I find there are usually two types of people who are ironing regularly: those who have a professional level, sturdy ironing board that helps them finish their laundry, and those who struggle with a cheap, old ironing board which perhaps was passed down from someone else.
Why do people sometimes keep using an ironing board long after its true usefulness is gone? I presume part of it is the perception of the ironing board as being a cheap flimsy people of metal with a cloth over it. If you find yourself in this category, take a look at what a real ironing board can do.
The Brabantia Steam REst Ironing Board is one of the most popular ironing boards on the market, and comes packed with features that make it stand out from the pack. In today’s Brabantia steam rest ironing board review, we’ll be taking a closer look at what makes this one so good.
Packed With Features
The Brabantia can almost be considered an ironing “station” instead of just an ironing board.
It features a larger ironing surface than other ironing boards, as well as an under mounted linen rack where you can stash your completed garments. At the tail end there is an iron rest which allows you to safely store a hot iron while moving your laundry.
The thick felt/foam layer gives you enough resistance but also enough give to allow you control over the fabric and helps get those tough creases out.
Altogether, this combination of features means that you can be turned into a one-person ironing machine. This ironing board is great for everything from shirts and pants to heavy bulky fabrics such as certains, sheets, or other upholstery.
Safety Locking Mechanisms
If you have yourself a powerful ironing board, and you’re using it to tackle some heavy sheets, you want extra confidence that the board is not going to suddenly collapse out from under you – causing spilled water, a damager floor or iron, or even worse – damage to your own feet.
The Brabantia ironing board comes equipped with a safety locking mechanism that prevents the board from falling. This feature along with the strong legs makes many online reviewers’ report that this is one of the most sturdy ironing boards out there.
Additionally, when the ironing board is in storage and not being used, there is a secondary locking mechanism that keeps the folded legs in place. No strange noises in the middle of the night when the ironing board falls open and knocks over other things nearby – the Brabantia has this covered (no pun intended).
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Specifications
- Dimensions: 19 x 3.3 x 62.6 inches
- Item weight: 18.6 pounds, shipping weight: 18.75 pounds
- Ironing surface: 49 x 18 inches
- Comes with iron rest and linen rack
- Transport lock keeps table folded
- Safety lock keeps legs in place when open
- Folds to 3.5 inches tall
Pros
The Brabantia ironing board is adjustable to up to 4 different heights, ranging from 30 – 38 inches. If you feel like you’re too tall for an ironing board, many reviewers over 6 feet tall mention enjoying this board.
For such a feature-packed ironing board, you would think you have to leave it open and “installed” at a particular spot in the house. However, it is amazingly slim when folded. It folds down to a 3.5 inch height and can easily be stashed behind a door, in a closet, or squeezed anywhere you have a couple of inches of space.
Cons
Iron rests are generally one of the first things people want to remove from their ironing board. Unfortunately, as with many other ironing boards, the iron rest on the Brabantia Ironing Board is not removable.
Several reviewers mention unbalanced legs that can lead to wobbliness of the ironing board. In some cases users report the legs being slightly bent upon receiving their package. I suspect the reviewers struggling with wobbliness may have encountered some shipping damage that caused something to be slightly bent or loosened.
This ironing board also does not contain a flex guide clip. These are normally used to affix the iron’s power cord to the table so that you do not need to be shifting it around constantly while you iron. Because this ironing board does not have a flex guide clip, the power cord can and apparently does tend to find itself sliding between the iron rest and the edge of the ironing board, which can be annoying when you’re expecting more slack from the cord but instead it is stuck.
What Customer Reviews Say
This product has a great ratio of positive to negative reviews on Amazon. Currently it has a spread of about 83% 5-star reviews, and around 5% 1-star reviews. With over two thousand reviews as of this writing, I would expect to see a higher volume of negative reviews.
Many of the positive reviews are effusive and superlative, such as “this is the best ironing board I’ve ever owned.” Additional themes in the reviews are this board being good for tall people (due to its adjustable height), and good for people who have to iron professionally.
Many of the negative reviews concentrate on the shipping issues with the legs mentioned earlier, and some customers comment on fraying occurring at the nose end of the ironing board after several uses.
Conclusion
When you combine many of the nice additional features you get in more expensive ironing boards – steamer rack, linen holder, iron rest, etc – with quality manufacturing – safety locking mechanisms, adjustable height, and sturdy legs – at an affordable price, you get a great professional-level ironing board.
The Brabantia ironing board is one of the best “upgrade” ironing boards – meaning people who need to upgrade their ironing boards are likely to really enjoy switching from their current old, busted ironing board to this one.
If you’re still dealing with a terrible screech of metal when you open out some rusted legs, or you find that your board has many “hacks” that you have to do to it to finish your laundry, then it’s time to toss it in the trash and upgrade. The Brabantia ironing board will open your eyes to what laundry can be.
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A professional level ironing board needs a professional level iron. This one pairs well with a Rowenta DW5080. Read our Rowenta DW5080 review here.
Check out more of the best ironing boards.
