subject: Pressurised or Non-Pressuirised Steam Generator Irons: What is the difference? [print this page] Pressurised or Non-Pressuirised Steam Generator Irons: What is the difference?
When you have made a decision to purchase a steam generator iron, you may be somewhat baffled regarding many of the other choices you need to make when figuring out which model to buy, like the volume of steam, the varied heat settings, etc
Although some of the choices you will face may well be more about personal preference compared to the way your iron actually performs, there are a number of features for which you should pay close attention to, as they can actually change the way your machine performs.
Among the decisions you have got to make will likely be about choosing a pressurised or non-pressurised steam iron. So as to help you make the decision, let's look into what the difference is and just how this could affect you...
The advantage of using a steam generator iron is that the steam output is actually much higher than a traditional steam iron. However, you will find there's a difference in how this steam will be delivered, depending whether your system is pressurised or non-pressurised.
Non-pressurised steam generator irons
Although non-pressurised steam generator irons are able to deliver similar amounts of steam as their pressurised counterparts, this steam isn't powered through the iron at quite the same force as it would be from the pressurised model.
Pressurised steam generator irons
The steam from a pressurised iron is forced to the soleplate with much greater power through the boiler. This means that the steam is much more powerful and penetrates deeper into fabrics.
Which should you choose?
There are lots of factors to consider, but this is largely right down to personal preference. Both pressurised and non-pressurised steam generator irons can help you achieve excellent results for your garments, in less time than it would usually take. However, the added power of a pressurised system can make a positive change to ironing times since it will relax the fibres and penetrate both layers of most garments simultaneously.
One thing which you may want to consider when deciding whether to opt for a pressurised or non-pressurised steam generator iron might be your financial allowance. Non-pressurised models are usually cheaper and this can be a great way to purchase a new ironing system that will help you save time, even though you can't quite stretch to one of the more expensive models.
What should you search for?
Generally speaking, if your steam generator iron is pressurised, it will have a bar rating, which can be as much as 5 on high-end models. A rating of 3.5 or more should create a dramatic impact on time you spend ironing.
Usually, models which don't have a bar rating is going to be non-pressurised.
