Russell Hobbs Supreme Steam Iron RHC950

Happy Vegemite – I was gifted this fabulous Russell Hobbs Supreme Steam Iron today. Some may see it as a boring birthday gift,but I love practical presents. This is superior to any I have previously owned. The temperature setting guides are clearly marked. You can use tap water,unless you are in a hard water area then distilled is recommended. You can use a cool… Read more

spray mist or a burst of steam.Vertical steam will remove wrinkles from hanging clothes..curtains or furnishing fabrics. I am older than dirt so having Auto Shut Off is a major bonus for me. It’s purple..lightweight with a full handle…it glides..and comes with a two year warranty. I am not sure of the price as it was a gift…rude to ask!..I do know it came from Big W.

An iron that does the job - very well – The main features I look for in a steam iron are good temperature control, a decent shot of steam function and the ability to run the iron over a shirt or trousers just once to get the job done. After two weeks of use, I am not sure I am getting the best result I could, so I will need to keep experimenting with temperature control and other… Read more

features of the iron, such as steam shot and water spray.

But if you are a no-nonsense ironer who just wants to slide an iron over a shirt or skirt, this iron will do the job.

My gut feeling is the iron is fit for purpose and has all the features a reasonable person would want in an iron.

The iron is very light but feels easy to control. It glided easily across the fabrics I used it on. With a shot of steam, it can iron out major creases. You may have to have a couple of goes, but it works. There is also a water spray that I found did help with the ironing process.

Firstly, this iron has very clear instructions, which is a welcome surprise from previous irons I have used.

And another special feature is its long cord - something you don't always get with all irons.

The iron is simple to fill, and the water level is easily seen through tinted plastic. It takes a lot of water but comes with a very small jug. You could fill the iron straight from a tap if you prefer. I had no water leaks from the water filler cap, but I ensured it was closed tightly.

The red ready-to-use light under the handle goes out when the iron has built up enough steam and fluctuates on and off as you use the steam. I found one of two shots of steam was enough for the light to come on. The temperature control dial goes from minimum to nylon to wool with the cotton setting as maximum. The dial is also calibrated with recognised heat settings of one, two, and three dots, shown on clothing care labels.

The variable steam dial is a good feature. You need to run in full steam mode to get the best results. But make sure you remember to adjust the steam when first using it after the water fill, which is done with the dial set to no steam.

The iron also offers vertical steaming to remove wrinkles from hanging clothes. It is not something I tried, but it is a suitable function if you don't have a standalone steamer. An auto-off function cuts in after 30 seconds if the iron is flat on the fabric and not used for eight minutes if it is standing up.

There is an auto-clean function that is well explained in the instruction book. I haven't tried it, but my experience with other irons is that having a simple self-cleaning function is a plus.

It has a two-year warranty and Australian support.

I recommend the iron as a good workhorse that should suit all users.

Great iron for the budget conscious – This review was conducted over a three week period with the Russell Hobbs Supreme iron being used as the sole ironing tool. Additional input from my wife, (who has arguably more long time experience in this area and is very fussy about her irons) was also sought. DESCRIPTION The iron came packed inside a typical light cardboard box. With the… Read more

exception of a single plastic bag (containing the iron), all packing material was recyclable. Apart from the iron itself, also included was an instruction leaflet and small water container. The instruction leaflet was clearly set out and very easy to read and follow ...not often the norm these days (example in photos at the end of this review). Upon removing the iron from the box and its bag, the first thing that struck both my wife and I was the long length of the braided power cord. Three metres in fact ...something often lacking on more expensive irons and which was a definite plus in our opinion. Additionally, the cord is attached to the iron via a 360° swivel which makes it easier to manoeuvre the iron. Relatively light (coming in at around 960gms without water) it has a non-stick ceramic soleplate and features a 1cm deep “button recess” around the circumference of the soleplate. There are (what appears to be) one hundred and five “shot of steam” holes on the underside of the sole, however, only about forty five appear to be functional with the others meant to give the appearance of there being a lot more. The plastics used in the body appears to be of a reasonable quality with tight tolerances on the joins and with the iron feeling comfortable in the hand. Steam and water control functions are handled by a knob and two buttons on the handle. Temperature is set by a dial fixed to the water reservoir tank directly under the handle. Dial is only marked “Nylon”, “Wool” and “Cotton”. The whole body is finished in a two tone colour scheme of white and purple plastic. Fairly pleasing to the eye ...unless you hate purple. Belying its price point, the iron has an overall glossy plastic appearance. For an iron priced at the lower middle of the market, the overall quality feels to be sitting at the high end of the scale leaving us both somewhat surprised.

GENERAL OPERATION When filling the iron, the first thing you notice is the small size of the water jug supplied. Really, just a token jug compared to what we have seen with other irons. Holding only 100mls of water, it takes just over three fills of this to bring the iron from empty to the maximum fill level. It’s at this point I had my first serious issue with the iron because of the dark purple plastic used. I found it very difficult to see where the water level was and it took some squinting and manoeuvring in lights to do so. Whilst not a great start, things went very well from there on.

