Steam irons: Compare features & prices Argos Value ES-197 review Back to Results

Can you really get a decent iron for under a fiver? Argos has put the Value range ES-197 steam iron on the market for £4.49, which is certainly cheap, but is it indeed good value? We couldn't wait to get it to our lab to see what it can do.
Sign up to access the full review

Test criteria Rating
Performance
Performance Our professional ironer assessed the effort that was needed, the quality of finish and the time taken to get a good result ironing a skirt, shirt and pair of trousers. Subscribe
Descaling We check how successfully the descaling function works to restore the iron to steaming at it's original steam rate and how easy the iron is to descale. For generators with replaceable anti-calcium cartridges this rating also takes into account the number of times a cartridge needs to be replaced. Subscribe
Heat-up time How quickly the iron heats up from cold to be ready to iron on the three-dot heat setting. Subscribe
Ease of Use
Ease of operation How easy and comfortable the iron is to use. Subscribe
Overall convenience An overall rating for convenience, which includes how easy our testers found the product to store and the instructions to read. Subscribe
Filling the tank How easy it is to fill the tank with water. Subscribe
Storage How quickly the iron cools and how easy it is to store. Subscribe
Noise Subjective rating of how noisy the iron is when using continuous steam. The more stars, the quieter it is. Subscribe

Argos Value ES-197

  • Launch date: Jan 2010
  • Type: Steam iron
  • Which? score: Subscribe
Typical price
£4.00
What is this?
Which? works for you