Customer Reviews

Tefal Gv8461 Pro Express Autoclean Steam Generator

I thought this was expensive for an iron, but mine had broken and several friends recommended this type of iron. I'm so glad I bought it. I have to say that it is so much quicker than my old traditional steam iron. The unit is very big and you will probably need to get an appropriate ironing board. I bought the Brabantia Ironing Board with Solid Stream Unit Holder (from Amazon), which is perfect for this iron. The iron itself is nice to hold and not heavy. It whizzes through the ironing, although it took me about 20 minutes to get used to it as you have to press for steam, rather than it coming automatically. The unit is very big and holds lots of water so no need to keep refilling. The electric cord on this one retracts automatically into the unit for storage. The iron can be locked onto the base unit to make it safe for storage and the cord from the unit to the iron can also be manually put into the base unit for storage. I now don't find the ironing a chore liked it used to be! So, overall, I would thoroughly recommend this iron and this type of ironing system.

What a fantastic buy! I used to own a Bosch steam generator, which I loved. When it finally gave up the ghost after years of loyal service I was worried about finding another model that would be just as powerful. After lots of research, I decided to go for this Tefal model due to its powerful constant steam and steam boost power, as well as its anti-calc collector. All I can say is WOW, this iron is fantastic. It's the right shape and weight to make ironing a breeze and the steam, as you would expect from a steam generator, smooths away even the most stubborn creases with no problem whatsoever.

But what i really like about this model compared to others is that there is no need to be winding and coiling up the cable and hose, since it has an easy storage system that keeps everything tidy and secure. In fact you can pick the whole thing up by the handle of the iron and store it away easily.

The Bosch was a hard act to follow, but this little baby has surpassed all expectations - bring on the ironing basket!

Last November I bought the Bosch TDS2569GB -

Bosch Professional Power 2800w Steam Generator Tds2569gb, 120g Shot Of Steam, 5 Bar, Permanent Refill Water Tank, Ceramic Soleplate

based on reviews from Amazon combined with it being a Which Best Buy and of course bearing the Bosch brand name. This was to prove a mistake.

From day one I didn't think the Bosch lived up to expectations in terms of ease of use, increased speed of ironing and overall quality of the product it was however our first venture into the Steam Generator arena so I thought maybe I was expecting too much.

Soon after beginning to use it we noticed that the rest plate the Iron sits on started to crack and fall apart, eventually some 13 months into the 24 month warranty I decided enough was enough and contacted Bosch to arrange a repair. Imagine my surprise when they refused!!

Lost story short, Amazon Customer Service was excellent, arranged to have the faulty unit collected and we have replaced it with this Tefal Unit. Instantly it addresses many of the failings of the Bosch unit.

The Iron sits firmly on the base.
There is a safety feature to stop the iron falling off.
The coil wind feature is excellent.
Storage for the steam hose is ideal.

and the list goes on but most of all it irons 100% better and faster than the Bosch ever did.

If you are thinking of buying the Bosch over this unit simply forget it and save yourself the disappointment!!

It keeps the wife quiet for hours; a great product. Shirts seem well pressed too; as will be my forehead if she reads this!

This is the second Tefal we have had - the first one lasted 7 years and was a real work horse. This one came highly recommended, with many updates on water compartment size etc & now has a fiddly corkscrew design which is supposed to keep the hard water deposits from building up.

