Steam generator irons are designed to provide professional results with very minimum effort. Both traditional irons and steam generator irons depend on steam to get rid of those stubborn wrinkles and creases, normal steam irons are limited to the amount of steam they can produce while a steam generator iron on the other hand has the capacity and the ability to produce in excess of 6 bars of pressure. This additional steam power will result in professional results in very little time.

Some steam generator irons take the guesswork out of ironing, models such as the Philips GC8715 come with an additional feature called optimalTEMP which automatically detects and adjusts the iron to the correct temperature needed for the type of material you’re ironing. With this one setting approach, you will save quite a bit of time because you won’t need to be constantly adjusting settings and waiting for the iron to heat up or cool down.

One of the most notable comparisons between a steam generator iron and a traditional steam iron is the overall weight of the iron itself. Traditional steam irons normally have a built-in water reservoir, and depending on the model this can be fairly large and heavy when filled.

A steam generator iron uses a slightly different design, instead of a built-in reservoir, it has a separate water tank that sits at the side of the ironing board. This design is great for those who iron a lot because its lightweight design means you can use it longer without any discomfort.

Because of its dedicated water tank, a steam generator iron can hold as much as 5 times the amount of water a traditional steam iron can hold. This equates to less time spent filling up the iron and more time ironing. There’s also a downside to this – see the additional considerations section below.

Most steam generator irons have a vertical ironing feature which allows you to apply steam to your clothes while it’s still on the hanger, this would be especially useful for items such as curtains and coats. Some traditional steam irons do offer this feature but they don’t produce nearly as much steam as a steam generator iron so the results would be below par.

A steam generator iron builds on the safety features found in traditional steam irons. Most modern steam irons come with built-in auto shut off feature meaning the iron will automatically shut off at a specific time depending on the particular model.

Some steam generator irons like the Philips GC9630 PerfectCare Elite have taken this concept even further by adding an additional safety feature which stops the iron from burning your clothes if you accidentally leave the iron on it – or on the ironing board.