SteamFast SF-622 Compact Digital Steam Press

2 Responses to “SteamFast SF-622 Compact Digital Steam Press”

1. J. Goh
   October 25, 2009 at 4:22 am

   I bought this with high hopes that it can eradicate my ironing blues (or at least shorten ironing time). It does not. While it seems like a good idea – it has design flaws. The opening is not wide enough to place a garment safely. You got to place the clothing on the small area (about the size of a 5 year old pants or a lady’s bermuda) – and steam-press the item. However, note that – in order for item to be ironed properly – you would need to use your hand to smooth out the creases on the clothing. You need to smooth out a few times, even when the clothing is hot … so it’s really bad idea. When you do that, you need to be very careful not to get your hand burned if it touch the ironing surface (that is tilted approx 60 degrees?)

   Ironing a pair of bermudas will take twice as much time as a normal iron. The outcome of the ironing is not perfect. I think the dryer produce better results. If you plan to iron just small items like underwear or baby’s or doll’s clothing – it should be good enough – else consider it a piece of junk. Good idea but just way too “compact”. I would return this – regret getting it from Amazon lightning deal – did not read the reviews then.
   Rating: 1 / 5
2. I. Peters
   October 25, 2009 at 6:49 am

   This steam press is a great time saver when pressing/steaming relatively small items such as fabric napkins and the like. The operation is simple and does not require anything more than placing the item on the board and holding down the top for 8 – 10 seconds.

   There are, however, a few flaws that prevent me from raving about this product:

   1. Amazon’s description clearly states that the press only requires tap water but not so. The manual tells you equally clearly that in order to prevent damage to the unit you should only use distilled or demineralized water.

   2. In my opinion the top part does not open wide enough to safely put garments on the board while the surfaces are hot. Of course I see that if it opened too much, the heat radiating from the top could be ranging from very uncomfortable to dangerous so I see why the designers let the top only open so much. But I felt that I had to be very careful placing anything in there – especially considering that any piece you put there should be straightened as much as possible in order to prevent pressing unwanted wrinkles into garments thus requiring adjusting and smoothing by hand – and moving hands are at a much greater danger to accidentally hit the hot surfaces. I believe if there were a way to actually lift the top up a bit when opening it, this would greatly improve safety.

   3. The manual says if you want to press larger items you should simply put all the fabric behind the board (basically where the hinge is between the top and the bottom), and then pull it out for pressing as you go. For me this only works in theory. This space is very small and I believe one would be hard pressed (no pun intended) to even get a full-size adult blouse or shirt back there. This is apart from what I mentioned under point 2: Trying to reach back there with the top only opening at a relatively small angle just invites injuries to hands and lower arms.

   4. The ergonomics of this press also could use some improvement. The on/off switch is not conveniently located in the front of the unit but on the side behind the press, requiring the user to reach over to turn it on or off. Fine when one turns it on, not so great when turning it off and having to reach across the hot press.

   Summary:
   
   I like the idea and find it useful for – as mentioned at the beginning – pure linen towels, napkins, handkerchiefs, etc. But anything larger than that requires too much handling around hot surfaces for me to really enjoy this product. So now I’ll have to decide whether the fabric holiday napkins once a year actually warrant a product like this…

   Rating: 3 / 5