Tefal TurboPro FV5648

I love this iron. As far as fast heating up it is the best! Weight, handling, ease of use, nice glide. One problem I don't care for is the SMALL water compartment. I am right next to the sink and can fill it from the tap easily but for someone who wants to use it for constant steam...you have to refill a LOT!!! You also can't see thru the 'Blue" window but not a big problem for me. Performance is what counts and this iron has it! Burst of steam is super great for steaming away stubborn wrinkles. They disappear immediately!
Sometimes I iron 10 or 15 items at a time and probably refill about three times but it is all according to how much you use the "burst" features which I think uses up a lot of your steam. I love the digital readouts on the heat settings. Silk, cotton, nylon, etc...Very nice! I have used this iron for two months now and have no complaints. If you refill the water...wait a bit until it starts steaming...then you won't get water drips.

Many time in fear that my iron is not switched off. But with my new iron as i got it for a present is so much better. I do ironing every day, with little kids around. This iron is light easy on hand, large hole for water, many functions and the bottom, by seeing it you will know its the most quality one. Calc easy cleaning , so after so often use still good as new.

I use my iron a lot more than most people, almost daily, because I make garments and quilts. I've gone through a lot of irons and I know that there are big differences between them. The most expensive ones aren't always the best.But it's an excellent piece of iron.This iron is very safe

Functionally it is generally very good and it seemed a safe bet, anyway, based on our use of an earlier model. However, the steam control is a bit hit and moss and it does belch quite a large burst of steam now and then, in a fairly random and potentially painful way. More fundamentally, I guess the device will expire in a few years, like all irons do, and at the most inconvenient time.
Manufacturers and .retailers should be cursed for marketing products which they seem to deem to be "disposable" and Irons, toasters, etc are prime examples that arise from that philosophy. Sadly, they actually design and make them with scant regard for repairability or for the disassembly and recycling of the materials - so off to the landfill site they go.

it works well. and the price is reasonable too. My mom loves it. I am loving it and i am happy with my invested. I would recommend it to a friend. Even my aunt want it too:) She came home and used it once and she was said its very nice.

I brought myself one because I didn't have one. Fancy that! An 18 year old doing his own laundry and ironing, so it doesn't have lines through my outfits.. Best purchase I ever ever brought, definitely recommending this to my family and friends. Can't wait till they see me doing my own ironing lol.

This iron is great as it heats up very quickly and just so easy to use and operate. Our other iron was so heavy and bulky and would always catch on the clothes and causes wrinkles but this one does a good job of gliding over the surface very easily. Highly recommended!

This iron is the one to have! It’s heats up in a few seconds and the temperature control is perfect every time! The steam function is also amazing This iron is children and man proof! Great iron for the work while family, even had my husband ironing. The black colour is also a nice change to the usual “white” irons.

Heats up quickly in seconds, safe and easy to operate. Bought on a special offer, look for a special offer or discount. Suitable for daily used clothes, less meant for suits and jackets. Very handy to store and move, very efficient in terms of electricity consumption since heats uo in no time

Safe and reliable to use after bought it from Harvey Norman 5 months ago.
The iron is absolutely a pet and we'll designed to prevent overheating to burn the clothes when ironing.
The smooth non-stick surface of the iron makes it a good fit for ironing.
The steaming is just great for use.
Highly recommended to buy for a busy family like us.

1.0 SUMMARY
Overall the Tefal model FV5648 iron is a nicely featured iron which performs very well in the ironing department but which has a few drawbacks.
It’s useful features include the ability to use plain tap water and the supply of ample amounts of steam when required for ironing heavy cotton. Other good features are auto-off for safety and a swiveling power cord entry.
The negative points I found were that it’s relatively heavy, has a short power cord and it comes with a difficult to decipher user manual.
If considering this iron, check out the weight of a display model in the shop and compare it with others, remembering that an extra 300 gms is added when full of water.
It has some easy maintenance routines which need to be done on time to keep it working free of drips and dirty stains.

2.0 FEATURES
The listed features of the Tefal model FV5648 iron along with my comments are:

2400 Watts - this is the maximum for a 10 Amp power outlet and ensures rapid heat-up and continuing supply of steam under heavy use.
Auto Off 30 sec (horizontal) and 8 min (vertical) - good safety features which all irons should have.
Anti-drip - it didn’t drip during the review period.
Auto steam - not sure what this means.
300 ml water tank - when on high steam this tank empties in about 20 min of ironing.
High flow steam boost - there is certainly more than enough steam available.
Vertical steaming - able to steam hanging items.
Repairable product - it is implied that the iron is not built to be throw-away but that most faults are repairable. This was not verified by me in the review. I doubt that it is financially viable to send for external repair a $140 item.
High glide with a smooth slippery sole plate - it didn’t seem particularly slippery compared with other irons with for example a teflon sole.
Uses standard domestic supply water - a welcome feature but requires regular maintenance to continue to work.

