Is A Cordless Iron Good?

Cordless irons do have substantial demand despite the inherent flaws. My brother uses one and he likes it. Like so many other users, he thinks it is easier to iron without having to worry about the cord. If given a choice, he says he will stick to a cordless model. But his wife has a different opinion. She prefers a corded iron instead because she likes having more space on the ironing board.

Well, different people will have different opinions on this corded vs cordless iron debate based on their own ironing habits. But is a cordless iron good in the first place? Does it work as well as a corded steam iron? For people who are thinking of making a switch to a cordless model, these are the usual concerns. While it is nice to be able to iron more freely without needing to reposition the cord all the time, it can also end up in frustration if the cordless iron is not effective in getting rid of the wrinkles.

What Is A Cordless Iron

Some people have this mistaken belief that a cordless iron means an iron that you can use without the need for a power outlet. Their assumption is it is a kind of battery-operated appliance similar to a smartphone. You charged it up and then you can use it for one whole ironing session.

However, that is not how a cordless iron works. Although there are battery-operated travel irons available, the usual cordless iron does not require any batteries to run. Instead, it has a charging base that you need to connect to the power outlet. So, the iron itself does not have a cord but the charging base does. In short, you still can’t run away from needing to have a power source nearby.

How Does A Cordless Iron Work

The charging base is plugged into a socket while the iron sits on top of the base. This is where you need to place the steam iron for it to get hot. Once it has reached the required temperature, you can remove it from the base and start ironing. Each time you stop to reposition your garment, the iron must be returned to the base to retain the heat level. Otherwise, it will gradually lose heat and becomes cooler and cooler until it will be difficult to get rid of the wrinkles.

At most, the charge can only last you long enough to finish ironing one shirt. You need to keep returning it to the base for continuous ironing. At the moment, there is no cordless iron that enables you to go through a normal ironing load without needing to recharge in between.  A charging base is still needed right beside you so that you can place the iron on it time and time again when you pause your ironing to readjust your garment.

Is A Cordless Iron Good Enough To Replace A Corded Model?

This really depends on your own preferences. If you like really hot soleplates with abundant of steam like what the best Rowenta irons can provide, you might find a cordless iron to be lacking in this aspect. But if you can make do with less, then you might have no complaints. Generally, it is hot enough to erase wrinkles on most fabrics but it may struggle with stubborn ones on thicker linens. So, consider what you need to iron and if these items require high heat and steam output to make it crisp and smooth. If they do, you might still be better off with a corded iron.

The other concern is its lack of ability to retain heat for continuous ironing. If you are ironing shirts or pants, you will need to pause and reposition them after you have completed a section. This gives you the opportunity to place the iron back on the charging base for a little while to get it back to temperature. But if you are ironing sheets or doing art and craft projects whereby you need continuous heat throughout, a cordless iron will not be good enough to replace a corded model.

So, a cordless iron is good enough if you are ironing the usual items of clothing and you are not too fussy about the results. It is just like using a fabric steamer whereby it will not be able to match the results that the best steam iron can provide but it will still do a fairly decent job. If you can accept this limitation, then a cordless iron will be good enough to replace your corded unit.