Laurastar Smart M

This is a quality product expensive but worth it

Unfortunately not as good as previous version I had...

Includes a whole special team inside to make your ironing life easier! Includes overcraft

Very heavy duty steam iron, for professional use, for example a hotel or costume manufacturer or theatrical group or a very busy household! Or for someone that wants the ultimate in an iron (system). Most households probably couldn’t justify the cost but if you want the best, this is probably it. The steam generator is integrated into the ironing board set up with a completely remote. Bluetooth control and complete customisation ability, this is an iron for very heavy use and or ultimate control . highly recommended from a very reputable manufacturer .

This ironing board and iron incorporated into one device was a new one on us. It took a while to set up and it quite heavy an bulky to manoeuvre despite it having castors. It does fold to about three times wider than a standard ironing board so you either need a room you keep it set up in or room to store it folded, we needed to rejig the utility a bit. Once set up it offers a blowing function to help release creases out of clothes as you iron them. There is also a vacuum function for specific fabrics to stop them sliding off the board. It does take a little longer than a standard iron to warm up so not so great when you want to just quickly iron one item. The standard of the finish is good and you don't have to repeatedly go over fabric so it definitely does the job. We were lucky enough to be sent this item to review but it is very expensive for an iron.

DESIGN ----------------- One thing that usually gets in my way while Ironing is the Steam Hose or Power Cable for simple pressing Irons. Not on the Lauraster. The Hose attaches to the Steam Hose Holder. The Steam Hose Holder is Flexible. You are able to Iron without the Hose bothering you as it is above the Ironing Board. The Holder bends to allow the Iron to reach the far end of the Ironing Board. Really clever. The water tank is very easy to remove and put back. The Blower and Vacuum mode of Ironing. In the Blower Mode, air is blown underneath the Ironing Board and if set at high, the Ironing Board Cover so it is raised from the board, reducing the chances of creating unwanted creases. There is a guide on Ironing modes, showing which one works well on what part of a clothing item. In the Vacuum mode, draws in the air so the clothes are held to the board so you can press in to create pleats like on a skirt. Using the App, I am able to control all these settings from the APP. The App shows what mode is activated and the intensity level. There are Tutorials including set up Instructions on the App. CLOUD OF STEAM ---------------------- This thing eats through creases with ease. I have used Steam Generators that are very good but this is in its class. The Iron has 2 Steam buttons on either side of the handle at the front. At first, I went overboard, pressing both and holding, producing an angry cloud of steam that threatened to burn my hands. I then eased on the steam buttons, only mostly short-pressing pressing one at a time. Wow, Steam-As-You-Go. After getting used to how it works, I was now pressing for as much steam as the garment required, using more steam for heavily wrinkled clothes. BYE BYE SHINY PATCHES ON DARK CLOTHES ----------------------------------------------------- I love using the Sole Plate Protector. I have some Dark Corduroy Jeans that get heavily wrinkled and when ironed become very shiny around the seams and pocket areas. You can even see where the pockets start and end by looking at the shiny outlines. Using the Soleplate Protector, I have been able to Iron these garments, removing all wrinkles without having those nasty shiny outlines! The Sole Plate is indispensable indeed. The Sole Plate is also very useful for delicates, clothes that would stick to the Iron. My Advanced Steam Generator, just forbid ironing of the delicates because it is a 'one-temperature' System so they have eliminated clothing that would stick to the Iron's sole plate. The Lauraster has an answer, delicates can be safely ironed. ULTIMATE IRONING MACHINE ------------------------------------ I have used many Advanced Steam Generators. I can't take anything from them. This is just in its own class. The attention to details in its design is remarkable. It is more than integrating an Iron with an Ironing board. Som nifty technology is packed into the entire system.

I got this ironing board to help with rather tedious chore of ironing masses of clothing that our family seems to go through and to see if this humungous steam iron/stand is worth the rather hefty retail price. First off, this ironing board is HEAVY!! Despite it’s linear wheels at the base of the board, it is very difficult to move around, collapse as well as expand. I’m not sure that I would recommend it to anyone who does not have the room to just leave it up. Moving this beast between floors is strictly a 2 person job due to it’s weight so I really would keep this in mind when considering this iron system. I’m a 5ft 11 man of average strength and I struggled at times. The plug is cleverly located in an auto-reel at the very base of the steam unit however the cord isn’t very long so in all likelihood, you’ll need an extension cord. Similar to most other steam irons once you switch it on, it will take about 5 minutes before it is ready to use. The water container comes separately in the box and fits relatively loosely on top of the steamer section which does make it a little worrying when moving the iron around. The iron has it’s own little storage shelf just under the ironing board, however it should be noted that it doesn’t quite fit with the attachment that fits on the base of the iron – I think this is used to help distribute steam evenly when ironing but isn’t necessary. Another thing about the iron itself is that you can’t stand it up on its heel like most other irons which can be a nuisance, especially if you are used to doing this. Laurastar provide metal poles that fit onto the ironing board which is used to help keep the steam cord from getting in the way when ironing and looks a bit like an antenna when installed. It’s a shame that this doesn’t swing or move as you iron which I remember used to be a feature on an ironing board I had over 20 years ago. The ironing board itself is very nicely padded compared to my previous one which was basically a wire mesh and apparently the 3D active soleplate helps to straighten the fabric whilst ironing to eliminate creases. A vacuum/blower is located under the ironing board which is activated on the main steamer unit and can be quite noisy but is supposed to help minimise creases by inflating the board which worked with some of my ‘not so easy to iron’ shirts. There is no temperature adjustment but the steamer function is super powerful. My biggest concern (apart from the ridiculous price) is the weight and I would say that it isn’t really designed to be moved around and isn’t that easy to expand – there should be a foot lever or something to reduce strain on your back. This iron system may be worth it to hotels or B&B’s but considering the cost it really isn’t worth it for the average household.

I thought we had reached “peak ironing” with the steam irons with a reservoir. But this has to be the best ironing system ever! I have been using it for quite some time and have found no problems with it at all. Yes, it is very heavy and pretty bulky but it can be folded and has wheels to help with moving it. It comes with an instruction video and can be linked via Bluetooth to your phone. We found the video of minimal help and have not bothered with the Bluetooth link. It was pretty simple to set up and get going with the ironing. I love the way garments do not slip on the board as they are held firmly and only need ironing on one side. There is no temperature control and you can move from ironing silk to cottons without waiting for a change in temperature. The results are consistently good and ironing is no longer a chore to be avoided. It even coped with an old very crumpled linen tablecloth that I always dreaded tackling. However it is very expensive – so who would buy it? It would certainly be worth the investment for anyone with a large family (or even someone who did ironing professionally!). It comes with a ten year guarantee which is a definite plus.