The Conair GS23 Extreme Steam Handheld Fabric Steamer looks like something out of Star Trek, and – what do you know! – it has enough features packed in its small frame as to seem straight out of science fiction.
Is the future really here, or are we looking instead at another run-of-the-mill gadget? In today’s post, I want to help you determine if this is the right garment steamer for you, in this review of the Conair GS23 Extreme Steam Handheld Fabric Steamer.
Get 5x Better By Getting 30% Hotter
The Conair GS23 offers “Extreme Steam Dual Heat Technology”, which basically means that it generates 1110 watts of power to concentrate steam inside the unit so that it becomes 30% hotter than a standard garment steamer.
What does 30% hotter mean?
It means that you are able to penetrate fabrics and release wrinkles 5 times faster than other steamers – whether that is tackling one very tough spot five times faster or covering 5 times as much surface area.
Take Back Control Of The Steam
That much steam power is not very useful if you don’t have some control over where it goes and how deep it goes. The GS23 gives you an incredible level of control of the steam with 2 key features: the attachment brushes and the temperature controls.
Because you may be attacking wrinkles out of a variety of fabrics, the GS23 offers a lower-level setting and a higher setting. For a complete load, you can steam all the delicates on the low-level first, then raise the temperature for the heavier garments.
The 3 attachment brushes also allow you to interact with a variety of fabrics. The soft cushion attachment can be used on the delicate fabrics, the creaser helps create nice pleats and folds with the steamer, and the fabric brush opens up the fibers allowing the steam to penetrate further.
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Specifications
- Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.8 x 13 inches
- Item weight: 3 pounds
- Shipping weight: 3.05 pounds
- 9-foot power cord
- 75-second heat up time
- 1110 watts of steaming power
- 395 degree setting for cotton and wool, 200 degree setting for silk, polyester, nylon, and satin
- Best with distilled water, but can work with tap water (distilled water helps reduce calcium buildup)
- Red power indicator light and green readiness indicator light
Pros
Other steams out there usually have one of two set ups. Either they offer a continuous steam mode that starts putting out steam when you turn it on and stops when you turn it off, or they require a user to hold down a trigger to release the steam.
This one requires you to hold down the trigger, but then also has a “steam lock” switch that you can toggle on to output continuous steam.
With this dual steam technology, you’d think it would eat up the water tank quickly. Instead, this unit gives you 15 minutes of steam time, after only a 75-second heat up period.
Cons
For all its minimalist design goodness, there’s one big design flaw and that’s the shape of the bottom. The Conair GC23 Extreme Steam steamer cannot stand up, it must instead be laid on its side when not in use.
Additionally, the listed heat up time (75 seconds) is significantly longer than other steamers, some of which are in the 15 – 30 second range. (Although see below for my opinion about that).
Some customers have also reported that the various brushes have trouble staying secure. The creaser brush usually gets called out as having the best grip, while the others sometimes fall off while in use.
Here’s a video review from Best Buy Canada Product Videos:
What Customer Reviews Say
The Conair GS23 steamer has over a whopping three thousand online reviews on Amazon alone. Of these reviews, there are currently around 61% 5-star and 13% 1-star.
The general tone of the feedback is that this is a great, long lasting steamer that is also great for travel. It receives praise for being easy to use on dresses, fabrics, and scrubs.
The negative reviews mainly mention some defective products that get shipped out and then have to be returned. Oftentimes, a returned ironing board will be reviewed by the reseller upon the return, and if it passes an in-house inspection, it is then sold again to another customer. In some situations a defect can slip by the human inspection, which leads to people receiving the same busted product that someone else had. Humans do make mistakes, so it’s hard to take that feedback without a bit of a grain of salt.
Conclusion
When you’re shopping for a garment steamer, it can be difficult to tell which ones are better than which. Comparing features can sometimes feel like apples-to-oranges, and after a while all you see if a row of water chambers and spouts.
If you’re wondering whether the Conair CS23 Extreme Steam is the best garment steamer on the market, you may be taken aback to find better metrics on other steamers. Sure, other steamers may have a shorter heat up time, or a larger water tank. However, what you trade in heat up time and water tank size, you get back with dual steam technology, multiple temperature settings, and manual-or-continuous modes – all of which are rare to find together in a single unit.
For a great general use garment steamer, this one can stay with you for a long time.
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