Alexandra Ramirez
1. Ivation
Best Overall Travel Iron
5/5 Product Rating
While it may look similar to nearly every other travel iron on the market, the Ivation Small Mini Iron has a couple of convenient features which prove to distinguish this travel iron from others. For example, you’ll find its power cord – which is seven and a half feet in length – to be rather convenient, allowing you to iron from anywhere in the room. Its quick heat-up time will prove to be rather convenient as well. It also has a safety feature which prevents both bursts of steam and drips of water from coming out of the unit. As anyone who’s used an iron by now knows, this is a huge relief. As such, the Ivation Small Mini Iron isn’t only one of the most effective products of its type, but one of the most convenient as well.
– Sarah Lytle
2. Steamfast
Best Overall Travel Iron – Runner Up
4.8/5 Product Rating
The SteamFast SF-717 does not come with the same safety feature that the Ivation uses to prevent dripping. While this particular unit may not have a tendency of constantly dripping, it’s always nice to have some sort of assurance that this is truly the case. Either way, if you don’t mind giving up such a feature in the first place, the SteamFast SF-717 can give you an otherwise high-quality unit for a more agreeable price.
– Sarah Lytle
3. Hamilton Beach
4.6/5 Product Rating
It also has a water capacity of seventy millilitres. Although such a capacity may pale in comparison to many traditional irons, it’s actually quite a bit larger than what you might expect to find in a large portion of travel irons currently on the market. Overall, the Hamilton Beach Travel Iron’s water capacity, continuous steaming and high amount of power give it a more heavy-duty feel without hurting its travel-sized status. This is perfect if you find normal irons to be too big, though find most travel irons to be too lightweight.
– Sarah Lytle
Travel Iron Buying Guide
What is a Travel Iron?
If you’d like to branch out and do some shopping outside of the above list of travel irons, keeping the following considerations in mind can ensure you walk away with the right product to meet your needs.
How Much Room Do You Have?
Just because a product has “travel” in its name does not necessarily mean you will be able to travel with it. Any good travel iron should have its size specifications listed either on its package or somewhere online. If you can’t find out its exact size and can’t see it in person, you may want to consider just how much space you have to carry it around with you, being that it may be a bit larger than you’d like.
How much clothes do you need to iron at one time?
The answer to this question will dictate just how small you’ll be able to go before the travel iron you’ve set your sights on becomes too small. For quick touch ups on your shirt before you head out for the night, getting a more heavy-duty unit will likely prove to be more expensive and harder on space than need be. Generally speaking, getting a larger unit than you need is counterproductive when we’re talking about irons made specifically for traveling.
Will you iron your clothing pre-emptively?
If you plan on waiting until the last minute to get your ironing done, you should consider going with a smaller unit. Because larger units take longer to heat up, they may prove frustrating when you’re simply trying to get a wrinkle out of your shirt before heading out the door. On the other hand, if you typically iron your clothing right after it comes out of the laundry so as to prevent emergency situations in the future, you may be able to get away with a larger unit.
Will you always be near a wall outlet?
If not, your best bet is most likely to opt for a travel iron of the cordless variety. These irons can typically hold a charge long enough for you to iron a few articles of clothing, though are extremely lightweight. While these may be your only option if you don’t always have access to a wall outlet at any given time, they should probably only be used for such situations. Otherwise, travel irons which plug into a wall will have the potential to take on much more clothing at once without cutting out and will often come with a higher degree of power and effectiveness, which are great things to see in an iron for obvious reasons.
How many different fabrics will you be working with?
If you know you’ll be ironing everything from delicate fabrics to heavy denim items, it might be best to grab an iron with a surge control feature. This feature allows you better control over just how much steam is being released, allowing you to lightly iron delicate fabrics while blasting everything else. Of course, if you don’t have any fabrics which are overly heavy or overly light, such a feature may prove to be nothing more than a money pit. It’s up to you to decide how your clothing responds to different levels of heat.
Specialized Features
There are a variety of features which you may find in irons which, depending on your personal needs, may either help or hinder your efforts. Take a look at the following features to see whether or not you should buy an iron which includes them in their make.
- Surge Controls – The only time you’ll find this feature useful is if you work with a large variety of different fabrics.
- Shut-Off Feature – This has become a pretty common feature across electronics as a whole and not just travel irons. The last thing you need is to leave your iron on, possibly posing a serious danger to you and others. If you’re the type to forget to turn off your electronics, this is a great feature. Otherwise, it may be rather inconvenient, being that it may shut off every time you lay it down for any length of time.
- Steam Controls – Steam controls are a less dramatic approach to surge controls. However, unless you plan on dealing with very heavy fabrics or very delicate fabrics, such controls will only prove to be a price markup.
Common Travel Iron Features
Whether or not either of the above features could be considered good all comes down to a matter of preference. There are; however, a few features which can only serve to help you without posing much in the way of potential drawbacks.
- Drip Prevention – Some irons (such as the Ivation we covered above) come with features which prevent the iron from dripping. Not only does this make ironing a less messy business, it may prevent you from burning your hand with hot water.
- A Long Cord – Many travel irons don’t advertise the length of their cords. However, if you happen across an iron which has a rather long cord, you’ll certainly appreciate the added bit of convenience.
- A Short Heat-Up Time – Of course, why wait around all day for your iron to heat up if you don’t have to? The shorter the heat-up time, the better.
- A High Wattage – Now, not everybody needs a high wattage. However, having an iron which is capable of getting the job done in a shorter amount of time can never be seen as a bad thing. The higher the wattage, the more powerful your iron can be.
Conclusion
While it may not seem to be the case at first glance, the possible variations between each and every travel iron are huge. Through a wide variety of different features, you’ll find there’s an iron available for every type of user and for every type of situation. Whether you’re ironing jeans in the living room or fixing up a blazer on your way to work, the travel iron most suited toward you is sure to be out there. Through keeping all of the above considerations in mind, finding the perfect travel iron should prove to be a very easy ordeal.
