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A comparative test of high-priced irons: the three musketeers

The ā€œbeautiful and boldā€ models from the worldā€™s leading manufacturers captivate even with their looks: each design is unique and well thought out to the finest detail. And how different are the capabilities of these beauties? Maybe you should stop ironing and let the iron do the ironing?

Check and compare.

Tefal

Our members

No one needs to introduce the manufacturers.

Tefal and Philips are trendsetters, companies vying for leadership in the industry. Panasonic is of course better known for its other appliances, but it has already established itself in the field of irons and can compete with the leading manufacturers.

Brand

PANASONIC

NI-WT960

PHILIPS Azur Elite

GC5039

TEFAL

FV9739

soleplate

Ceramics

Stainless steel

SteamGlide Advanced

Durilium Autoclean

Tank Capacity

for water, ml

350

350

350

Meter cup capacity, ml

350

Not in the complete set

Not included

Power cord, cm

245

300

247

Dimensions, mm

307x141x153

320x125x170

320x150x190

Weight, kg

1,6

1,812

1,750

Warranty, years

1

2

2

Country of manufacture

PRC

Indonesia

France

Price, Dollars.

6990

12 990

9990

OPPORTUNITIES

Brand

PANASONIC

NI-WT960

PHILIPS Azur Elite

GC5039

TEFAL

FV9739

Number of temps.

modes

Automatic system

OptimalCare

Automatic system

OptimalTEMP

5

Dry ironing

+

+

+

Steam supply, g/min

45

75

55

Steam stroke, g/min

180

260

230

Vertical steam

+

+

+

Limescale cartridge

+ built-in

+

+

(bar

Self cleaning

+

Cleaning manifold

limescale

Manifold for

limescale collection system

Anti-caking

+

+

+

Auto power off

ā€“

+

+

STUDYING THE FACE

Tefal

Panasonic iron soleplate is interesting with its shape: it is double pointed, that is it has two noses. Producers call it a ā€œdouble-barreledā€ and claim it can be ironed in all directions.

Philips irons have the premium SteamGlide Advanced scratch resistant soleplate, which gives superior glideability. Itā€™s made of stainless steel and features a patented six-layer coating with an enhanced titanium layer.

Tefal has a ceramic-metal Durilium autoclean coating on the soleplate, which the manufacturer claims is highly durable and scratch-resistant.

Model

PANASONIC

NI-WT960

PHILIPS Azur Elite

GC5039

TEFAL

FV9739

Material

Ceramics

Stainless steel

Metal ceramic

Size, cm

29h12,5

24,5h12,5

25,5h12,5

Steam nozzles

38 steam holes in the groove

104 +

7 on the spout

61 on the whole soleplate + 14 on the spout

It is interesting, that the width of the soleplate is the same for all three models. The Panasonic has the longest soleplate, of course, due to the second spout. Philips has the most steam holes on the soleplate. Curiously enough Philips and Tefal ā€“ the trendsetters in this product category ā€“ do not have any grooves: the flat soleplate has very many holes for steam. Probably in a couple of years this will be the case with irons in the lower price group.

Maybe the manufacturers will take offense at me, but personally I have not noticed a big difference in sliding different irons on fabrics. True, but none of them stuck, and itā€™s not just about the top models, but about all the irons. Probably when tested in the laboratory with special instruments, you can see the difference in gliding speeds of different irons, but you canā€™t measure it at home. Iā€™ve read and listened to a lot of complaints about the performance of different irons, but no one complained about the fact that they do not slip.

STEAM

The top models pride themselves on the amount of steam they put out.

Irons

Tefal
Panasonic

Model

PANASONIC

NI-WT960

PHILIPS Azur Elite

GC5039

TEFAL

FV9739

Tank capacity, ml

350

350

350

Water flow time, min.

12,5

14

15

Steam rate, g/min

45

75

55

Steam stroke, g/min

180

260

230

Philips is the undisputed leader here. And itā€™s not just the immense force of the steam blow and the amount of steam supplied per minute, although this is also important. This iron has very interesting steam modes that the competition does not have. This is an automatic mode where a special sensor monitors the iron precisely and provides steam. And Ionic mode where ironing is done with constant powerful steam blows and the steam is enriched with silver ions for more hygienic ironing. The steam stops automatically when the iron is upright, so you donā€™t waste water and steam. All the other models have a few seconds before the iron releases a cloud of steam and then stops steaming.

Tefal iron has another ā€œtrickā€: the steam is automatically adjusted to the temperature mode selected by the user, the stronger the soleplate is heated, the more steam, and vice versa.

