Atomist Vapour Iron Feedback Thread. NON TESTERS please share your best tips on speedy ironing for a chance to win a £100 John Lewis voucher! NOW CLOSED

[PoppyMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the 15 MNers who tested the Atomist Vapour Iron, but also NON TESTERS sharing their top tips on ironing.

Here’s what Morphy Richards says about the Atomist Vapour Iron: “For consumers who live in hard water areas, they can find that limescale continually affects and damages their products, and this is a concern that Morphy Richards heavily focused on when developing the Atomist Vapour Iron. As the iron doesn’t produce limescale, it directly eliminates the prospect of unsightly white marks appearing on clothes while ironing, meaning that clothes never have to be re-washed because of limescale marks. The iron is also ideal for those who are looking to use products that aren’t harmful to the environment, as the Redefine Atomist Iron uses less water and energy than a standard steam iron.”

Testers, please tell us what you thought about the iron. Here are some questions to get you started, but please feel free to add your own comments too. Please also add any photos you’ve taken to the feedback thread.

• How did the Atomist Vapour Iron compare to your usual iron?
• What did you think were the benefits of the Atomist Vapour Iron?
• Did it make ironing usual items of clothing easier? If yes, why? If no, why not?
• What did you think the benefits were of vapour over steam?
• Why did you want to take part in this test and what iron did you previously have?

Please now write a review about the Atomist Vapour Iron in the Mumsnet household appliances review section here here

Please also write a review in the Morphy Richards review section here

Testers who have given their feedback and written a review will be able to keep their irons as a thank you.

For NON TESTERS, please share your top tips on ironing for a chance to win a £100 John Lewis voucher.

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Thanks!
MNHQ

Forgot my pictures!

Forgot my pictures!

I did take a couple of videos as well if they are needed?

• How did the Atomist Vapour Iron compare to your usual iron?

It is much bigger and when I took it out of the box I dropped the base on my toe which has now got a bit of a cut on and turned slightly blue - I am extremely clumsy though and do things like this all the time so can't say it's a reflection on the iron. My usual iron is a normal kind of steam generated older Morphy Richards and it is nowhere near as pretty as this one. I like the clear base and the futuristic design. I first used the iron on my dh's cotton polo shirts which are notoriously difficult to iron and it took 2-3 times going over the shirts to get rid of creases, I found the window on the iron didn't show the creases as well as I hoped it would. I then used the iron on dd1's new cotton top which I only went over once and found it worked really well and better than my old iron.

• What did you think were the benefits of the Atomist Vapour Iron?

The cold vapour rather than steam is fantastic, especially with a small child running around. I like how light it is and how smooth it runs over clothing when ironing. The rubber holding strips on the base are good to keep the iron in place too - it's easier to leave the room if I need to take one of the children to the toilet or to get changed and not worry about it falling over.

• Did it make ironing usual items of clothing easier? If yes, why? If no, why not?

Yes because it was lighter than my usual iron, however I found myself pressing harder down onto the clothes. The vapour spat a bit leaving big drops of water on the clothes but after a few minutes use it seemed more like a fine mist rather than raindrops. I also appreciated the beeps to let me know when it was ready to use and when I switched it off there was a beep - maybe when it had cooled down, I'm not sure on that.

• What did you think the benefits were of vapour over steam?

It's cool and therefore doesn't burn me at all.

• Why did you want to take part in this test and what iron did you previously have?

I was very interested in the vapour aspect of the iron and haven't bought a new iron in years, I have so much washing and ironing to do that anything that can help or is better than I already have is welcomed!! I had an older Morphy Richards iron.

Photos to follow

Pictures of ironing...

Non-tester
Always iron when the clothes are a little damp, before the creases have had time to dry off.
Also, don't leave the iron on the clothes while you answer the door!

Non tester

Take things out of the tumble dryer when they're still warm. Most things won't need ironing or will just need a quick once over.

Non tester

If possibly put clothes through a tumble dryer and as soon as finishing fold clothes and hang shirts straight up. This generally means it takes a lot less time to whizz over them when you are needing to iron.

Non tester

When I worked full time I outsourced the ironing to the cleaner... But now I'm a SAHM I put the telly on and just get on with it. I keep my phone far away so not distracted and prioritise DD stuff.

Tester here. Thank very much indeed for the opportunity. the iron arrived on Saturday, when my parents were staying, and we were all very excited to unveil it. We liked the packaging, and the presentation of the iron. We felt that we were seeing something very new, there was a lot of pomp and ceremony to the presentation of the packaging.

