Tefal Freemove Power Cordless Steam Iron review: quick charging and powerful steam output

Price on writing: £80 | Buy now from Argos

How I tested

I tested the Tefal Freemove Power in my family home on the Sussex coast. Testing the iron with a Brabantia Titan Ironing Board, I pressed cotton tea towels, linen trousers and school shirts, taking notes on ease of use, effectiveness and comfort. I verified the iron's weight, heat-up and charging time using digital kitchen scales and a stopwatch.

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Tefal Freemove Power Cordless Steam Iron: my verdict

• Performance: 12/15

• Quality and durability: 15/15

• Ease of use: 15/15

• Value for money: 12/15

• Steam power: 8/10

• Storage: 7/10

• Weight: 10/10

• Ease of maintenance: 10/10

• Total: 89/100

Even the best cordless irons have a reputation for lacking oomph, so it was with trepidation that I approached the Tefal Freemove Power - could it get through my ironing pile without me getting frustrated with recharging?

I'm pleased to report that I was pleasantly surprised. The horizontal charging base is convenient and intuitive to rest the iron on while I adjusted a shirt or switched to the next piece of clothing, and the impressive 30-second initial heat-up meant there was no waiting around - the iron and base took care of the heat and battery charge while I faffed with my laundry pile.

Using the stopwatch on my phone, I timed the iron's heat-up time. Tefal claim it's 30 seconds and I made it 29.44 seconds, so was really pleased with this. The charge is indicated by a green light on the charging base, so it's clear and straightforward to tell when you need to return the iron to the base. I timed between 30 seconds to 1 minute of ironing between charges, and this varied depending on the heat settings and amount of steam I was using. A speedy 12 seconds on the base, and the iron is ready to go again.

If you're a seasoned and speedy ironer, or you iron a lot of bedding that doesn't need turning on the ironing board, any cordless iron is probably going to get frustrating. When compared to the cordless Morphy Richards Easy Charge Power+, the Tefal Freemove Power outperforms the competition on both charging time and steam power. The only place it falls short is the water tank - at 250ml, it's 100ml smaller than the Morphy Richards. On balance, I think it's the best cordless iron out there right now, and well worth the price tag.

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How quickly does the Tefal Freemove Power charge up?

Charging and heat-up time is what makes or breaks a cordless iron. Too long and it'll make your ironing take longer - and no-one wants that. I used a stopwatch to get accurate readings on how long the Tefal Freemove Power actually takes to heat-up, charge, and how long it lasts between charges.

The initial charge from cold took 30 seconds, which meant the iron was waiting for me to be ready to start, rather than the other way round. When compared to the Morphy Richards Easy Charge Power's 40 seconds, the Tefal is the clear winner.

How long you can spend ironing between charges varies depending on the heat setting and how much steam you use, so as an example I managed 38.38 seconds ironing on the (pretty high) linen setting and using 3 shots of the steam boost button. When the iron needs charging, the green light on the charging base blinks. While 38 seconds doesn't sound very long, this was enough to do a thorough pass of one side of an adult linen shirt.

While I was re-adjusting my shirt on the ironing board, the iron took a swift 12 seconds to recharge. When it's ready to go, the green light stops blinking.

If you're used to a corded steam iron, the stopping and starting takes some getting used to. The main advantage of a cordless steam iron is the freedom you get from no power cord. The charging base can sit on the end of your ironing board - and the horizontal design means it doesn't need a completely flat surface, unlike the disc design of the Morphy Richards Easy Charge Power+.

What's the Tefal Freemove Power like to use day-to-day?

At 971g with an empty tank, this is one of the lightest irons we've tested - beaten only by the Morphy Richards Lightglide, which weighs in at 924g. Coupled with the cordless design, this iron is really comfortable to use and easy to manoeuvre around all types of clothing.

It has a long, tapered 'nose' which gets into hard-to-reach corners with ease, a ceramic soleplate that glides over every fabric, and the water tank is a very pale blue so it's easy to see where the water level is. These details sound small, but it's thoughtful touches like this that make a real difference to how an iron feels to use, and therefore how much easier it makes your laundry routine.

The horizontal charging base is heat proof, so it means you can safely lift the iron and base out of the way to cool when you've finished ironing. There's a locking tab to keep the iron safely in place, too.

While using the iron, it felt smooth and effortless to glide through creases on cotton and linen. While it doesn't have the next-level steam power of a steam generator iron, its 200g/minute steam shot makes a real difference when you're faced with tough creases.

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Does the Tefal Freemove Power offer good value for money?

At £80, this is the priciest cordless iron we've tested at Mumsnet, and you really do get what you pay for. The quality and value of a cordless iron comes down to its charging capabilities as well as its steam power, and the Tefal Freemove Power charges up in record time - plus it leaves the competition in the dust when it comes to steam output. For comparison, the Morphy Richards Easy Charge Power+ retails for around £40 - it's dependable and gets the job done, but it takes double the time to recharge during ironing, which has the potential to get frustrating.

If you're set on a cordless model, it's definitely worth spending that bit more so the charging can be as seamless as the cordless manoeuvring. That's why I've named the Tefal Freemove Power the best cordless iron to buy right now.

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 laundry essentials like steam irons, clothes steamers and washing lines.

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.