3.0 USER MANUAL
The user manual supplied was a 6-page folded pamphlet catering for 34 languages. Thus all instructions were in the form of small illustrations showing each step to be followed with virtually no wording.
The illustrations were quite small and in pastel shades so it was difficult to see and understand the detail.
Furthermore, with no written title for each group of illustrations, it was difficult to decipher what function each group was intended to convey, much less follow the steps easily.
Only on the U.K. Tefal website did I locate a downloadable user manual with written instructions and this made it much easier to follow the user and maintenance instructions.
I rate the supplied user manual as very poor. As a result I would think that the important cleaning instructions may not be carried out correctly by some users leading to serious scaling and blockage of the steam tubes and/or staining of clothes.

4.0 STARTING UP
Filling with water is carried out by holding the iron at an angle with one hand while the water is poured in with the other hand. During this operation the actual water level is difficult to see through the blue plastic reservoir, especially as it nears the maximum mark where the window tapers down to be quite narrow. I invariably overfilled the iron for this reason. The iron should not be powered on during this procedure. The manual indicates it should be unplugged although this may be because it’s written for many countries where there is no switch at the outlet.

There is no power-on light.
The one and only indicator light is large, red and glows steadily only when the element is heating. Before starting to iron, you wait until this light goes off thus indicating working temperature has been reached. The same light flashes when the auto off feature is about to turn heating off. This occurs after the iron has been in the vertical parked position for 8 minutes, or in the horizontal ironing position for 30 seconds.
Thus during normal operation and on standby but still hot, there is no light at all.
I would prefer another indicator light to indicate that the iron has power connected.

5.0 USE
The power cord is only 1.8 m which is too short. You will probably need an extension cord.

The weight with water is 1.7 kg which makes it a relatively heavy iron especially if you have small wrists.

Ironing of all items tested was very good after the correct settings for heat and steam were made to suit the fabric. You need to know what these should be in advance because there is no help from the user manual.

Ironing of cotton, even heavy cotton was easy because of the abundance of steam flow. It never ran out of steam, garment after garment, until the actual water tank was emptied.

When the pump action spray of water is needed I found it hard to press the pump on top of the handle without simultaneously squeezing the shot of steam button under the handle. Poor ergonomic design.

The sole seemed to move smoothly over all fabrics.

Adjusting the heat level on the typical rotating dial under the handle was not so easy with quite small labelling of the settings and some labels shielded by the handle. You would need to learn these over time.

I found the swivelling power cord entry to be excellent in allowing the iron to be either stood up or used flat without the cord affecting the operation.

6.0 MAINTENANCE
There are three recommended maintenance jobs, all associated with the use of ordinary tap water and the buildup of scale in the hot water and steam sections.
All three are easy to perform once learned - I would recommend downloading the written manual from the UK website.

Clean the Anti-scale valve by removing and soaking it in lemon juice.(monthly).
Clean the Calc (scale) collector by removing it and washing under a water tap.(4-monthly).
Descale the steam chamber by heating to maximum and then shaking it over a sink (4-monthly).

Tefal Aquaspeed 2400W precision iron
Tefal TurboPro anti-calc

I have had many irons in the past. All of them have had disappointing steam output. Any
effective steam usually petered out after a month or so at best. I used demineralised water
as instructed. Well, there was always the weak spray option. In dressmaking we were taught
how to use an ironing cloth instead. These are safer to use with dodgy irons.

The old irons all tended to have variable heat ranges during ironing sessions. Eventually when
they died, they all had a sludge/gunky build up on the base, which so-called iron cleaners failed
to shift. For me this was due to decades of ironing compulsory poly-cotton uniforms. One gets
careless when in a panic rush to have something to wear to work immediately.

In January 2017, I bought the Tefal Aquaspeed precision iron from Harvey Norman's. It was
a 'special' deal for $120. I looked this iron up a few days ago and see it is now available for $79.
I quite fancied having a French iron for no particularly reason.

The Tefal has quite a few differences from my previous irons. Firstly, there a truly amazing blast
of steam. This comes at the cost of having to refill the tank often, but the crisp results are worth it.
Another difference is that the Tefal irons have a large base, and are supposed to rest standing
up; not flat on an ironing board rest. Probably to protect the Teflon base. Tefal irons use only
tap water, which is much cheaper. If you have hard water, such as I have in Adelaide, you may
mix the tap water to 50% using demineralised water.
You can use these irons like an anti-crease steam blaster on clothes that are hung up.