I will post photos on another post as I can't upload them right now, but here is my feedback:

• How did the Atomist Vapour Iron compare to your usual iron?

It is much more state of the art. The whole thing (iron and base part) is much heavier and much larger to store. I had to clear out a shelf in the cupboard to get it in (my current one is wall mounted). The iron itself is much lighter though. My mum was initially concerned that the cable wouldn't be long enough, but it was, so all ok there!

• What did you think were the benefits of the Atomist Vapour Iron?

The weight. It was much, much lighter and, when I got used to not pressing down so much to get more of a push behind it, it felt easier to iron with this iron. Also, the lack of steam made the clothes much cooler to touch.

• Did it make ironing usual items of clothing easier? If yes, why? If no, why not?

I did 90 minutes worth of ironing with this iron, which is less time than I'd usually spend. I think that is due in part to the ease of ironing and in part to me simply having less to do this week as there were no work shirts. I ironed bedding, t-shirts and childrens clothes. I liked the fact that the water reservoir didn't need to be topped up during the ironing. The amount of water you needed to produce enough vapour is obviously less than you'd need to steam ironing the same amount of clothes.

I liked being able to see what I was ironing too.

I think this iron takes a bit of getting used to. Had I paid £250 for it, I think I would have ben disappointed after using it once. I didn't really think it ironed any quicker than a very good steam iron. It was less heavy though, so if I was doing my usual nearly 3 hours of ironing a week, I think I would find it much easier on my arm due to the lighter weight.

• What did you think the benefits were of vapour over steam?

Not burning myself, feeling more able to let me tween have a go at ironing, iron itself was lighter as it didn't contain water. I also think that I would feel more confident if I had an elderly or incapacitated relative who wanted to iron using it.

• Why did you want to take part in this test and what iron did you previously have?

I previously had a Phillips (I think I said which model when I applied to be a tester). I wanted to be part of this test as I iron for up to 3 hours every week, and although I know that I could reduce the amount of ironing I do, I like clothes and bedding to look pressed. Anything that saves time or does a better job is welcome!

Another contribution from a tester. My cleaner is here today and I asked her to have a crack at this iron, as she is a "professional" ironer. She's just ironed a pillow case and a duvet cover and we've had a chat about the iron.

After our chat she went and got the steam iron...

She found the design of the iron annoying - where the vapour cord comes out of the iron, it sticks up and was on her wrist the whole time, which she didn't like. I didn't notice this however, so perhaps we hold the iron in different ways.

Where she had ironed the duvet cover still had visible creases, so I re-ironed that bit, using lots of vapour, and the creases went. I think this is the secret to this iron - it's not hot enough on its own to get the creases out, you need the vapour, and you need quite a bit of vapour to get the creases out. Otherwise you are essentially dry ironing with a cool iron, which won't do any good at all.

She felt it was slower to iron than a normal steam iron, and commented that if you liked ironing and had loads of time it would be fine. I, in turn, wondered if such a person exists!

So mixed reviews from us - I quite liked it, she prefers a traditional steam iron. Perhaps I like the novelty of it, and perhaps I will iron more as it's a bit different!

Happy to upload a video if there is a way of doing this.

Non-tester

One thing which I am quite to have realised only recently is that if you give things a good shake before pegging out and make sure they are hanging straight, then there will be less wrinkles and ironing will be much easier.

I also try to keep on top of it and do each load as it's dry rather than letting a mountain build up.

Thank you so much Mumsnet. I have now completed all three reviews including on the Morphy Richards website and hope that you will be happy with my efforts and allow me to keep the iron!

I also hope that you'll consider me for future review panels. It was fun!

Non-tester, and hate ironing! Tips that make it more bearable:

• I line-dry things wherever possible, the windier within reason the better because the wind shakes them out for you.
• Fold straight from the line (or warm from the dryer) everything apart from collars, pleats and things that are seriously creased. And even then, only outerwear. I ain't ironing pants for anybody.
• The remaining items I iron once a week, generally on Sundays. Alternate shirts and other items, with a swig of tea after each shirt as a 'reward'. Music also helps. I use spray starch on shirt collars and for bad creases, as it makes ironing easier and quicker.
• Alternatively, pay your teenager .

Tester

How did the Atomist Vapour Iron compare to your usual iron?

The iron performs similarly to my current iron, a Philips.

At first I did not like it compared to my current iron, but I used it several times before posting my feedback to give me a chance to get used to it. My first impressions was it was too light and the wire coming out of the back is annoying.