Panasonic has the same as basic models, but the steam is more and the impact is stronger.

Irons

Panasonic NI-WT960

Tefal

PHILIPS Azur Elite GC5039

Philips

TEFAL FV9739

HOT OR NOT

You can only select the temperature for ironing with a Tefal iron. Everything here is traditional: a turntable with six temperature settings.

Philips and Panasonic automatic temperature setting, can not be changed manually. With this manufacturers are trying to please those who do not like to install and choose something although they offer to choose steam mode . But most importantly, the automatic temperature control is designed to protect users from the hassle of possibly ruining things when the iron is too hot. Thatā€™s why we can recommend Philips as the best iron for people who have lots of delicate, expensive fabrics: it steams with gentleness, no problem. For linen and cotton, the iron is not so expert at ironing it takes a lot of time to get through all the wrinkles.

Tefal manufacturers have gone the other way: for thin fabrics, a special attachment on the soleplate is offered which protects both from excessive heat and from the shine that appears when ironing.

Temperature measurements with a thermal imaging camera showed that all three of these irons heats the soleplates more evenly than the irons in the first group. There is a difference in spout and base heating, but within more reasonable limits than inexpensive irons.

POWER

This indicator is striking in its magnitude. The stated power of these irons overtakes not only kettles, but also some ovens! Measured values are not that great, no one jumped to the max. All irons in the test showed between 2000 and 3000 watts.

Model

PANASONIC

NI-WT960

PHILIPS Azur Elite

GC5039

TEFAL

FV9739

Declared power, W

2200-2600

2500-3000

2350-2800

Measured power, W

2355-2363

2497-2548

2462-2477

CONTROL

Convenient and straightforward. The most familiar control from Panasnic: the steam shock and spray buttons, the circle, which the manufacturer did not abandon, although there is no temperature selection. It acts as a trigger.

Philips is the most modern: The steam mode selection button is on the handle, and the current mode is shown on the display.

Tefal is interesting to have two indicators: on and heater operation, one of which is always on, and the second only when the heater is on.

But there are nuances that can make it difficult to choose the right button in certain circumstances. The thing is that Philips has the steam button in the form of the trigger and it is located under the handle. And Panasonic and Tefal have a steam button on the handle, and under the handle the trigger triggers a spray function. If you buy a Panasonic or Tefal after Philips, you will surely make a mistake or two and press the spray button instead of the steam blow. For some reason I also really want to press the steam button on top and the spray hook on the bottom at the same time. In general, the designers still have a lot of work to do to make the control perfect.

PURE

Tefal, as we all got used to, equipped the iron with a rod that is inserted into the water tank and softens water. The iron is designed to last the lifetime of the iron, so it needs to be rinsed periodically. Tefal and Philips have removable collectors that collect limescale particles and should be periodically removed and cleaned. Philips reminds you to do so with the indicator light. The Panasonic has more traditional: a built-in cleaning cartridge in the tank and self-cleaning function.

OFF

Philips presser can be held horizontally even when ironing. This is no way to treat Tefal and Panasonic. It is interesting that only Philips and Tefal have an automatic shutdown feature. To be fair, I have to mention that Panasonic has a similar model to ours, equipped with self-switch-off, but our tester had an iron that was deprived of this important function.

In fact Iā€™m sure that in the XXI century all irons should have the automatic shutdown by default, especially in some of the most inexpensive models, which shows its availability.

TEST CONCLUSIONS

Irons

In the group of top models the leader has been defined rather easily by the set of functions, programs and modes. This is Tefal FV9739.

The other two participants are undoubtedly good, but they all lack something.

Panasonic NI-WT960 has no automatic shutdown function, and Philips Azur Elite GC5039 has long smoothing over cotton and linen.

At the same time Panasonic NI-WT960 has the best price/quality ratio, Philips Azur Elite GC5039 has the best steam, the most convenient management and a long cord.

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John Techno

Greetings, everyone! I am John Techno, and my expedition in the realm of household appliances has been a thrilling adventure spanning over 30 years. What began as a curiosity about the mechanics of these everyday marvels transformed into a fulfilling career journey.

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Comments: 1
  1. Penelope Bennett

    Iā€™m curious about the results of the comparative test of high-priced irons mentioned here. How did ā€œthe three musketeersā€ ā€“ the irons being tested ā€“ perform? Which one outshone the others in terms of quality, features, and value for the price? Were there any unexpected surprises or disappointments? Would love to hear more details and recommendations based on the test results, as Iā€™m considering investing in a high-priced iron myself.

    Reply
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