Don't you wish sometimes you could try out other models to see which is best? I have been
fortunate to suddenly get that opportunity. I now also have the Tefal TurboPro anti-calc. Seems
promising for Adelaide water. The TurboPro anti-calc is more expensive at about $140.

Tefal Irons side by side:

My first iron, the Aquaspeed precision iron, is still working as well as it was when I bought it.
The tank needs frequent filling after a few garments, but the results are great. It is fairly easy to
see the water level. The Teflon surface is unblemished.

The second iron, the TurboPro anti-calc, has a much larger tank, gives longer ironing times.
Unfortunately the tank is a dark blue colour, and I can only see the water level using a very
bright torch. This unit also hisses and spits more than the original iron, but that doesn't matter.
I have checked the anti-calc units a couple of times. There has been no buildup of gunk as yet.
The anti-calc units are easy to access.

The instructions come in picture form; no words. They are ok. Another booklet is pale gray and has
weeny tiny impossible print in mid-gray. I can just make sense of it with the bright torch and patience.

I am wary of Teflon surfaces. They are great when new of course. I have ironed some poly-cottons
on the correct setting, and it was fine.

An ironing cloth can be made from about a metre square of very fine, white translucent pure cotton.
Cheese cloth will do, but it is very wrinkly to use. With the large blast of steam from Tefal irons, one
doesn't even have to wet the cloth first. This is a huge bonus for me. An ironing cloth protects from
instant scorches and fabric melt with synthetic and delicate fabrics.

As far as ironing results go compared to the past, I would give the Tefal irons 5/5.

First things first, I’m not the kind of person who likes to iron due to the fact that it’s a big burden to me, but this iron has changed my views immensely.

As the item arrived at my doorstep, I was excited. To me, when I hear the word “iron”, it’s meant to do what they’re designed to do, but Tefal’s FV5648 does so much more.

What I like about this iron to begin with is their extra large hole where the water is to be poured into. No need to rummage through the drawers to find that hidden cup, I can easily put this iron under the faucet - spillage free. The large 300ml water tank means longer ironing time and less refilling if need be.

Waiting time for the iron to heat up can be as quick as 20 to 30 seconds. One problem for me is the “ready” light is located in such an awkward position, I usually have to lean down a bit just to see if the iron is ready for use.

It is however sturdy enough to stand upright without ever worrying about it tipping over.

To me, ironing should be made effortless and Tefal manages to nail that easily. This iron glides so effortlessly that it feels like I’m ironing over butter.

As soon as the iron hits the garment, it creates a distinctive odour - possibly from the steam it creates. This is not a big deal to me but it could just be a normal occurrence.

Tefal is all about safety. There are auto shut off features, 30 seconds iron side down and 8 minutes upright.

Cleaning is simple. The sole plate can be cleaned with a simple combination of sponge and water - no need for chemicals. The calcium collector can be removed underneath the iron and rinsed under water, ready to be put back on and start the ironing process again in a matter of seconds.

To end it off, Tefal has impressed me with this product. Ironing is something I can finally stop holding back on because of the amount of effort needed to get rid of the creases. Makes ironing my work uniform pretty much next to no effort at all and that’s what I like.

Thank you Tefal for making me change my mind on the way ironing should be.

Yes, this was provided to me as a part of the ambassador program, no I have not been given any instructions specific to how the review should go other than to make it honest.

Right from the beginning it should be known, I am NOT an ironing guru. I HATE ironing. Almost as much as I hate brussel sprouts... the devils vegetable.

I literally buy my clothes based on whether or not they will need ironing or at least not need much ironing, so am I the right person to review it? It is always good to get an expert and someone who has no idea what the hell they're doing right?? hmmm...

Don't get me wrong, I do iron things, maybe once or twice a year or a lot when I am going for a job interview. I do actually own an iron. I purchased a Sunbeam digital iron quite about 5 years ago and it has had maybe a 3 hours use, so this is really all I have to go on to compare it to without dipping back into my memories as a kid with my mums iron which I am pretty sure you need to heat up on a stove it was that old.

Straight off the bat the first thing that comes to mind when this thing came out the box was this was not like most normal boring looking irons, it looks like it will iron them at 300kmh down conrod straight. It honestly looks like it has come straight out of the design shop of redbull racings F1 team. I bet not a lot of people are probably looking for that in an iron, but hey it looks pretty sleek.

Anyway enough blabbering...

