I just dropped my steam station - and i need help buying a new one

WAAAAAHHHHH!!!! It's broken! I've tried turning it on a few times, it tries to work and it just can't get the steam out... :( I want to cry, i feel like i've lost a part of the family

But alas, i will have to move on, and buy myself a new one i think. So I need your help. I want one with constant steam, as that is the only way i'm prepared to iron. Normally do 1-2 baskets per week. What options do steam stations have these days. We got our one (sunbeam) for our wedding, it was just when they first came out, and were pretty basic. I do hate that i have to wait so long for it to cool down so i can take the cap off to refill it, takes like 30 mins or you get a steam burn.

Any reccomendations? I saw the Laura Star ones *drool* but there is no was DH will let me re-mortgage the house for an iron.. do people really pay that much for them???

Yael- you are talking another language?! What is a steam station???

I think it is one of those iron presses like at the drycleaners?!

ohhhh i see. How did you manage to drop that Yael?? Hope your toes were clear. ;)

Nope I was wrong...

My golly gosh! My curiousity got the better of me... I googled :lol: That is one expensive, fancy iron. You seem to be a very keen ironer Yael :D Coming from someone who NEVER touches an iron :redface:

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Yael- you are talking another language?! What is a steam station???

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I wanted to ask that when she first started the thread, but I didn't want to show my ignorance :redface:. Thanks for doing it for me Ange LOL! ;)

can you claim it under insurance?
my mil had a delongi one for a longlong time

Whilst I do not iron at the moment, when I do start sewing costumes and clothing again I will be getting myself a Laura Star.

Can't help with what sort to choose or what features BUT they do have them on Grays Online quite a bit so that's a good place to grab a bargain. To give you an idea of how big a bargain, I got DD's cot for about $200 when the retail price was $800.

I would LOVE to have a Laura Star!! My mum has one and its so dreamy!! Even DH can iron a shirt quickly and perfectly with it (I dont let him iron at home cause I just have to redo it anyway)! but like u..cant really afford it! I just have a Phillips Azure Precise iron my aunt gave us for our wedding, really good for a normal steam iron,been happy with it so far :)

Our DD knocked our previous iron off the ironing board as she was running past and it broke on the tiles... but we were able to make a claim on our insurance (nil excess, yay!)... and we bought a Phillips Azure as well. We've had it for 6 years and it's worked well for a standard iron... no constant steam though.

I'd just bite the bullet and get the Laura Star if you can in any way afford it. I would also, though, make sure you have a good Contents insurance policy if you start upgrading to that extent. Imagine dropping your Laura Star and not having any insurance :o .... I think that's the key. To have top quality things you first have to be able to afford blue ribbon insurance.

Anyhow turn a negative into a positive and look forward to enjoying your new iron! :dance:

We do have insurance, but the excess of $250 is probably around or just above the replacement value, so its not worth claiming. I was looking into the phillips GC 8080 or a tefal one (i was one that i can removed and refill the water tank instead of having to wait for the whole system to cool down).

In regards to having blue ribbon items, when i feel it is worth it i am prepared to spend the money, but here i actually have to question is the iron that much better that it is worth spending over $800 more than the cost of any other one on? I'm not sure its really that greater value for money, instead i feel you are probably paying for a name, which i refuse to do. If i ran an ironing business, or it was an everyday item with an incredible amount of use, and i felt that the extra $800 was worth it for a better quality item i would use it.. here i'm not sure that they can justify that price on an iron???

I know what you mean Yael... I agree, don't pay for a name. Wouldn't it be good to have a go first? it is hard... sometimes you get what you pay for some times you don't. With electrical items it seems to me that you don't always benefit by paying more. One example from my experience is that I won't necessarily trust the Miele brand... learnt the hard way (paid nearly $3000 for a Miele dishwasher that wasn't as good as our current $500 Dishlex!).

I really hope you are able to get a few endorsements or otherwise regarding the LS station. I'm curious as well!!!

One day we hope to upgrade to a Maytag washing machine... and this also is going to seem like a huge upgrade "jump". But having used a Maytag at my old workplace (for over 2 years) I feel confident that it's what i want.

Maybe Google for some reviews? (For Laura Star). it would be interesting to find out what people are saying. Does any other brand make a comparable product?

I know, my friend has a Miele and thinks it's pretty ordinary. I think 10+ years ago, the products were a lot better, and now everyone thinks that Miele products are still the same. We contemplated with both our dishwashers (x2) and washing machines to go Miele or Maytag, but i couldn't justify for over 1000k each per item that i was really getting that much more for the price. The features were pretty similar.

Most of the reviews i've read just gush about how great they are because the are a steam station, not because of their product features. I want a comparision between a $400 model and a $1000 model, and then to justify was the extra features/ease of use/quality of the product worth the extra $600. For some things you are better off getting the cheaper model that still has 90% of the features and might last 10 years instead of 15, but then in 10 years time pay the money you saved to get a new model then with more features.

That being said, if i ran an ironing business etc and it would get tremendous amounts of use and the extra features/ease of use would make a difference every single time i used it, i would happily pay the extra.

It's all about adding up the extra price and objectiviely valuating if you are prepared to pay and extra $xx for xxx. A lot of time i have had the money, so it wasn't a scrimping thing, and refused to pay it just on principle because i could not see how that item was worth that amount of money (and ipod for example, when i'm paying just for the apple name).

Yael, Have you seen this on the laura star website?

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Laurastar DIRECT ONLY: Trade in offer -NOW ON-Trade in your old iron and receive a minimum $100 off the RRP of any NEW Laurastar iron. Promotion details- $100 for any common iron, $200 for any steam station and $300* for any Laurastar steam system. (one trade in per new iron, not to be used in conjunction with any other offer, ends March 28, 2009)

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They have a list of their stockists and direct factory outlets in melbourne and sydney. Maybe going in to one of their stores,, they can show you the different features between the models.

Nic