Makes ironing a breeze! – Quite frankly, I hate ironing! I can't remember the last time I ironed, but I couldn't wait for this to arrive so that I could give it a go. I've had this for a few weeks now. In the interest of transparency it was sent to me for the purpose of providing a review with no expectations around whether this review be positive or negative. Myself, my husband and my mother in law have all given this iron a good go and overall we think it is fantastic. More details below:

Negatives:

- My first negative about the product was how big it is. Once we sat down and had a think about where we could put it, then rearranged our laundry cupboard we have found space for it with no issue.

- The other issue around the size is how much space it takes up on the ironing board. I think I have a relatively small ironing board and to begin with I had it on a stool next to the board, but I found I could actually make do with it on the ironing board itself.

- There are compartments for packing away the cords, but trying to get the thick iron/steamer cord back into it's compartment is just ridiculous. It's virtually impossible.

- My husband used it for about an hour one afternoon and we discovered water had pooled on the floor under the board, and near where the extension cord was. This is not at all ideal.

- The unit itself gets quite hot. It took an hour to cool down, before I wanted to put it back in the cupboard.

- Because you have to empty and refill the water every time and then wait for it to heat (only 2 mins), it might not be ideal for someone who realises they need to iron the dress they're wearing as they're rushing out the door (usually me). Not the biggest negative because this iron actually does make you want to iron so this might be less of an issue for me now. :-)

- I don't think this is something I'd get out for just ironing one item. It'd be a bit of a pain to me. Maybe not to others.

- Sometimes when using it as an iron (as opposed to a steam iron) Ifelt I needed to get my hand out of the way or get burnt by the steam, and even though there is a glove provided for use when it is being used vertically as a steam iron, when using it on the board as a traditional iron, you really do need your hand free to negotiate the item of clothing.

- Not really product related but in terms of delivery it was made clear in the emails I received that the item needed to be signed for. Despite being home at the time, the box was left at my front door, on a rainy day with the wind and rain blowing sideways - a product worth $600- $700. I wasn't happy with this. Not the products fault, but I don't think the supplier would be happy with their couriers either.

Positives:

- It was packaged really well, and with all recyclable components except for 2 or 3 plastic bags. I really appreciate that manufacturers are considering the environment and doing away with foam and polystyrene.

- I really like the 1800ml water container, though even after ironing for 1 hour only about 300 ml was used. Nice to not have to refill a fiddly water hole with 100ml or so of water when you're ironing.

- The iron itself is really light and easy to use. Having a good access to the steam function makes ironing so much easier.

- I like the auto function which senses when you are using it and relases steam, stopping when the iron stops.

- You don't have to change any heat or fabric settings - the iron is so intuitive that you simply turn it on and use it for whatever fabric is in front of you.

- Great that you can rest it on your ironing board and it won't burn, though this is a hard habit to break when you're not used to it.

- I love that it has a timer which senses nil use after 10 minutes and turns the iron off. No more stressing about whether you forgot to turn the iron off!

- What I love about this iron, is the steam function. I have lots of stretchy dresses that I hang up, use the steam iron and I can complete a skirt or dress in less than 30 seconds. Not even kidding!

- My 3 year old has a bunch of dresses that she hasn't worn for months because I couldn't be bothered ironing the fiddly things. That will definitely change with this.

OVERALL:

We all loved this iron. My MIL irons everything and she wants one. She even said she was going to buy one, and sent a photo of it to her friend she was so excited about it. The fact that I can iron a dress or a skirt easily in less than 30 seconds makes this a winner for me. Because it is so easy to use I can guarantee that this is an iron that will be used by me.

Biggest downfalls would be the bulk of it, and the price. For your average family I think the price makes it inaccessible. For these 2 reasons I am giving it a 4 out of 5 instead of a 5. For someone who needs to iron work shirts regularly, or who loves to have freshly ironed clothes and sheets (I know right - there are some people who love ironing!), then I think this would be a great time saver and worth every penny.