Polti La Vaporella XT90C Steam Generator Iron: our verdict
Produced by the inventors of the steam generator iron, the Polti La Vaporella XT90C has a pleasing, almost retro look compared to other steam generator irons. I particularly like the cork handle grip, which is both comfortable to hold and a nice design element.
But enough about how it looks, how does it perform? Impressively, it turns out. The Vaporella heats up in just over a minute (much more quickly than other steam generator irons I've tried), and makes ironing easy. Handling was smooth and you can feel how good a job its doing.
With a turbo function for heavy creases and upright steaming, it made light work of all the fabrics I tested it on. Switching the iron into upright mode, I used it to release some creases from my curtains and freshen them up - it made them look better, although it didn't eliminate all the creases.
However, there are a couple of small design quirks that I felt could do with changing. Firstly, the power cord and the water tank outlet are on the same side, which could cause safety issues and just makes things that bit awkward when filling and emptying the water tank. Secondly, the water tank is not removable. I've tested a lot of irons and a removable water tank makes such a difference to how easy it is to fill and empty.
On the whole, the Polti La Vaporella is a very good iron and gives more expensive steam generators - like the Tefal Pro Express Vision - a run for their money.
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