I got used to the weight but the wire in the back is still annoying. When putting it down between irons, I had to put it back on it’s plate each time (annoying and fiddly) because the wire in the back stopped it from standing upright alone. I notice that the lady on the video does not have this problem.

I also find it quite bulky to store.

The vapour is fundamentally a cool water spray and I thought from the marketing that the vapour mist technology would be something more and I was intrigued to find out. It isn’t really, and my current iron has a water spray feature. However, the vapour spray disperses better than the spray on my current iron.

What did you think were the benefits of the Atomist Vapour Iron?

On screen, it looks attractive compared to other irons in the market. I like the look of the glass plate. If I was purchasing an iron on line I might have chosen this one due to the marketing and look of it.

I'm not a very good ironer, so the glass plate showed me when I might be ironing additional creases into the clothes. Handy, but I generally know when I am accidentally ironing in creases anyway.

Did it make ironing usual items of clothing easier? If yes, why? If no, why not?

I was quite disappointed because it did not make ironing easier as I had hoped. I didn't find it any quicker, it actually made it slower due to the iron falling over when placed upright (see Q1 above). I generally only iron DS's clothes as I like him to look tidy for the 5 mins between getting him dressed and him getting himself scruffy. Little clothes require a lot of putting down and picking up the iron, so quite important that I can stand the iron up while adjusting the areas to be ironed.

What did you think the benefits were of vapour over steam?

The vapour is not going to cause burn injuries unlike steam. I also noticed that I used less water in the vapour iron, so on a mammoth ironing session you probably will need to fill up less.

Morphy Richards also claim the Atomist Vapour Iron means no limescale build up, but testing period is too short to test that.

Why did you want to take part in this test and what iron did you previously have?

I wanted to take part because it claimed to make ironing easier, everyone wants that. It also looks great. And I was interested to see what the vapour technology was (its a water spray).

However, I am disappointed by the iron as it didn't make ironing easier for me. It is a top the range iron and for the price tag, it ought to.

I also don't like the way it looks in reality. As I mentioned above, on screen it looks great, but in reality its bulky.

So overall, I am not impressed with this iron. I like the idea and perhaps if Morphy Richards test a few more prototypes it might become a better product in the future.

Thanks to Mumsnet and Morphy Richards for allowing me to test the iron. When you told me I had been picked, for the first time ever I was excited about ironing. So thank you for brightening up my ironing experience. I will upload pictures separately.

Some of DS's tops - before, after and under.

Trousers, before and after

The vapour is fundamentally a cool water spray and I thought from the marketing that the vapour mist technology would be something more and I was intrigued to find out. It isn’t really, and my current iron has a water spray feature. However, the vapour spray disperses better than the spray on my current iron.

I was thinking about this while I was attacking my own ironing monster (with a nice steamy iron!) and was considering how much of this really is a wonderful new technology which makes a product worth £250 and how much of it is emperor's new clothes style marketing speak.

I think this product test might have made me, as a non tester, more wary and cynical about what appears to be, to all intents and purposes, a very expensive, bulky, dry iron with a water spray.

I think I'll be sticking with the steam.

don't let the ironing pile build up is my tip for speedy ironing - if i have a huge pile to work through i feel demotivated and go slower. If it is just a few items each time i try to vaguely time myself to speed up for each item of clothing and end up going quicker!

Non tester.
Agreed not to let the pile mount up and fold straight away once out of the tumble dryer.
I have go to films to watch whenever I iron, love me some "It's a wonderful life".

Non-tester

I don't spin clothes at too fast a speed and then line dry - putting t-shirts, etc. on hangers. This often means they do not need ironing (especially if it has been windy). When I iron I like a good film on the TV or cheerful music to iron along to.

Non tester. If your iron is a random calcium depositing type, iron a tea cloth first to check it's behaving itself. Hang tops to dry before ironing and a lot of the creases will have dropped out already. If things have dried creased or crunchy pop them in the tumble with a wet towel to soften them back up, or hang in a steamy bathroom.

Non-tester

• Buy the biggest ironing board you can afford/store. A bigger board makes ironing large items (especially bed linen) much easier.
• Start with shirts, trousers and delicates. I find I get bored and stop doing a thorough job so doing the toughest pieces first means they're done properly.
• Make sure you have everything you need to hand (water, TV remotes etc) before you start.

Non Tester
I now hang all clothes up after washing. Most creases naturally fall out. If not, I iron and go. Saves loads of time, never mind effort, electric etc.

Don't let things overdry, use a good steam iron, put some music on and the ironing will be done before you know it!