Singer ESP-2 Electronic Steam Press Review

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(More customer reviews)Worth every penny! DH and I both wear business professional to work each day. At $3.25 per pair of pants, my dry cleaning bill was at least $45 - $50 a week doing both pants and shirts. It was getting ridiculous! So I splurged for this Singer steam press and it has worked out perfectly. I only do the pants (shirts are $1.25 each and it's worth it to me to drop those at the cleaners bc they are a pain and I simply don't have the time).
I near-dry the pants and then let them hang overnight. Then I steam press them, half a leg at a time, from the hem to the highest point the presser can go, only doing from the center seam out to the crease. So each pant gets 4 presses. I don't bother with the tops of the pants or the pleats. They look fine coming straight from the dryer. But if they need it, I'll use a traditional iron for that. It took some practice, but I've got it down to less than 1 minute per pair without rushing. They come out perfect and I'm saving a ton of money. We wear 10 pairs of pants each week. So each week I'm saving over $32.00 on my cleaning bill. In about 2 months, I was already ahead.
My only beef was that the steamer would leave little wet spots on the pants (that dried and no problem). But I discovered that was operator-error. I was steaming for 2-3 seconds and you really only need 1 second. And don't try to use this for shirts. You'll spend more time fixing the little creases than if you just used a regular iron. But for my purposes, this thing is a dream!

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Give garments that "fresh from the cleaners" finish with this electronic steam press. Almost 14 times larger than a conventional iron, the unit's 24-by-9-inch pressing area reduces pressing time by as much as 50 percent, delivering a professional-looking press to large fabric surfaces such as table linens and draperies. Using just fingertip force to lower the handle, the appliance exerts 100 pounds of pressure for easily removing stubborn wrinkles or pressing several layers at a time. Choose between no steam or electronically pumped variable steam. With no steam, the unit can operate as a dry press when working with delicate fabrics; its electronically pumped variable steam delivers a true burst of steam from steam openings that cover the entire pressing area, ensuring the total area receives the benefits of steam.
"Power" and "temperature-ready" indicators take the guess work out of knowing the press temperature. Select from nylon, silk, wool, cotton, or linen settings--the press will remain at a consistent temperature to protect fabrics. If the handle gets left in the down position, an alarm will sound after 10 seconds as a reminder to lift the handle to ensure that fabrics are not exposed to the heating plate too long. For peace of mind, the unit's automatic shut-off turns off the power if its handle remains in the up or down position for too long. Ample space at the back of the pressing board comes in handy for holding large items as they are being pressed. The portable press comes with a lockable handle for storing in a vertical position, and it weighs only 22 pounds for simple transport. Accessories include a measuring cup, spray bottle, pressing cushion, washable pad cover, and an instruction book. The electronic steam press measures approximately 13 by 24 by 12 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

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Black & Decker D6000 All-Temp Steam Iron with Stainless-Steel Soleplate Review

