Philips Azur 8000 Series Steam Iron review: "Glides very efficiently"

Price on writing: £125 | Buy now from Amazon

How we tested

Our resident ironing expert Alison tested the Philips Azur 8000 Series Steam Iron over the course of two months in her five-bedroom home. She took detailed notes on the iron's user-friendliness, effectiveness against creases and how it compared to the best steam generators and steam irons she's tested. Alison put the iron through its paces against regular everyday ironing, as well as banishing crumples from several sets of bedding for her Airbnb guests.

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Philips Azur 8000 Series Steam Iron: our verdict

While many Mumsnetters have turned to steam generator irons to get their laundry crease-free in a jiffy, there's still a lot to be said for the humble steam iron.

The Philips Azur 8000 Series glides through creases with steam to rival a steam generator, without the bulky external water tank. Its sleek design is comfortable to hold and its long power cord allows you to set up your ironing board wherever suits. There's a motion sensor that prompts the iron to release steam as you move it across your laundry, and a calc filter to keep the iron free of limescale.

However, its impressive 85g/minute continuous steam and 260g/min steam shot come at a price - £125 at the time of writing - and the iron weighs more than 1.5kg, making it quite heavy to lift.

One of the most expensive conventional steam irons on the market right now, you can certainly feel the difference when compared to a cheaper iron, like the Russell Hobbs Powersteam Ultra. The Azur makes light work of heavy creases, speeding up your ironing.

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What's the Philips Azur 8000 Series like to use day-to-day?

Alison found the weight of the Philips Azur to be a big drawback, especially when compared to a steam generator iron like the Tefal Pro Express Vision, which have separate water tanks which sit on the kitchen counter.

However, once in use, the Azur excels at tackling crumpled fabrics. Taking just over a minute to heat up, it glides easily through creases and Alison found one full water tank lasted an entire set of bedding.

With an anti-calc filter, those in hard water areas won't need to worry about limescale build up or using special ironing water (unless you love the smell, of course).

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Does the Philips Azur 8000 Series offer good value for money?

There's no getting around it, £125 is a lot to spend on a steam iron. Plus, with excellent steam generators like the Philips PerfectCare Compact available for around the same price, it could be hard to justify.

However, if you're looking for a conventional steam iron that will cut your ironing time and can hold its own against pricy steam generators, this is an excellent iron that performs amazingly well against a whole range of fabrics.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She researches and reviews the products Mumsnetters swear by, with a particular focus on home essentials, laundry and fans. From a highly-recommended retractable washing line to the best quiet fans money can buy, and Mumsnet's favourite dehumidifier to the steam generator iron that'll cut your ironing time in half, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the very best products on the market.

With an MA in Creative Writing and a PGCert in Lifestyle Journalism, Poppy's written about parenting topics for The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Mirror and The Sun. She's a best-selling, award-winning author, and her books for children and parents have been translated into 12 languages.

About Mumsnet Reviews

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