Anyone who has done their own laundry can attest to the necessity of a decent iron to smooth out wrinkled fabrics – either that or some of us have grown accustomed to donning clothes that look like they were slept in. For the sake of anyone who does not enjoy looking disheveled, we listed our top five favourite steam irons here.

Image Credit: Cornell
Conventional steam irons are equipped with base plates composed of steel as the material is easier to procure and form for mass production, but ceramic has long been recognized as a more efficient conductor of heat. The CSI E240 is a steam iron from Cornell that has a ceramic-coated base-plate and safety features that enables this device to be touted as one guaranteed to never burn your clothes.

Image Credit: Electrolux
A brand synonymous with the realm of laundry, Electrolux seeks to push the envelope of conventional irons with the ESI6123. This device deserves a mention on account of the ResilumTM polymer coating on its baseplate, a continuous control dial that permits the exact selection of temperature, and an extra-sharp tip on the nose enabling access to tight folds.

Image Credit: Morphy Richards
Where all other irons deposit bits of lime scale on your clothes – whether their base plates are coated in aluminium oxide, ceramic, or a proprietary polymer, the ATOMiST from Morphy Richards removes that issue with a thermoglass base plate. Thermoglass – or borosilicate glass, provides the thermal conductivity of ceramics in a fully transparent material that enables you to watch as creases disappear underneath.

Image Credit: Panasonic
The NI-W950A from Panasonic is the result of an effort to redesign a centuries-old device with the known pitfalls removed – traditional ironing requires a degree of arm-lifting that would be not be missed by anyone having to prepare clothes for an entire family. Panasonic’s redesign of the base-plate, fashioned out of a curved plate of anodized aluminum instead of following the convention of steel, provides us with an iron that can effortlessly glide in any direction – removing the need to lift the device to affect repeated strokes.

Image Credit: Philips
Philips is a brand with a reputation for innovating home appliances in ways that could not have been imagined without a sustained observation of their products in action. Noticing and reacting to the pitfalls of conventional steam irons, Philips has updated their PerfectCare Azur steam iron to include a cord guide that keeps the power cable from coming in contact with the heated face of the iron, and to help keep the spray of water robust, a handy indicator light notifies users when it is time to clean out the limescale from the water reservoir.
*Brands are listed alphabetically