New iron

Herr Bosch's handiwork seems to be less durable these days, particularly those items produced in the country they like to obfuscate as "PRC". Our B25L iron failed after 2.5 years of use; not impressive.

So it was off to Argos for a new iron, a Philips 8520 ( made in Indonesia, apparently ), seen here in the background. A much more cleverly-packaged unit and it can be carried by the iron's handle when locked-together.

There are considerable differences between the sole-plates, with the Bosch's steel plate ( left ) having its steam vents clustered near the apex whereas the Philips has the vents distributed along the perimeter of the ceramic plate.

In use the Philips seems much hotter than the Bosch, perhaps because of the conductivity of the ceramic plate. I would say that it is a superior unit.

Did you just read an article about £150 steam irons? I believe you did. Well done.