Pros:
-The surface on this thing is amazing, I have never had an iron that glides so easily and effortlessly. I imagine this is what the underside of space-shuttles are made of, I am pretty sure this thing is more non-stick than a masterchef frying pan.
-It heats up so quickly, like really quickly compared to my old iron which I used to think was pretty quick.
-The steamer works really well and also builds up quickly
-Unlike my old iron you don't need a funnel to fill the dam thing, the filler hole (whatever its called) is actually large enough to fill right from the tap without having to dry it down.
-It is quite comfortable to hold and use for long periods of time having gone through 3 loads of washing whether or not they needed to be ironed
-Anti scale... or something... from what I have read this is that crap that builds up on the bottom of the iron over time so that has to be a good thing.
-The cord wraps nicely around the base which is super wide, makes it hard to easily tip

Cons:
-While heating up quickly is a pro, cooling down to a lower setting is slow and also complete guess work. Unlike my digital iron which tells you the temp and shows you using the light indicators that it is not ready yet, this one has a light which is on when it is heating up but when you choose a lower temp it stays off. So you sort of need to plan your ironing out from clothes, laundry items from coolest recommended temps to the highest.
-The cord is quite short compared to my other iron which is probably over 2m which means there are more options available to where I can use it without an extension cord
-The base is very wide which is excellent for making it super stable on even the wobbliest of ironing boards, however also makes it difficult to fit into the resting plate cut out on our ironing board
-It has so much steaming power that you can hang items up and use the steam at close range like an actual steamer. However, I found that this took quite a long time on a number of items and I found myself needing a shave by the time I finished doing a suit and dress shirt.

Well that's about all I can think of. It is a fantastic iron, but not a perfect iron.
Despite the cons, the fact of the matter is, this iron easily out performs my old iron and so that will now find a new home at my sisters... where no doubt it will probably continue to be used once or twice a year.

I've had this iron for about 3 weeks now, and I have to say I'm pretty impressed. It was supplied to me to test, in return for my honest thoughts as part of the Ambassador Program.

I'm not usually too enthusiastic about ironing, but I actually enjoy using this iron! (I can hear laughter as I write this - my family thinks it's hilarious that I enjoy using it this much! Before I had kids, I literally refused to ever even pick up an iron, let alone iron my husband's work shirts! In fact, he used to iron mine!!!)

The first thing I noted was that the instructions were confusing - vague diagrams, which I'm still struggling to follow.
However, the diagrams on the iron itself make it pretty easy to understand and follow.

I noticed it's far heavier than my old iron, which my mother actually noticed when she tried it. She felt it could be too heavy for older or arthritic wrists. I however have no issue with the weight.

I love the design of the water vessel - it is transparent and so easy to see how much water is in there, and when you're going to run out. The capacity is impressive - more than enough for a decent ironing session. While it doesn't come with an included cup, it's really not necessary.

I love the setting of the buttons and triggers, which make it easy to set of one of those amazing blooms of steam that I love - they make ironing stubborn linen or heavy cotton so much easier.

I have 2 linen shirts which I previously despised ironing - they were near to impossible! But I have no issue ironing them now - it's effortless.

I do find the heating light confusing, when I first used it I just wasn't sure if it was ready to use or not. I think, honestly, it heated so quickly that I assumed it couldn't possibly be ready to use!! It's that fast.

All in all, I find it's intelligent design. Easy to understand dials and buttons. A very stable stand which doubles as somewhere to wrap the cord around (which I love a little too much perhaps), and a swivel on the base of the power cord which makes it easier to iron as the cord moves with you - it makes up in part for the slightly shorter cord that I'm accustomed to.

I would recommend this iron. It's obviously well made, sturdy, and built to last - which is a rarity in today's cheaply made appliance surplus.

***My Tefal Turbo Pro FV5648 was supplied through the Product Review Ambassador Program in exchange of my honest review. “We” is for my partner and I.***

First thing I noticed when I opened this iron was the packing styrofoam blocks has broken while inside the box that most likely happened during transit. So before I could do anything with it, I had to clean off the styrofoam bits which had come loose and adhered themselves to all parts of the iron like a cat that rolled in bean bag fillings. The instruction booklet was in clear, easy to understand illustrations (a bit like the IKEA instructions) demonstrating the use, care and what not to do with the iron. But it could do with a bigger font as not everyone finds pictures easy to decipher. It is also Made in France, which to me, made the Tefal stand out from the ocean of Made in China counterparts.

We could not help but admire the sleek almost aerodynamic appearance of the iron too! The mix of style with engineering is very French indeed.

The auto-off feature is something that I really like about the iron. Because aside from hair straighteners, irons are the most common appliance that tend to be left on. It is one less thing to worry about while ironing your shirt before work.

The power cord is a little on the short side, but not a show stopper by any means, we just moved the board closer to a power board, which gave us a little more wiggle room. A little plastic pouring cup to use for filling the steam reservoir would make the package more complete. The transparent nature of the reservoir wall makes it clear how much water is in there and you would know when you need to top up. The water filling hole is quite large as well - big enough to fit my thumb through it.

