought that any other iron is better than mine since I have bought it, seeing people struggle to get creases out of their shirts with their inferior irons amuses me greatly! For around £50, the Breville Technique VIN214 Steam Iron is the way forward. The only thing which may be a problem is the nuisance which is the Auto Shut Down beeping, but just keep it up vertically. I couldn’t recommend this iron more highly.