Black+Decker Easy Steam IR40V Review

The Black+Decker Easy Steam IR40V is an inexpensive iron with an average to below-average performance. While totally adequate for quick touch-ups, it doesn't have the heat or steam power to blast through bigger jobs.

Performance Comparison

Ironing Performance

The Easy Steam IR40V does an average job ironing most fabrics. Cotton and linen took a few passes to get wrinkles out of the fabric — not the fastest, but not the slowest. Silk and satin are where this iron performed best, creating smoothness after just 2-3 passes. It was far from our favorite to use on polyester, though, as it took a very long time on the recommended setting. Following the directions from Black+Decker and using setting 3 for polyester proved rather ineffective, as that setting is not hot enough and doesn't emit steam. On settings 4-6, steam comes out of a U-shaped distribution of just 21 holes. Unlike most other irons we tested, there's no way to boost the steam coming from the soleplate. This model also has a fairly large gap between the top steam holes and the tip of the iron.

Steam Output

This iron isn't designed to be a super steamy option, and it puts out some of the lowest levels of steam of any model we tested. Lacking a boost option, the Easy Steam isn't a good choice for ironing jobs that need plenty of steam to remove stubborn wrinkles.

Heating

With an average temperature of 318°F across its surface, the Easy Steam isn't as hot as the average in our lineup. This iron demonstrated a wide temperature difference from left to right, hitting 304°F and 367°F, respectively. The bottom section — the coolest part of just about every iron we tested — hovered around 287°F. The nose, an important part of detailing, also wasn't as hot as we wanted for efficient wrinkle removal — about 321°F. Over the course of 5 minutes, temperatures across the surface of the soleplate oscillated quite a bit, even without touching it to cool fabric.

Detailing

Weighing just 1.6 pounds, the Easy Steam is one of the lightest irons we tested. It's easy and smooth to push around and change directions, and this maneuverability helps to make detailing jobs that much easier. The handle is lightly ergonomic underneath and lacks any buttons, making it simple to grab. Our only complaint about this unit's detailing ability is that without an extra steam boost button, we were forced to back out of corners to use the spray button on the front.

Ease of Use

The Easy Steam cord is just shy of 8 feet long and pivots 360 degrees. It doesn't have any cord-keeping features on the bottom of the iron for storage. The indicator light has no differentiation between heating and ready. The dial is easy to use, but the settings are close together, and the print is too small to read comfortably. Oddly, the water reservoir has both a small opening and completely lacks any sort of lid or cover to keep it from sloshing out. The spray feature works well and sprays a good distance, but it doesn't quite attain the fine mist quality that we prefer here.

Should You Buy the Black+Decker Easy Steam IR40V?

With an enticingly low price tag, the Easy Steam is a tempting purchase. It can be a decent choice if you don't require much of your iron beyond the occasional small straightening job. But if you have really bad wrinkles to smooth or lots of big projects to tackle, this underwhelming iron is unlikely to satisfy you.

What Other Irons Should You Consider?

If you're ironing on a budget and need to blast through large jobs quickly, the PurSteam Pro 1800W is a high-value item that makes ironing even the most stubbornly wrinkled sheets a breeze. For detailing dress wear with relative ease, the Black+Decker D3030 Allure is a highly maneuverable model that puts out far more steam and offers a great ironing experience. But if you don't plan on using your iron much and only for small, easy tasks when you do, the Black+Decker Easy Steam may just be the right option for you.