The iron only takes around thirty eight seconds to reach operating temperature (maximum setting), which is handy if you’re in a rush. However, the manual warns that you should be careful when reducing temperature as, “This can take time as the iron has to lose the heat it has built up”. Iron “ON” is indicated by a bright red light on the top of the handle while another red light situated near the heat dial cycles on and off to indicate whether the iron is at the set temperature. The misting spray works well whilst the shot of steam seems quite powerful. Russell Hobbs claims “110G steam burst and 40G continuous steam” although no further information is supplied to clarify how that might translate to the “real world”. Additionally, the shot of steam works from the upright position for steaming wrinkles from hanging clothes, curtains, delicate fabrics etc. The manual recommends leaving three seconds between each shot. The misting spray is even and uniformly fine spraying exactly where you need it to go. One thing my wife and I require in any iron we own is an “auto-shutoff” feature. Good to see the Russell Hobbs shuts off after thirty seconds when left motionless on its soleplate (or on its side). If left sitting in its standby position, it shuts down after eight minutes. Shutdown is indicated by a short round of high pitched beeping (possibly could have been a bit louder) followed by the “ON” light on the handle flashing on and off. There is a “Self Clean” function which the manual recommends you use monthly. Russell Hobbs also claims the iron is “Anti-scale” but no further details are supplied in the manual regarding this feature so I can only assume this is part of the self cleaning function.

USE Over the three weeks of reviewing, we used it on a variety of fabrics. As I said previously, my wife is very fussy about the iron she uses and generally prefers a heavier iron (our normal iron weighs just over 1.5kg). She also prefers to use the iron on “steam” rather than “dry”. Having said that we both felt the iron works well “dry” on lighter fabrics such a synthetics or handkerchiefs. I used it “dry” on my jeans and it did a good job quickly pushing out any creases. Likewise when used on cotton, however, when used with steam, this somewhat improved the speed. Didn’t have an opportunity to try it on silk but would need to be cautious. Markings are non-existent below “nylon” so some guesswork is involved. Specifications boast 2400w of power (maximum available from our Australian power points), although, I’m almost sure most irons would operate at this power level. The 1cm recess just above and around the soleplate was great at reaching under buttons and the iron glided well across the fabric despite its light weight. While she normally prefers the heavier weight iron, my wife felt this one performed well overall. Many would prefer a lightweight iron and this would be ideal for them. Overall, I’d have to say we were pleasantly surprised at the performance of the Russell Hobbs Supreme Iron. It did the job well and while not having the weight or temperature control capability of a more expensive iron, it functioned very well. It feels of a generally good quality and is further backed up with a two year warranty. It’s light weight doesn’t seem to have a down side and therefore would be ideal for those who struggle with potentially hours of use with a heavier iron. Ironing is one of those necessary evils with which we all have to engage. However, I can’t see any way the Russell Hobbs Supreme is going to make the job worse for you and like us, you too may be pleasantly surprised. With the exception of the hard to see water fill level and small filling jug, it ticked all the boxes for us.

WHAT WE LIKED * lengthy three m braided power cord * auto-shutoff * light weight – recommended for people who struggle with * general performance ...even if it is at the cheaper end of the market * clearly set out user manual with detailed diagrams and bullet point explanations * two year warranty * not expensive for its performance level

WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE * difficult to see water level * small water fill jug

Fits all – Objective review. There are many Irons on the market and I suppose it comes to preference. The Russell Hobbs does what it requires to do. Irons well, is able to blast steam vertically As well as horizontally. It’s 2400 watts, good, has a decent cord length and easy to use. Is light for people who are seeking a light weight iron. Has all the… Read more

features as other irons do. There are some negatives though, I’m not certain if it is a R.H. design, but the appliances do not have any indicator of ON/OFF. Here too, there is also no marking on what level you are setting your iron on. The dial will go antilock wise and stop, but uncertain exactly what level you are on. Will become used to over use, but don’t expect in the first use. I have a photo showing a solid plastic marking. If this is its setting, be aware. Does come with self clean, easy to do - extends use of iron.

Would I recommend, it does as specified, and fits middle range purchaser.

Well designed with thoughtful features for basic ironing – I avoid ironing like the plague as I’ve got arthritis in my hands, so was very happy to find this iron is lightweight and easy to use. I read the instructions, which are in clear English and have diagrams, and primed the iron before use. I found the iron has a good handle angle which is comfortable to grip for long periods. It has an auto shut… Read more

off function, 3m long cord with swivel base, and the wide flat base feels stable when you set it down. So, actual ironing… I changed curtains this week and had second hand 50% cotton 50% linen curtains that needed ironing as they had a lot of deep creases from being folded and stored. The iron handled this easily, and I tried both the steam and spray on the creases, and found the spray worked best. I was very interested to try the vertical steam function on the new sheer curtains that I’d just put up that also had deep fold creases. I’d been reluctant to iron them as the fabric was delicate and synthetic. I held the curtains away from the window (so the hot steam didn’t touch the glass or newly painted frames) and did bursts of steam on the creases, as per the manual instructions. Unfortunately after several attempts the creases didn’t budge, and my wrist got tired from holding the iron. I tried the vertical steam on a blue 100% cotton blouse with lots of gathers that’s difficult to iron, and got an average result - see before and after photos. I also tried the vertical steam on a 100% French linen blouse and got very average results again for the amount of effort required, so I just ironed it, which was easier and looked great - see before and after photos. I still don’t like ironing, but this Russell Hobbs Supreme Steam Iron is well designed with thoughtful features and made basic ironing a lot easier. I’m happy to recommend it.