Philips Azur Precise GC4330

In terms of ironing performance, this iron came a close second to the Sunbeam Ultura 5900 Resilium in our product comparison tests. This iron glides effortlessly over a range of fabrics. Its special steaming tip easily reaches difficult areas, however, the shot of steam feature was not as powerful as other models tested.

Setting up

Before use, remove the heat resistant protective cover and any stickers from the soleplate.

Features

A range of features ensures the Azur Precise steams up quickly and delivers a quick and efficient ironing experience. The iron has a nifty steam tip with elongated steam slots that deliver steam to hard to reach places. The tip is ideal for ironing cuffs and delicate pleating.

The iron?s ergonomic design and soft handle grip ensures comfortable ironing, particularly over extended periods. Each button is labelled clearly and they are easy to understand. The six setting steam buttons are positioned well on top of the iron and the setting and steam buttons are easy to move, especially with just one hand.

The iron uses a blue light in the water tank to indicate it is on. This light flashes when it has been switched off by the safety shut off function. This is a handy feature, however, for the first time user the lights may be a little confusing.

Luckily, the manual explains everything simply but, unlike other models tested, is does not have one main diagram that shows where everything is on the iron. The water tank chute is a reasonable size but it still can be missed if it is not carefully and slowly filled. The cord swivels well and keeps out of the way when ironing. It also wraps easily around the base of the iron for easy storage.

Performance

The iron performs well on all settings with nylon, cotton, denim and linen fabrics. Its high and continuous steam output ensures a good ironing experience, even on crushable fabrics such as linen. Its steaming tip works exceptionally well on seams and on difficult spots like around shirt pockets.

The shot of steam feature needed a bit of pumping to get going but when it does is works well. However, it did tend to spot water a little during this function. The vertical steam works satisfactorily.

The iron easily wipes down and its calc-clean function reduces scale build up, which helps lengthen the iron?s life.

Conclusion

This iron is great for ironing clothes with many difficult spots like pleats, pockets, cuffs and delicate details such as lace. Overall, it delivers and excellent performance and its steam tip is a definite bonus.

Reviewer: Trina Tune

Overall
Value for money
Ease of Use
Design
Reader Rating0 Votes
Handy steam tip, intuitive and easy to use buttons, very smooth ironing experience
Shot of steam needs pumping to get it going, can spot water during shot of steam, water chute is quite small
4.3