What's the Tefal AeroSteam like to set up?
Set-up is straightforward. The controls are intuitive, and I liked that the power button flashes while the AeroSteam heats up before beeping to let you know it's ready. Tefal says it takes 30 seconds to heat up, and that matched my experience. This is clearly designed for getting through a few items quickly rather than turning into a full ironing session.
The water tank is easy to remove and clicks firmly back into place, so there's no wondering whether you've fitted it properly.
Filling it takes a little care because the opening is quite small. I filled it straight from the tap using a gentle flow, which worked well. A filter jug would probably be a little more awkward. The tank itself is small, which becomes more noticeable once you're using it.
On first use it spat a little, but after that it behaved perfectly. During the month I tested it, it didn't leave any marks, shine, residue or flattened patches on either cotton shirts or linen trousers.
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What's the Tefal AeroSteam like to use day to day?
The AeroSteam is simple to use, although it isn't especially light. Tefal lists the weight as 1.55kg, which feels about right. It has a solid, well-built feel, but by the end of a session it became noticeably heavy. Compared with an iron, where the board supports much of the weight, or a lighter clothes steamer, this asks more of your arm.
I used it on hanging clothes throughout testing, which is where the convenience really comes into its own. There's no ironing board to drag out, no wrestling sleeves across the board and no waiting for clothes to dry afterwards. My shirts and trousers were ready to wear straight away.
The suction is what sets it apart. Rather than grabbing the fabric, it gently pulls it towards the steamer head so you don't have to keep stretching the garment yourself. I never had any problems with puckering, dragging or fabric catching around buttons, collars, cuffs or seams.
The downside is the noise. With the vacuum switched on, it's about as loud as a vacuum cleaner, which is a big jump from a normal clothes steamer. I tried every setting and preferred maximum vacuum because speed was the whole point for me. The lower vacuum setting is a little quieter, although not dramatically so. Steam-only mode is useful if noise matters more than speed, but I got the quickest and best-looking results with the vacuum running.
Storage is better than I'd expected. Although it's tall, the footprint is fairly small and it fitted easily onto a shelf. I'd compare it with storing an upright steam iron. If the water tank is empty, you can also lay it on its side.