Verdict

Pros

• Affordable
• Excellent steam for the price
• Good controls, easy to fill

Cons

• No clip for power cord
• A bit heavy
• Not great with small buttons

What is the Breville PressXpress VIN339?

The Breville PressXpress VIN339 is a purple steam iron that performs very well for its mid price. It has a pointy precision tip, a wide soleplate and powerful steam – together these make quick work of your ironing pile.

It has a few minor quibbles though. There’s no clip for storing the power cord neatly, it’s a bit heavy and its sole plate is on the thick side, so it doesn’t slide under shirt buttons terribly well.

Breville PressXpress VIN339 – Design and Features

The PressXpress has an attractive design in purple. Standing on its heel it is slender near the base in a way that looks elegant but makes it a bit wobbly.

That narrow bit is perfect for storing the power cord, but annoyingly there’s no clip to hold the plug end in place so you’ll need to tuck the plug in. The 3m cord is nice and long though and is attached via a 360° ball to minimise tangles and maximise manoeuvrability.

Controls are well positioned at your thumb: one for steam shot and one for spray. Plus there’s a slider, also near your thumb, to choose the steam level (you can turn it off completely to iron dry).

Further back on the handle is an attractive temperature indicator that looks tactile: you feel like you want to stroke it to select the temperature. But it’s just an indicator. The temperature control is in the usual place, on the body of the iron, a large dial to select temperature based on dots or fabric type.

The grip is comfy but large, so while the curve of it feels good it’s not great if you have tiny hands. And at 1.6kg plus water the iron is a bit on the heavy side. But it is well balanced in use. The soleplate itself is wide but with a pointy precision tip.

The Safe-Store indicator strip just above the soleplate is a clever addition. When it’s red it means the iron’s cool enough to put away safely.

Breville PressXpress VIN339 – What’s it like to use?

First up, filling the PressXpress is a breeze. Some irons have narrow fill holes that make spills commonplace but it’s really hard to miss this one. Even if you do miss, the plastic around it is contoured like a funnel to guide the water into the reservoir. Impressive.

The 400ml reservoir is on the large side too, so the water will last for ages. The downside is that extra water means extra weight and the iron is already on the heavy side at 1.6kg so this brings it up to 2kg.

The iron came up to temperature quickly and then, after a moment to make its way through the tubes, came the steam. The general steam levels when ironing are very impressive (and you can dial the steam back if you want less).

The ceramic soleplate glides smoothly over a range of fabrics and it’s nice and wide, so you can blitz the ironing pile quickly, while the tip is pointy for details. This works well but the soleplate is quite thick, so the groove above it for manoeuvring around buttons is a bit high: it’s fine with big buttons but isn’t great for ironing between small shirt buttons.

Should I buy the Breville PressXpress VIN339?

Yes. It offers excellent steam for the price with only a few minor niggles. But if you want the very best we’ve tested, consider the Bosch TDA7060GB. Or if you’re on a really tight budget get the Morphy Richards Breeze 300254.

Verdict

A mid-priced iron with impressive steam. And it’s purple. Well worth considering.

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