Customer Reviews

Rowenta DR5020 Ultra Steam 800-Watt Handheld Steamer Brush

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I recently purchased this steamer and am very happy with it. It does a great job of taking wrinkles out of clothing. Most hand steamers do, so it just comes down to whether or not they perform as designed and what features and bells and whistles they come with. So far this Rowenta has performed very well for me and I love a lot of the little features and design touches as well.

PROS
--Pump driven steam results in stronger and steadier bursts than the types which merely boil the water
--Can be held at any angle. Some hand steamers only work when you hold them vertically. The pump mechanism in this unit means you can hold it however you like.
--Trigger lets you apply steam only when needed
--Removable bristle brush. Use the steamer with or without the brush
--Removable tank. Easier than refilling the whole steamer at the faucet
--Uses tap water. They actually recommend tap over distilled.
--Ergonomic handle. The curvature makes it very easy to hold and apply pressure to the clothes.
--Loop on handle. I can easily hang it up after use in the bathroom
--Comes with a convenient storage case

CONS
--The water tank is a little small, so you may have to refill it a few times. I got through about two lightly wrinkled shirts on one tank. This is about the only negative I can think of for this model.

Garment steamers may be new to many and I suspect some of the bad reviews come from people who just don't know how to use them or have unrealistic expectations. They are not meant to completely replace an iron which may be more efficient for some heavy duty ironing tasks (for example if you like to iron your bed sheets or a similar type job). On the other hand, it can be used more easily than an iron for MOST of my ironing jobs -- and it can even go where my iron can't! For example, knits and sweaters. Ever try to iron a sweater? You can't. But I found this steamer can easily take wrinkles out of a sweater that was wrinkled due to storage as well as other knits that I wouldn't dare place an iron on. I wear a lot of knits, so discovering garment steamers has been a revelation for me.

Here are some tips -- 1) You do have to pull the fabric a little taut as you hold the head of the steamer against or near it to get good results. You have to pull harder on woven fabrics than with knits which you only have to tug a tiny bit. 2) I have an old ironing mitt, and I find it works great with the steamer. It acts like a mini ironing board and makes it easier to use the steamer as I can firmly press the head of it (without the brush attached) against some fabrics to get better results. 3) If you're having problems using the steamer, use it without the bristle brush attachment. With many fabrics and jobs, I get better results this way.

I've only had this Rowenta steamer for a month, so I don't know how well it will hold up over time. But so far I couldn't be happier. I've used it successfully so far on lots of types of clothing including cotton capris pants, cotton knit pique tops, and a medium weight synthetic knit sweater. I'm not big on ironing to begin with and do it as little as possible. But now with this little steamer I find myself touching up clothes more often whereas beforehand I'd just skip the iron because it was too much of a hassle to use.

One more thing: One reviewer said theirs leaked water. They must have a defective unit or are using it wrong because I don't get a drop of excess water anywhere with mine. Just pure steam. None of my clothing comes out "wet" either. I'm also baffled by another reviewer who said it burned their hand and the trigger area gets hot. I have no such problems. Yes, the steamer itself gets hot, but not so hot that I can't use it or it will cause injury (be careful with the steam though). It's mild compared to how hot an iron gets.

As someone who hasn't used a garment steamer since the early days of the breed, I wasn't sure if this Rowenta would kick butt or not. The old steamers I remember were cheap plastic cylinders that boiled water and emitted lazy puffs of steam [...]. Fortunately I can attest that the Rowenta is a serious pump-driven steamer. It heats up quickly -- they claim 30 seconds; I would say more like a minute for the maximum setting. When the light goes off, you push the button(you'll hear a whirring sound), and out come copious clouds of steam. The steamers I remember couldn't output steam like this! I don't know why some other reviewers have had a problem with this steamer, but I suspect they had defective units. I notice that the box on my steamer had a seal confirming whether or not the unit is new; I suggest that you make sure the seal on your box is intact when you receive it. About the only negative I can see with this Rowenta is the small water tank -- I used up almost a full tank on a cashmere sweater -- but for folks like me who use a steamer only for occasional touch-ups, this shouldn't be a problem. A nice alternative to an iron for emergency wrinkle removal, and it's fun to use as well...

This steamer is fantastic. I just steamed a ball gown with it and you couldn't ask for better. The gown had three layers of tulle and actual dress with tons of loose gathers, even with all that I only had to refill about 5 or 6 times and that was for yards and yards of fabric. I think it would do an average garment on one fill of water. Refilling is NO big deal and takes about 30 seconds to complete. Do not believe the small water reservoir is a negative. This steamer is ready to work in thirty seconds and goes like crazy. The only downside for me is I didn't own one years ago !!!!!

The unit is nice and compact but the steam pump burned out after one use. Further, the water tank capacity is very small so it is not ideal for use beyond 5 minutes without a refill. Try the Euro-Pro Shark steamer instead which I found to be well constructed and produced powerful steam. The Shark also comes with a large water tank capacity and a great assortment of attachments that makes the purchase more versatile.

I love this steamer. I had a Rowenta steamer before I purchased this one. I loved it - it lasted a good 15-20 years! This is the only steamer I'd ever get!!! The only downside to this item is when you need to refill the water. The tab that needs to be pulled out so you can add water is tough to grab. But that's my only complaint & it's not much of a complaint if you ask me!
If you're looking for a hand-held compact steamer,...this is the one! Hands-down!

Stay away from this portable steamer, it's pure garbage. It is not good for any use, whether you want to use it for travel or more regularly. It is simply a total waste of money. I hate being the one rogue dissenter, but I purchased this item based in large part on the positive feedback it had received. After using it, I really question whether or not the other reviewers had ever actually used a real steamer before this one. This product was absolutely disappointing. The steam could never get even close to hot enough to remove any wrinkles, and actually managed to make my suit look worse after use. The worst part is, the items I was using it on were recently dry cleaned before travel, and I was just trying to get a few wrinkles out, nothing major. You can see the steam while you use it, but because it cannot heat up enough, the steamer does little more than make the garment wet. In fact, everything I tried it on had wet spots that did not go away quickly as with a traditional "quality" steamer. If you are looking to buy the Rowenta DR5020 Pro Steam Handheld Steam Brush, do not bother. If I did not throw the box away already I would have returned it the second I got home from my VERY DISAPPOINTING trip. I bought this piece of junk after I saw an infomercial for the Tobi steamer, and saw they gave away a free portable steamer with it. The Rowenta DR5020 Pro Steam is pure garbage, please do not waste your money. I have purchased hundreds, if not thousands, of items off of Amazon, and this is my first true disappointment.

Is NOT powerful enough to get wrinkles out. You are much better off with an iron. I returned this product immediately after witnessing its failure.

I love this steamer. It's quick and super easy to use. Works on most fabrics but I would not throw your regular iron out. Think of the steamer and iron as 2 different appliances with different functions. You can do a quick refresh on something so you don't have to wash the clothes as much which wears the threads down. And you don't have to bother with lugging the ironing board out.

This portable steamer is quite powerful for its size. It heats up immediately and delivers a constant stream of steam. I will never use an iron again!

I was skeptical when I bought it as handheld steamers tend to be ineffective. But I was pleasantly surprised by the power of the steam, especially with the brush. It was very effective in terms of result and time. The only downside is that the water tube is small, and it requires refills often. But overall, this is a great buy.