Sunbeam Professional Handheld Steamer

I should have bought this years ago. Perfect steamer. Other steamers have left my clothes wet and still wrinkled. This one works perfectly!!

I purchased the professional version of the steamer, because I wanted multiple steam settings. I’ve only used it once and it seems to work just fine. Aesthetically, however, it is rather hideous. It’s like a clunky 1980s video game controller. It’s the cyber truck of steamers, visually. Any which way, I am pleased with my purchase for now. The company really should consider a redesign though.UPDATE: This steamer works fine. I like that it is designed to be somewhat hard water resistant. The trigger button gets held down in the “always on” mode too easily though, which is annoying. A lot of steam comes out even on the lowest setting. There is really no need to have 5 heat settings. 3 would have been sufficient.

OVERALL: I trust this steamer so much, I am buying the same model to replace the 4-year-old near-dead one I purchased here after WEEKS of thorough research. I will go right to the pros and cons first, and then I will elaborate on my recommendations/tips for this steamer.Pros: Easy to use,heats up fast,effective on most fabrics,relatively easy-to-fill water chamber,no need to empty water chamber after every use if using distilled water,can be tilted flat without dripping (which makes it great for sanitizing couches/curtains/mattresses/fabric headboards/other upholstery like fabric on chairs/etcetera),long power cord,big water chamber/consistent steaming for 15 minutes,fabric/lint accessory effectively picks up lint,pretty large flat bottom means it stands upright steadily (even on the couch),and can be taken apart for thorough cleaning (BUT see cons below).Cons: On the heavier side,steamer and accessories will rust/get crusty and stinky if filled with faucet water instead of distilled water (eventually leading to leaking/dripping),cleaning the steamer and accessories takes HOURS between the difficulty and tediousness of removing the accessories/needing a screwdriver/steamer gap is too thin for even q-tips,not super effective on cotton (like thick t-shirts),takes up a lot of storage space (especially with the accessories—which really should come with a case or special bag for storing because it is not like you can store them stacked like dishes/plates),not very travel-friendly due to its size and weight without water and because it works best with the brand’s over-the-door ironing pad,accessories are difficult to remove,steam button/switch gets jammed with frequent use,and definitely not fall-resistant (this sounds obvious “like duhh,” as if one unlikely would accidentally knock it over or lose grip of it, but the steam is powerful and obviously scorching hot, which can lead to “sweat” on the handle or accidental burning if one has hand holding fabric taut at say the shoulders and the steamer is at the garment’s bottom edge/trim).I highly recommend buying the Sunbeam over-the-door ironing pad (also sold on Amazon, though not on this product’s page) because it is easier to use this steamer upright, and you do not want to risk damaging wooden doors/their paint.I also recommend to always use distilled water or filtered water as a last resort, but definitely never from the faucet. Upon the first time using faucet water, the steamer and its accessories got rusty, crusty (guessing the salt?), AND VERY STINKY (also making the steamed garments stinky).If garment is hung up, and wrinkles are not easily coming free or steaming the front is causing wrinkles on the garment’s back fabric, I recommend placing the steamer on the inside (between the fabrics), to steam from the inside out, while holding the fabric taut from the very bottom edge.If steaming creases, I recommend using an oven mitten and placing your hand between the fabrics (otherwise, you can end up causing a crease on the back of the garment).If I think of anything else worth relating, I will update my review.

The main purpose for which I purchased this was to get wrinkles out of some blackout curtains that hadn’t fallen out on their own for more than 6 months (I guess they never would have). This steamer did an excellent job on the lowest steam setting and probably could have done it even faster on a higher setting, but I didn’t want to risk damaging the cloth. Before purchasing, I did a good amount of research, and while I’m confident I could have done the job with something maybe half the price, I really wanted something that had the capability of handling everything from light to heavy duty - and wouldn’t leak water all over my hardwood flooring in the process. This Sunbeam Professional Steamer is one of the more powerful handheld models I found, has 5 settings (including 1 dry mode, and 4 steam modes), Comes with 1 upholstery and 1 delicate fabric ‘bonnet’, an 8’ cord (I used a heavy duty extension cord for anything beyond that reach), a non-leaking reservoir and pump system, and an excellent nonstick face that can be used vertically or horizontally. So far I have put this to use on 12 curtain panels, one skirt (my wife’s), and one neck-tie, and it’s done an amazing, quick and efficient job on each (and no leaks)!Now for some criticisms/gripes:1) It is a little heavy for extended use, but I expected that. This isn’t so much a gripe or a criticism, I guess, but more of an observation for those with limited arm strength.2) while the bonnets are good and useful tools, the condensation that forms on them, does begin to drip fairly quickly. The machine itself isn’t leaking, it’s simply the condensation on the accessory bonnets. Once you remove them, the dripping will cease! If your application and environment won’t be harmed, the bonnets are still excellent tools to use. I did want to note that this would be an issue for any brand of steamer that uses bonnets and is not a particular problem with this model. The bonnets are optional, so I simply took the delicate fabric bonnet off to protect my floors and continued on without further trouble.3) The design of the water reservoir could have been better in terms of removal from the machine. When you press the release button, the reservoir needs to be pulled forward to be released. However, there really isn’t much on the reservoir to hold onto in order to get it off. What I am doing, is with the steamer off and facing me, I am pushing the release button and pulling on the reservoir’s edge just under that release button. It does the job, but just seems more difficult than it should be. This is the one design flaw that I feel needs be addressed on the next iteration without question. For now, I have some rubberized grip tape that I may install, to create a couple gripping surfaces on the sides of the tank to aid in removal.4) When putting the reservoir back onto the machine, the tank needs to be aligned top and bottom and then pressed straight in. This is not a problem and isn’t difficult. If, however, you don’t press the tank inward with a positive, purposeful motion, you’ll end up getting a little leakage in the process. I simply make sure to reinstall the tank over the counter or sink or anything else I don’t mind getting a few drops of water on. No biggie! The machine goes right back to normal and doesn’t leak in use.4) Probably my second biggest gripe next to the reservoir removal issue! I’d really have liked Sunbeam to have included some type of reusable box like the one Electrolux provides with some of their models. The only box you get is standard cardboard and without re-inserting the cardboard shipping supports, the whole thing just kinda flops around inside. The Electrolux has a decent box designed for storage rather than the recycling bin - I wish Sunbeam had been as thoughtful. This isn’t a deal breaker, but I see this (and the reservoir issue) as real areas of opportunity for an otherwise excellent product.Sunbeam has a real winner in the making and certainly an excellent product as is! Since this is only my 2nd day of ownership, my long term review will have to wait. I will post any pertinent updates as and if they arise, for now, I can honestly say, that knowing the several other sunbeam products I own and my experience thus far, I have no reservations in recommending this product to anyone looking for quality and versatility in a larger more powerful handheld steamer.

This is so amazing it’s easy to use. Heats up within seconds and durable with convenient size