We plugged it in to start for the first time. One large dial with the different heat settings was easy to understand and use (in English and French), once you selected your desired setting, an indicator light starts flashing, when it is off, the iron is ready to use. The stand on which you set the iron is quite large and steady, no worries of it toppling over while you prep the clothing or unintentionally bump the ironing board. I imagine that feature makes it safer if you have young children or pets.

The iron felt heavy compared to our old iron, but you are not going to get a forced arm workout from using it because of the ease it glides along the fabric. The handle is long, so it was easy for me to handle the iron without pressing the spray button by mistake, but it is still not long enough to stop my partner from unintentionally spraying his shirt with water.

We have actually never been so excited to do the ironing, to test out the different temperature settings, we brought out clothing of different fabrics to see how they would perform with each of them. Starting with viscose that I always had difficulty keeping it straight because of its bad reaction to high temperatures. It turned out with our old iron, the temperature setting for synthetics/silk was simply too high, because the Tefal took out the wrinkles with one or two glides, and with my careful arranging the shirt on the board, I was very happy with the result indeed! I will not bore you with the result of each type of fabrics but the Tefal took them all on with ease. The narrow arrowhead like tip provided easy manoeuvre into hard to reach places. We were done with the both our week's worth of work shirts/blouse while watching a single episode of Big Bang Theory. It made a chore into an enjoyable task, and in that aspect we can not ask for more.

We can not provide the efficiency of the calc/scale function because Sydney has relatively soft water, and we mostly use ironing water to fill the iron.

We do have a few minor grumbles about the placement of the buttons on the handle though,
1. The Spray button could be a little further out towards the front of the iron,
2. the steam turbo trigger would probably be better placed on the side where someone's thumb might go instead of the bottom, where if someone grips the handle a little tight and unintentionally turn on the turbo assist, in lower temperature settings it causes water to leak out instead of blowing steam.

So in conclusion, I will sum up the pros and cons

Pros:
- long narrow tip for hard to reach places
- easy glide
- fast heat up
- turbo steam feature which removes crease faster and more effectively but....!

Cons:
- the shortfall of having a powerful steam function is the condensation of water droplets that forms when the temperature is in the lower settings
- short power cable
- the packaging has something left to be desired, eg. more sturdy so it wouldn't break in transit
- button placement gets in the way but you learn to avoid them

So over all it is an effective iron, where the shortcomings we found to be relatively minor and does not affect the usage of the iron itself.
C'est bon! Tefal!

My Tefal Turbo Pro FV5648 was supplied through the Product Review Ambassador Program for me to use & to review. Overall my ironing is easier & faster to do - more comfortable to use - less time to remove stubborn creases with Turbo Boost. I am impressed & my very old iron has been quickly retired!

The box had great information on it & was easier to read than the instructions that were enclosed which was surprising.
I viewed the tefal.com.au website online to read their instructions prior to use, as I couldn’t read what was enclosed or follow the odd little pictures which were like a strange comic.

At first glance I thought the Tefal Turbo Pro FV5648 would be heavy as it appeared larger than I’d expected, however as we so often say, the look was deceiving, as the construction is relatively light.

The wonderful end stand (gives a bulky appearance) but is a huge improvement on my “old iron” which was always toppling over with the slightest wobble of the ironing board. This lightweight stand is constructed to give stability & it does!

The initial heating is very fast which saves valuable time, especially when something needed to be ironed in a rush. No sooner had I switched my iron on than it was ready to use.

This iron has a comfortable handle making it easy to manoeuvre. I do have hand/wrist issues so this was relatively important for me.

The water level can be easily viewed through the base & was easy to fill & to empty. I did have to purchase a small cheap plastic jug for filling it as there wasn’t one supplied.

The soleplate seems to be of a very high quality helping the iron to glide easily over all fabrics.

The pointy end is a little longer & narrower than my previous iron making those hard to iron areas easier to access.

I ironed a range of fabric’s over a couple of weeks without any problems.
The range of temperature settings were spot on.
The higher temperature settings were extremely powerful especially when used with the “Turbo Boost”. That button was located in a perfect position on the handle for ease of use & that powerful shot of steam removes stubborn creases like magic & is definitely my favourite feature!
I’ve never managed to get creases so sharp.

The spray button is also well positioned & gives a very fine spray of water.

The Auto off feature gives peace of mind for those times when I am ironing & get distracted unexpectedly.

I am curious to see how much scale builds up in the scale filter as this feature is new to me. The instructions say to check/clean monthly. I am yet to do this but prior to using for the first time, I did check out this filter which was easy to remove & replace again.

NEGATIVES –
The power lead is relatively short. I had to hunt for an extension lead prior to use.

