My First Handheld Steamer After Three Upright Ones - What Finally Convinced Me to Give It a Try?

Household chores shouldn't be a drag. That's my motto, and it doesn't mean you can just avoid them altogether – leaving a mountain of dirty dishes, clothes, and dust bunnies in your wake. Household work is important, but making it comfortable in our time is definitely doable.

I used to hate ironing, especially when my son started school and we had to deal with pants, shirts, and jackets! Luckily, my husband is a firefighter, so he doesn't wear classic button-downs. Although, what am I saying – there's that green vest that looks like cardboard!

Three years ago, I bought my first vertical steamer from the Tefal brand. The first one lasted 3.5 months and leaked. The second (exactly the same replacement) even died after just 8 months.

Then I chose the vertical steamer from the Kitfort brand, but it only lasted a year and also died.

I'd had enough, but I'd gotten so used to the steamer that I still needed it. The problem was with the hoses and water tank. So, I didn't need a vertical steamer anymore, but I needed a handheld one instead. No hose, just an inbuilt water tank. That's the solution.

While browsing through the shelves of an electronics and household appliances store, I stopped at the Tefal brand again. Not because it's a well-known brand, but because the model I chose was the best in terms of technical specifications (steam output) and plastic quality.

Today, I want to tell you about the Tefal Access Stream Force DT2850E1 handheld steamer.

The Tefal DT8250E1 handheld steamer is a compact device for taking care of clothing and home textiles. The powerful heating element quickly warms up the water and forms a strong steam flow that deeply penetrates the fabric structure. The steam smooths out stubborn wrinkles, refreshes fabrics, and disinfects surfaces. This model comes with 2 modes with different steam intensity: for delicate items and turbo mode with maximum steam output. The removable 0.2-liter water tank is included. The set also includes two interchangeable nozzles – for delicate fabrics and a brush, as well as two interchangeable elements for the delicate nozzle. The automatic shut-off technology when the water is absent increases the safety of the Tefal DT8250E1 in operation. The handheld steamer weighs 1.4 kg and fits easily in your hand.

Cost at the time of purchase: 7502 rubles (August 2024).

Place of purchase: DNS electronics and household appliances store

(Link to product card in online store).

Brand: Tefal.

Country of origin: China.

Warranty: 24 months (2 years).

I was given a steam generator in a small cardboard box, which it was carefully placed in - wedged between cells that wouldn't let the steam generator get damaged if the box slipped out of your hands while carrying it.

Of course, it's unlikely that anything will happen to the steam generator if it slips out of your hands while you're walking or standing, but if it falls from a decent height, it's definitely not going to save it.

There was also documentation and a nozzle, but the latter was missing from the box, and I only noticed it now while writing this review.

The steam generator has a black plastic body with gray inserts.

The dominant color is black. The plastic feels really high-quality - the second criterion for choosing a steam generator.

The base of the steam generator is made of aluminum with a ceramic coating. It's slightly ribbed and in its center, there are 7 round holes arranged horizontally for steam to escape.

Steam generator dimensions:

Height: 330 mmWidth: 220 mmDepth: 160 mm.It's of average size and fits perfectly on any shelf in your closet.

Weight of the steam generator: 1.4 kg.

I'll say right away that it's quite heavy, and my small female hand gets tired holding it for a long time. This is the first minus of the manual steam generator of this model and, in general, of manual steam generators.

The Tefal Access Stream Force DT2850E1 handheld steamer works on a 220-240V network.

The steamer's cord is a decent 3 meters long, pretty thick, and won't easily get tangled or broken. It also comes with a clip to keep the cord tidy and compact.

The steamer has just two modes with different steam intensity:

for delicate items (DELICATE);

the turbo mode with maximum steam output (TURBO).

The steamer's power is 2000W.

The higher the steamer's power (whether handheld or standing), the faster the water heats up and the more intense the steam flow.

So, to steam not just lightweight tops and dresses, but also jackets, coats, curtains, you'll need to choose a model with a power of 2000W or more.

The steam output is 30g/min.

This is a great indicator for handling thick materials. Most budget handheld steamers have a steam output of around 15-20g/min, which just isn't enough to tackle thick fabrics. Keep this in mind when choosing a good steamer.

The water tank capacity is 200ml.

This is extremely small, especially when working on the turbo mode. You'll be refilling the tank every few minutes, which can be really frustrating. This is the second downside of handheld steamers.

This model has a really interesting removable tank. It's more like a leg, actually. The tank comes with a cap on its spout.

To fill the tank with water, you first need to detach it from the steamer. Find the little lever, pull it down, and then pull the tank away from the body.

Remove the cap, pour in water. It's recommended to use distilled or filtered water to avoid mineral buildup on your clothes.

After a few months of use, I noticed some grime had built up.

To get started, I inserted the water tank back into the steamer's body with a characteristic click. I plugged the steamer into the wall outlet and pressed the central round button "On". It started blinking blue light, which meant it was heating up the water and the steamer's platform.

The steamer heats up quickly - 25 seconds. How do you know it's ready to go? The power button stops blinking.

I chose between the two modes: delicate items (DELICATE) or the turbo mode with maximum steam output (TURBO), which are located on either side of the power button. To get the steamer to release steam, I had to press and hold the button on the steamer's mouth from the outside. There's also a lock to prevent steam from escaping.

Delicate items mode (DELICATE).

When I pressed the button for this mode, the button started glowing blue.

Turbo mode with maximum steam output (TURBO).

When I pressed the button for this mode, the button started glowing red.

The Tefal Access Stream Force DT2850E1 handheld steamer is great at removing wrinkles from any fabric.

Like jeans, knitwear, ski suits, and down jackets.

Even dress shirts and trousers.

The Tefal Access Stream Force DT2850E1 handheld steamer is a worthy addition to your steaming arsenal. It's really powerful. I highly recommend it, despite the fact that my hand gets tired if I use it for too long, and the water tank holds very little water.