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(More customer reviews)I've recently gotten this Black & Decker D6000 iron and also currently own the Black & Decker D2030 Auto-Off Digital Advantage Iron (I have posted my review of that iron previously on the D2030 product page). Regarding the D2030, overall I am very happy with the D2030 iron with one or two quibbles, the most problematic of which is that I constantly, but inadvertently, turn off the steam while ironing because of the placement of the steam dial. It's positioning coincides with where my thumb naturally wants to rest while ironing. As a result I am always accidentally turning off the steam. The D6000 resolves that problem since the steam control is no longer a dial, but a button that is placed on the top front area of the handle. So in that regard, this iron improves upon the D2030. However in almost all other areas, this iron is actually not as good an iron as the D2030 as I'll explain.
As others have noted, this iron is quite heavy. I found using this iron for any length of time to be more fatiguing than the D2030. The D2030 is not a light weight iron and actually the "heft" of the iron feels solid and just about right. My wife complained immediately about how heavy the D6000 iron felt to her. I weighed the D6000, without water, and it tipped the scale at 3 lb, 11oz. Compared to the D2030 that weighs, without water, 2lb, 15oz. So this iron is nearly a pound heavier than the D2030... that's significant difference. It can be debated whether a heavier iron makes a more efficient iron or not, but the reality is that it is a heavy iron to use and some people may find it too heavy to use for extended periods of time.
Another issue is the water fill cover. Unlike the D2030 that can be filled when the iron is standing vertically on it's heel plate, the D6000 can only be filled when it is in the horizontal position, or the active ironing position. This is extremely poor design because it means that you have to fill the iron, probably while it is still really hot, with the hot soleplate just sitting on your ironing board cover. Furthermore, the water fill cover lifts open in such a way that it is more difficult then necessary to pour water into the reservoir with a standard measuring cup. You are unable to get the lip of the cup close enough to the water fill hole since the lid is sticking straight up into the air effectively blocking your attempt to get close to the hold with your cup. Black and Decker does not include any sort of cup with a pointy spout to facilitate this either. The end result is that you end up spilling water as you attempt to fill the reservoir. I also noticed some water spilling out of the closed filling spout when I tipped the iron back up on its soleplate. It seems that this might even be dangerous since the heat control buttons and backlight display are in the path of the dripping water.
The reservoir holds approximately 14 oz of water which sounds like a lot, but I was amazed at how quickly it depletes. The iron produces great steam but the water empties quickly as a result. If it were easier to fill, that wouldn't be a real problem, but it becomes a problem since it isn't that easy to fill.
I also noticed that the cord of the D6000 is almost 2 feet shorter than the cord length of the D2030. It's not a short cord by any means, but it is significantly shorter than the D2030 cord.
If you are a "cord wrapper", this iron falls short because you will discover that the design of this iron prevents you from wrapping the cord around the iron for storage. The front of the iron is sloped plastic with no way for the cord to nestle into anything that will enable you to wrap the cord around it.
The iron does have conveniently placed controls. The temperature is controlled by two buttons, one on either side of the front part of the handle. The left button turns the iron up through the various settings while the right button turns the iron down. The top of the handle also has two buttons that control the spray and shot-of-steam functions. A button for "auto clean" is located on the top of the water reservoir cover, underneath the handle.
A nicely backlit display indicates the various iron functions which makes it easy to see what functions you have enabled.
The iron was quick to achieve desired temperature and also features an auto-shutoff if you leave the iron unattended.
But the biggest problem with the iron that I had is that it lets water, not just steam, sputter out of the soleplate when ironing. When the iron is brand new, this isn't an issue. But as the iron begins to accumulate mineral deposits, this will be a big problem. If you've ever ironed a white shirt and had mineral deposits spit out of your iron, you know how it can stain the fabric. For this reason alone, I would avoid this iron.
Overall I was disappointed with the D6000 iron. In spite of the couple of control improvements over the D2030, the other things wrong with the iron make the D2030 a better choice (and at a significantly lower cost).
Pros:
-Quick to reach temperature
-Control buttons are well-placed
-Iron produces a lot of steam
Cons:
-Difficult to fill with water and can't be filled in the vertical position.
-Water sputters out of soleplate when ironing with the potential to stain your clothing.
-Iron is quite heavy which makes it tiring to use
I'd suggest looking at the Black and Decker D2030 which avoids most of the problems that this iron has.Black & Decker D2030 Auto-Off Digital Advantage Iron

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Smooth out wrinkles quickly and easily with this versatile iron. The unit features an INOX stainless-steel soleplate for effortless, gentle gliding, plus a narrow, rounded tip that works well for getting into pleats, between buttons, and along seams. The iron's digital control panel with a blue backlit display makes it simple to set the desired temperature, while its thumb-activated push buttons allow for engaging the spray-mist and steam-surge functions. Best of all, the iron comes equipped with Smart Steam technology, which generates steam at high temperatures automatically, as well as All-Temp Steam technology, which makes steam an option at every temperature setting, even when ironing the most delicate of fabrics like acrylic, nylon, and polyester. Use the iron on a flat surface for traditional ironing or hold it upright for vertically steaming wrinkles out of curtains or hanging garments. For safety and peace of mind, the iron will shut off automatically if left inactive on its soleplate, tipped over on its side, or left vertically on its heel rest. Other highlights include a large translucent water tank, a Comfort Grip handle, a 360-degree pivoting cord, a non-slip heel rest, an anti-drip system that prevents water spotting even at low temperatures, and an Auto Clean system for keeping the steam vents free from buildup. Powerful and easy-to-use, the iron measures approximately 12 by 5 by 6-2/7 inches. From the Manufacturer A Host of Helpful Features

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