A small plastic water jug would be handy & could easily be supplied. I bought a cheapie to use.

The enclosed literature - safety instructions etc is printed in a very tiny font accompanied by strange pictures (almost comic style) which I found impossible to read. Not only are these in a small font but the paper is tinted & the text is also a paler colour. A good sized black text on white paper is always my preference.
Luckily the Instructions are available online at www.tefal.com.au so I had a quick read of them online. A minor grumble but an important one that can be easily rectified.

The set of skills young people of today should learn, preferably before after leaving home, differ tremendously from those of last century. For example, today it’s important to know how to correctly microwave a pre-cooked dinner or, failing that, the best app for you to order the food in. Back when I left home, around when Ronald Reagan was elected President, I knew how to cook a chop with two veg or, failing that, the correct takeaways to use in order to get a balanced diet over the course of a week. However, some required skills haven’t changed too much in the last half century. These include separating dark clothes from light ones before you wash them; why you should read the washing instructions on expense clothes lest your wife’s silk blouse shrinks to the size of fitting a Barbie doll; and, of course how to iron said clothes once washed.

I learnt to iron from a friend who, after seeing me struggle, decided to show me the correct technique. It happened that his father was an old school dry cleaner who’d taught him and, in turn, he taught me. I recall being surprised to find the shape of the ironing board actually had a practical use -- who’d have thought? Fast forward thirty two years to 2018 and I still enjoy ironing. It’s my one time on the weekend where I can set up an ironing board, turn on the TV and watch some sports whilst trying to achieve a Zen-like state. Of course, in order to achieve clothes pressing enlightenment it helps to have a good iron.

Enter Tefal TurboPro **.

The first time I saw a Tefal iron was in Britain in the early 1990s and, to me, it was like a revolution in design. Until then, I’d used a hand me down from my parents. It’s difficult to describe the irons from this era, although I have seen their offspring in the cheaper irons today. The irons I used back then had a steel soleplate and water chamber, were typically shaped like a brick with a handle, had had fiddly dials and no visual cues to tell when you needed to fill them up. These irons would sometimes leave either a rust patch on shirts from the steam holes or a nice burn mark in the outline of the steel plate with white steam holes. But the Tefal irons I saw in Britain were sleek with a non-stick hot plate and I bought one. It worked so prodigiously well that i remained faithful to Tefals until we returned to Australia -- a decade and a bit later.

But times advance. Today other manufacturers have caught up and the design language of the 1990s Tefals -- its swooping and aerodynamic lines -- has been copied as has its non-stick surfaces. Today, in order for any manufacturer to stand out, an iron needs to be easier to use, simpler to maintain and have a better steam output for electrical input when measured against its competition. I’m glad to say that, in these respects, the Tefal TurboPro still remains ahead of the pack.

Before, in 2011, I complained that the Tefals seemed to be filled from the bottom with the sole top filling model unstable at the base with the cord lifting the iron. However, with the TurboPro, it appears that Tefal has listened to the customer and rectified these defencies. The TurboPro is top filled with a very stable base that keeps it well balanced standing on the ironing board.

I have been using the Tefal TurboPro for several weeks and it ticks the points I consider important in an iron, the first and best being its steam output. This is excellent and I was able to smooth even the most awkward of my linen. The ease by which the iron did this didn’t come too much of a surprise, given how both the box as well as Tefals own website both emphasize the steam output. Indeed, both have a picture of a bull forming from the steam with the words “Unleash the power of the bull”…. Mmm. I’d never linked bovines with steam before, but the imagery works in a strange, odd manner.

The TurboPro generates an impressive 220g/min of steam from its boost, which is more than I could find from some of its closest competitors (from the irons where the soleplate and steam chamber are integrated as opposed to a separate steam unit on the ground). The upside of this amount of generated steam is that one gets a good, smooth press. The downside is, and one that can’t be avoided, the water chamber needs filling up on a regular basis.

This brings me to one quirk. The water chamber’s dark blue housing is visually arresting, but this makes a quick visual assessment of water level difficult. I found myself having to lift the iron up to the sunlight in order to see when to fill it. I wondered if one solution might be a clear plastic strip so that, when the iron’s resting, a quick glance might show the water level. Perhaps on the next iteration.

Also the steam on turbo boost, while being excellent, left small, wet patches from the water vapour condensing the in the holes. This is, in all likelihood, one downside of having an impressive steam boost. Strangely, even this worked well since, unlike the irons of old, there was no rust or debris in the water and so the droplets provided an additional dampness to run the iron over in order to smooth out the fussy wrinkles. One final annoyance I found was the length of the cord which, at 1.8 metres, is too short for me by about 20cm. I found I needed to connect it to a 4-way adapter in order to get free movement of my arms from the height on which I iron.