Unfortunately this was not the case 2 weeks ago when I decided to steam on the hanger my DJ prior to a black tie dinner and a brown liquid deposit was left all over the back of the jacket. Having cleaned it out religiously the same thing happened again when steam pressing a white pullover which is now on it's way to the dry cleaners

Awaiting response from Tefal, check the review centre where it gets one star for its brown staining malfunction

I've always thought 'an iron's an iron'... and they're all the same.. right? With this iron I've been put in my place about the difference in irons. I've always gone for a pretty cheap iron thinking that they all do the same thing but comparing it to this iron there really is quite a difference. What makes this iron stand out is the amount of difference the steam makes. The main base unit has a removable container that holds significantly more water than a standard iron and keeps you ironing for ages. The plug is tucked away in the main unit and has a really nice retractable cord to allow you to store it safely after use and also helps not get in the way when you are ironing. From the main unit, there is a power/steam cord that is about 2-3 metres long that allows the steam that is produced in the main unit to be expelled from the iron itself (do be warned though as the cord can get quite hot but is safe to touch). By the way this cord can be stored by feeding it through a 'tunnel' that runs around the base unit at the front and is quite a clever way of ensuring that the unit is tidy once stowed away.

Tefal boast about the pressure produced for the steam and they aren't exaggerating. For normal steam use and holding the iron horizontally, the steam moves about 1.5 metres away from you. With the Boost steam button however (which gives one sharp long boost of steam) it will travel half way across the room (about 3-4 metres). Absolutely fabulous for steaming clothes whilst on their hanger. The iron itself sits on the base unit and can lock into place with a 'latch' mechanism which will allow you to safely carry your iron although it is pretty heavy. Another great thing about the iron is that it will automatically switch off if not in use after 30 seconds if the iron is face down or 8 minutes if it's left on it's heel. It's also great that it has a switch on the main unit to allow you to use 'Eco' setting which I have on all the time now.

All in all a superb iron but still a little on the steep side.

I chose this steam generator because it seemed to 'tick all my boxes'! It's autoclean function is good and it has an 'eco' function too which I use all the time. I had owned a previous model which lasted about 7-8 years, which I considered quite good, so thought I'd go for Tefal again.
My only slight 'moan' would be that it is quite heavy to use. But it does whip through the ironing very quickly and then you can go and rest your arm !!!

This is a fabulous iron - excellent and well worth the money. It blasts through the ironing in no time and is a joy to use. It arrived very promptly and was very well packaged. Would highly recommend.

I love this machine! (Am I really saying that about an iron??). I previously hated ironing but since purchasing this a few weeks ago, I'm actually starting to like it! I can't believe how quickly I can get through a pile of ironing with minimum effort, no more arm ache from going over the same spot 10 times. Admittedly, the whole thing is quite heavy but this doesn't really matter as once you have set it down initially there is no need to move it and the actual iron part is relatively lightweight. You can just remove the water tank to refill it although I have found so far that the water lasts a very long time. I generally have the steam setting in the middle as this is apparently the most economical and I find it more than powerful enough for the clothes I am ironing. The steam shot is also great although I try not to use it too much as it scares me a little!! I have not had to use the scale remover yet but it does look easy to use and I just hope it is as effective as the rest of the features. Also love that the mains cable winds up into the unit with the press of a button and the steam cable also curls round, inside the front of the machine.
Be warned, this is not a small piece of kit. Not something you can just leave out on the side. But for all the great features, ease of use, efficiency and power, I don't think you can expect anything smaller. The only possible down side is the noise it makes. Although, I totally expected this after reading other reviews / item description. It is a sort of buzzing noise as the boiler kicks in when you press the trigger. Completely bearable though and I don't believe other steam generators would be any quieter.
Overall a fantastic purchase and I would definitely recommend to anyone.

This Iron replaced another Tefal steam generator iron that I had for about 6 years, so I can honestly say I like the irons. Tefal have added an eco button to this iron, I would have been more impressed if I could of taken the old one to a local tradesperson and got that mended instead of having to parcel it up and send it to Birmingham then the cost of repairs and probably postage charge for it to come 40 miles back to me. I decided it was probably cheaper to buy new. There wasn't much up with the old one the base was still generating steam but for some reason it wasn't travelling down the steam tube to the iron unless you manipulated it and then held it in position. I actually prefer my old iron, there weren't so many bells and whistles on it, but this one still irons fantastically which is why it got 5*, to recap I love their irons but the after service leaves a lot to be desired.