The Philips Easy Care GC3260 is a high quality iron that comes with everything you’d expect in an iron plus lots more. In addition to the calc-clean function, continuous steam and steam boost features it also includes a three metre cord, extra large water inlet and a highly visible water tank.
Setting up
Remove any stickers, protective foil or plastic from the soleplate. The iron may give off some smoke when you use it for the first time but don’t panic, it stops after a short while.
Features
The standout feature of the Philips Easy Care has to be its steam tip. The steam tip meant that we could get into all those tricky places such as buttons and pleats with ease. School uniforms and sports skirts will never be a problem again!
This premium iron also features Philips exclusive Careeza soleplate which is designed for efficient ironing. The Easy Care offers continuous steam up to 35 grams per minute and steam boost up to 95 grams per minute for the easy removal of creases. The Easy Care’s extra large water inlet is particularly handy as it prevents spills and makes filling the tank faster. The 300 ml water tank is larger than most of its competitors and allows you to get more ironing done without stopping and refilling. The water tank is highly visible while the water jug holds a generous 300 ml. Â
Performance
Philips could not have chosen a better tagline for the Easy Care: “Great results, minimum effort”. This iron not only produces great results, it does it with ease. From delicate silk shirts to heavy denim jeans and woollen jumpers, the Easy Care produced exceptional results every time.
The steam tip was sensational and really made a big difference when ironing pleated skirts and trying to iron around buttons and zippers. The three metre cord eliminates the need for an extension cord while the drip stop function automatically stops the iron from producing steam when the temperature is too low. This prevents water from dripping out of the soleplate.
Two thousand three hundred watts of power ensured an incredibly fast heat up and the electronic safety shut off function automatically switched the iron off when we left it sitting horizontally on the ironing board after just 15 seconds. Once it switched off, the auto-off light started blinking to indicate that the iron had been automatically switched off. To let the iron heat up again you just need to pick it up and move it slightly.
The spray nozzle is well angled to shoot water over creases and can be used at any temperature. The powerful shot of steam helped remove stubborn wrinkles but can only be used at higher temperatures. The vertical shot of steam function can be used when you hold the iron vertically and was useful for removing creases in hanging clothes.
Conclusion
Philips Easy Care GC3260 is a premium iron which offers all that you’d expect from a top of the line iron plus more. While its pink design did not appeal to at least one member of our household, the features spoke even louder than its colour. It offers self cleaning functions, automatic safety features, 2,300 watts of power and Philips’ patented Careeza soleplate. But in the end it was its steam tip that set it apart from its competitors.
Reviewer: Rebecca Correa