However, these were more than compensated by the excellent results. The enamel soleplate, stated as “Durilium Airglide Autoclean”, provided an exceptionally smooth ironing movement. I haven’t had the iron long enough to test the “autoclean” claim of the surfacing, but after multiple ironing sessions there were no sticky bits left on the soleplate.

Speaking of which I particularly liked the design of the TurboPro’s soleplate. Across it there are differing sized hole, depending on their function, and a good number to ensure even steam distribution. The outer holes were large for a solid press whereas those in the middle, as well as the pointy end, were smaller for extra finesse. I don’t claim to understand the engineering behind it, but this attention to detail resulted a quicker iron for me than my older unit -- despite the additional refilling because of the extra steam. It also uses different temperatures and steam outputs whether it is used horizontally or vertically which is a feature I’ve never seen before although, I’m an old school horizontal ironing fellow.

Another useful feature is the iron has a single, swivelling control for temperature. One of my bugbears are irons with dials, which I find difficult to see if it’s in the correct position (and don’t get me started on the multi-dial irons, which I find near impossible to use), but the Tefal’s temperature markings were well spaced, where the lower temperature markings are clearly divided and the higher marks closer together. This made selecting the correct temperature straightforward. As with most modern irons, the TurboPro has simple anti-calc cleaning (effectively a dongle in the base of the iron to collect water impurities that you clean every so often), a cord wraps neatly around the base and easy emptying afterwards by simply tipping it over the sink.

The iron is 2400w with a maximum temperature of over 180 degrees Celsius. This level of heat raised alarms for me but there are two auto off safety functions: one at 30 seconds if the iron is left horizontal; and the other at 8 minutes if left standing vertically. I’m uncertain if this would prevent burning (and I didn’t want to test it out on my best cotton shirts), but it’s there and could prevent burn marks of old. One last work is the iron’s build quality is evident, making it somewhat weighty, and it should last for a good number of years.

The Tefal TurboPro is not perfect -- I would have preferred a longer cord -- but it is a superb. All-in-all, it continues Tefal’s tradition of manufacturing excellent, well-engineered irons and is one I can easily recommend.

**This iron was received and tested as part of the Ambassador Programme for ProductReview.com.au

Anything that makes the tedious job of ironing easier has got to be a bonus, the Tefal does just that.
After years of using a Phillips Azur I now have a Tefal Turbopro iron, I wasn't expecting a lot of difference, they are ' just Irons ' anyway. I couldn't have been more mistaken.
Straight out of the box I was impressed with the Tefal, that is, once I got over the initial shock of the electric blue colour scheme! The packaging is simple, the pictorial guide easy to follow.
At first, I was surprised to find that there was no plastic water cup included, then realised that the fill opening is large enough and at the right angle to allow it to be filled straight from a tap, no more hunting for the elusive cup or having it melt up against a hot sole plate.
The cord at 1.8 metres is shorter than most. This is a bonus for me as I use an ironing station and longer cords just get in the way. It might be a problem if you use a folding ironing board and a floor level power outlet though.
Water capacity is around 300 ml, more than enough to get through a decent ironing session even when using the very efficient and impressive Turbo Steam function. The tank is easily drained afterwards if you need to pack it away, no more shaking and dribbling over the sink!
I find the two-stage Auto-off feature particularly useful , when left laying horizontally it will switch off after 30 seconds [ 28 on my unit ] and if left standing and unmoved will shut down after 8 minutes [ 7 minutes 22 seconds for mine ] Short enough to stop scorching all but the flimsiest of fabrics and long enough to allow you to go to the closet for something else to iron without it cooling down in the interim . The wide stability foot at the base won't let a stray bump, cat or child knock it over easily either, a really good safety feature.
At 2400 Watts the Tefal has the highest drain allowable from a domestic power outlet, this equates to a blistering maximum temperature of over 180 degrees Celsius, combined with the excellent steam function and sprayer it made short work of the most difficult to iron linen clothing my closet could provide. The temperature control is easy to read and stays where you put it, unlike others than move about as you iron. Settings are well spaced and the thermostat allows a really good range of temperatures for various fabrics.
In Celsius the measured temperatures on my unit are ;
Linen, 186.5. , Cotton 162. , Wool 146. , Silk 111.9. , Synthetic 84.
This shows a wide and progressive range that allows you to select a temperature that exactly matches the fabric you have.
It is easy to push and kind to your wrist, I could see my own reflection in the sole plate, it is so shiny that I suspect very little could ever stick to it.
I didn't realise just how efficient an iron could be until I used the Tefal.

We recently received a Tefal TurboPro FV5648 iron from the ProductReview.com.au Ambassador Program to review and, before anyone comments, yes I do share the ironing with my wife so this is a review based on our shared experience with the unit.

