I was lucky enough recently to be asked to test the Philips GC7220 Steam Generator Pressurised Ironing System. To be quite honest I had never heard of a steam generator before. As ironing is my most loathed household chore an iron is an iron and not really something I spend time looking at ... Read review
Advantages: Quick and easy to use Disadvantages: A bit bulky and a bit expensive
...be asked to test the Philips GC7220 Steam Generator Pressurised Ironing System. To be quite honest I had never heard of a steam generator before. As ironing is my most loathed household chore an iron is an iron and not really something I spend time looking at in shops or researching on the internet, but when I was offered this to try out and told it claims to make ironing easier and possibly cut down ironing time by 50% then I thought I would give ... ...System==
The Philips GC7220 is blue and white in colour with a stylish easy to use, lightweight iron. It uses 3.5 bars of powerful steam pressure, which release 80g of steam per minute. The steam generator, which is approximately W 9" x L 16" x H 7" should first be filled with water before commencing your ironing . This is easily done using the fill funnel at the side and the plastic jug provided, if you live in a hard ... more
I was lucky enough recently to be asked to test the Philips GC7220 Steam Generator Pressurised Ironing System. To be quite honest I had never heard of a steam generator before. As ironing is my most loathed household chore an iron is an iron and not really something I spend time looking at in shops or researching on the internet, but when I was offered this to try out and told it claims to make ironing easier and possibly cut down ironing time by 50% then I thought I would give it a try!
A Bit About The Steam Generator Pressurised Ironing System
The Philips GC7220 is blue and white in colour with a stylish easy to use, lightweight iron. It uses 3.5 bars of powerful steam pressure, which release 80g of steam per minute. The steam generator, which is approximately W 9" x L 16" x H 7" should first be filled with water before commencing your ironing . This is easily done using the fill funnel at the side and the plastic jug provided, if you live in a hard water area you are advised to dilute tap water with bottled water or just to use bottled water. You now plug it into the mains power supply via the 2m long power supply cable and switch it on using the power on/off switch on the unit. After 2 minutes you are now ready to start ironing. The iron is attached to the unit by a 1.7m long fabric covered hose through which the steam travels. You should set the iron to the required temperature for the fabric you are about to press. Ironing can now be done either with or without steam. If ironing without steam this is just the same process as you would use for an ordinary iron. If you want to use the steam you can either hold down the steam activation button or alternatively you can lock into the on position giving a continuous supply of steam. In between ironing the iron can either be placed to stand on its heel or alternatively placed on the iron stand on top of the steam generator, in either position the steam activation button should always be turned off whilst not in use, this helps to preserve the water in the generator tank and also to help prevent accidental burns.
The idea behind the pressurised steam generator is the force with which the steam penetrates deep into the fibres of the fabric you are pressing eliminating even the most stubborn of creases. The steam also comes out right up to the tip of the iron plate making it great for getting into all those awkward corners.
The water tank for the steam generator can hold up to 1000mls of water, which I find lasts for a good hour of ironing. Weight wise - the whole unit weighs approximately 4.22kg with the actual iron weighing approximately 1.2kg. At first I did think the iron was quite heavy but after use I found how easily it glides over your clothing and the weight is really not an issue.
The Philips GC7220 also has the ability to reduce creasing on things like curtains without having to actually take them down. Because of the force with which the steam comes out of the iron you can hold the iron vertically in front of the creased curtain and let the steam penetrate thus reducing creasing!
After use there is a hook on the side to store the cables away neatly. Every month you should rinse out the steam tank in order to keep it clean and you should also wipe the plate of your iron frequently to avoid a build up of dirt.
My Experience of the Steam Generator
When I first opened the box I was quite surprised at how big the steam generator was, I hadn't expected it to be quite as big and all I could think about was where I was going to keep it! The instruction booklet is very easy to follow and likewise the steam generator is very simple to use, basically just fill with water, plug in and start ironing!
I really hate ironing but I did find it easier to iron with the Philips GC7220. It really did get rid of the most stubborn of creases and I found it great at replacing creases in pleated skirts and trousers. Whilst I was using it I did find it to be quite noisy, every few minutes the steam generator makes a sort of vibrating noise, which is just the water being pumped through the tank to produce the steam and when the steam is actually expelled from the iron, it comes out with such force this also makes quite a loud noise. The noise I will get used to, I think, I usually do my ironing in the evening whilst standing watching TV, but I think that would be quite difficult to do now with all the noises going on. I also found it easier to stand in the kitchen by a worktop or in the dining room by the table whilst doing my ironing as I didn't feel safe having the steam tank sitting on my ironing board and it took up too much room. I preferred to have it sitting securely on a worktop or table whilst I was ironing. This iron definitely gives a much better performance than an ordinary iron, I find with the iron I use at the moment I have to spend ages on the high setting going over and over stubborn creases, and even then they still seem to be there. I was very impressed with the performance of the Philips GC7220.