First Impressions (pardon the pun)

The first thing we noticed was the ridiculous amount of effort the marketing team put into the outside of the box, making it look more like the latest and greatest super toy with features, features, features! People... it doesn't fly, it doesn't iron without human help, it's just an iron.

Much to our surprise the iron is actually a new version of our existing six year old iron, so it should be easy to compare but have its work cut our for it to impress us - the old one is good. In the box was the iron and three documents - the warranty booklet, the safety guide booklet and something I shall generously call a Quick Start Guide.

This Quick Start Guide is, without doubt, the most pathetic product document I have come across in years - a single, double sided folded sheet of pictures and iconography which was supposed to explain how to use all the features of three different models of the iron but is actually just confusing rubbish. Even now, after two weeks of use, there are still some parts of this guide which evade our understanding - at least our original iron came with a multi-lingual booklet which used words - a strange concept but one which amazingly conveyed far more meaning that this stupid, penny-pinching sheet of hieroglyphics.

The iron itself is a 2400W steam iron with a variety of features:

Removable Calc Collector
Water Spray
Steam Boost ("Turbo Boost") *
Auto Off
Vertical Steaming
Automatic Steam
20% Energy Saving *
33% More Glide(!) *
* plenty of asterisks were on offer on the box to validate or qualify/quantify these features!

Using the Iron

Apart from the shorter lead (see later) the iron was very similar to our older one. Did it have "more glide"? Hard to say without a stopwatch and steep ironing board. The spray worked well though and the automatic steam was adequate, though only as good as our previous iron when on max heat due to the combined controls. The steam on demand button also worked well.

We tried a wide variety of pairs of identical garments, where possible each trying both the new and old iron for comparison. The iron is quite heavy but that is not necessarily a bad thing and the increased water capacity is always welcome. The auto off feature functioned as expected but the poor position of the combined light (see later) made the feature less user-friendly. We also tried steaming some fabrics using the iron vertically and found the results to be quite satisfactory though, to be honest, I'd probable use a proper steamer due to the weight and necessity of frequently having to hold the iron flat then upright again.

One feature we could not test in the time we had it is the anti-calc (limescale). The iron features a calc reservoir at the back which is supposed to collect the limescale build up and make it easier to keep clean, rather than having to remove and clean a component with lemon juice every few months. If true and effective this is a nice touch but certainly not a deal breaker. I did feel that this is a bit of a gimmick, we've not really had issues with the old one and it's difficult to say if this is a must have feature.

The Nitty Gritty

The overall design is only slightly different from our older one - about 40 grammes heavier and with a water capacity about 50ml larger. The sole plate is almost identical in shape and hole design and has a special coating to help it glide over fabrics.

I was disappointed to see that the power/standby light in the handle had been removed, leaving just one utilitarian power/heating/standby indicator near the back where the cable enters the unit. This is poor placement in our opinion as the stand around the base almost completely obscures this from view. Indeed we only realised our old one had two lights, one in the handle and one (heating) at the cable base, when comparing the two units - that is how poor the visibility of the one by the cable base is - minus one mark.

One particularly notable difference between this unit and the old one is that Tefal have shortened the cable length by approximately 25% - the original was about 2.4m (8') but it is now only about 1.8m (6'). This may not be an issue if you have easily accessible power sockets but I found it quite restrictive in our home where the sockets are not ideally placed for ironing - a short extension cable proved necessary. Another bad move, Tefal.

The steam controls on the iron would appear to have been "simplified", again we did not feel this is an improvement. The temperature control at the upper end of the scale show four levels of steam available between "dot-dot" and "dot-dot-dot". The downside of this is that selecting ECO only seems to generate some automatic steam, if you want full auto steam you have to turn the temperature up to full - not necessarily wanted with some fabrics. Additionally, the temperature dial was very inaccurate - you could try to set it to (say) ECO but it would spring back a few millimetres. Try as we might we could not accurately set the dial to a particular position easily without it springing back the way we'd come - very annoying

Our older model provided a four position steam selector on the handle available anywhere from "dot-dot" temperature up to "dot-dot-dot" - the new iron simply provides steam on or off via this control.

Conclusion

This iron did have a hard time trying to match up to its older cousin. Don't get us wrong, it's a nice iron and performed quite well in most scenarios. However, when compared to one of its older predecessors, it showed up as a series of money saving compromises over the earlier model - the combined light, the combined controls and the shorter cable - all these little changes changed this from being a great iron to being a gimmicky but ok iron.

For all its features (and asterisks), at the end of the day it's just a steam iron and an expensive one too. The best we feel we can give this iron is a three and a half out of five - it's good but not great.