What I Liked About the Philips GC7220
I loved the ease of use, the way it glided effortlessly over my clothes and I loved the crease free finish it gave everything. I also liked the look of it, even although it's quite bulky.
What I Didn't Like About the Philips GC7220
The size - it is really quite bulky. The noise - although I'm already getting used to this. The long power cable and long hose - I did feel these were a bit of a hazard.
Overall, I am sure that if care is taken whilst using this Steam Generator Iron then pros definitely outweigh the cons. This is worth buying for the performance alone, it really gives a wonderful finish to your clothing and is very quick and easy to use. I'm sure I will find somewhere to keep it and I'll get used to the noise!
The Philips GC7220 can be bought from various outlets but Argos seems to be the most reasonable price at £99.99.
Advantages: Level of steam does the work for you, good size water tank, vertical ironing possible Disadvantages: Large and quite heavy, can be noisy when water is transferring from tank to iron
...am a huge fan of Philips irons - I was already using a Philips GC2510 which I had only owned for about 9 months when I was given the opportunity to get the GC7220. Prior to that I had been using an ancient Philips which I only replaced because the cap keeping the water in the tank had broken - after around 15 years of faithful service. So it was a no brainer to for me really. The most obvious difference between a regular steam iron and a steam generator ... ...pack a punch. My previous Philips iron was pretty powerful with the steam but the GC7720 is something else again! To use, you have to fill the tank on the base unit with water up to the "Max" line. The steam generator comes with a filling cup and my advice is to have the steam generator in place on your ironing board and take the water to it - when the generator is full it can be quite heavy. I live in a soft water area so tap water is fine for me ...
rosebud2001 03.10.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Philips GC 7220
Advantages: Cuts Ironing Time in Half Disadvantages: Heavy, Difficult to Store, Noisy
...week ironing!!!
Well the Philips GC7220 Pressurised Steam Generator iron claims to reduce this time by half. A bold claim indeed.
How does it do this? Well, as a pressurised steam generator, it claims to do far more than your average iron. Its not just about the steam though, apparently the steam pressure penetrates deeply into those creases and can remove even the most stubborn ones. Bold claims indeed. Apparently it also has 3.5 bars of powerful ... ...might excite someone!!)
FEATURES
* Releases up to 80g of steam per second
* 3.5g bar pressure
* Extra large water filling funnel and large reservoir tank
* Ready to use in 2 mins
* Light iron as water is stored in separate tank not in the iron
* Extra Long hose and power cord
* Unique steam tip
* Vertical Steam
* Easy to clean and descale
PRICE
Retail Price £100
http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.204-2367.aspx
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I have to ...
charis18uk 05.12.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Philips GC 7220
Advantages: Quick, Easy to use, Really does cut ironing time down! Disadvantages: Cost, Size, Noise.
I recently got to purchase this iron for the bargain price of £20 as I am a bzzagent, and we get to try out products and spread the word about them. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance of trying it out as it claims to cut down ironing time by 50% and let's face it, time saved ironing can only be a good thing.
The price I paid is a massive discount on the selling prices around the net and on the high street; however after using the iron, I would ... ...impressed with it. I had seen these irons on the argos site and wondered what was so special about them that they would command a higher than usual price compared to other irons, so this is why I am writing this review as I am sure there's more people out there that would benefit from this product but don't realise as they are put off by the price tag without knowing if it's worth the cost or not.
Let me start by saying that I am not a big fan of ...
Claire_DC 12.10.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Philips GC 7220
Advantages: easy to use , ironing done in half the time Disadvantages: bulky
As all of my family know I hate ironing I refuse to iron unless I really really have to. I joined up with bzz a few weeks ago and was asked to join their iron campaign so I signed up and paid the £20 , the parcel came and I unpacked it , inside the box was the iron ,the base and an instruction booklet.
To use the iron you need to place the base on a chair or maybe a table as it cannot sit on the ironing board it is way too heavy when it is filled ... ...the jug that is provided until it reaches Max and press the button to on.
The first thing I noticed about the iron was how light it was compared to my old iron , on the iron you will find a dial which you use to set the temperature. There is a temperature light, a steam activator so you press that to release steam and the steam lock means you press that and have constant steam.
You then need to wait for the tank to heat up it usually takes 2 minutes ...
lazytowner 18.11.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Philips GC 7220
...mother was very impressed with the Philips GC7220 Steam Generator, so she will be a proud owner of one, or one like it very soon.
Love it.
Can't say I love ironing any better, but at least I go through it faster and with less stress than before. ...
chef-incy 20.11.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Philips GC 7220
