The only brand here that competes seriously at both ends of the steamer-versus-iron argument.
By Scooter M., enthusiast, crease control · Published
Rowenta is the one brand on this site that makes a serious vertical steamer, a 2-in-1, a full iron and a steam station, which means it is competing on both sides of the steamer-versus-iron question. Its standout figures are the Pure Force's 10-second heat-up — the fastest published anywhere here — and the XCEL's 1,875 W at 1.4 pounds, the best power-to-weight ratio in the whole set.
We earn a commission if you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It does not change which steamer we rank first — the ranking comes from published specifications and the arithmetic on our method page. We have not tested these units. Full disclosure.
The range, on published specifications
Rowenta models verified on live listings, September 2026
Model
Type
Power
Tank
Heat-up
Weight
Pure Force DR8822
2-in-1 steamer + press
1,875 W
210 ml
10 s
3 lb
XCEL Steam Force DR2020
Handheld steamer
1,875 W
189 ml
40 s*
1.4 lb
Steam Force Pro DW9580
Steam iron
1,850 W
Not published
Not published
4.2 lb
Master Steam Station VR8338
Steam station
1,750 W
Not published
Not published
7.1 lb
*The XCEL listing title advertises a 25-second heat-up while the structured specification field on the same page reads 0.66 minutes — about 40 seconds. We score the specification field.
The conflict in Rowenta's own data
It is worth dwelling on, because it is the clearest example on the site of why we score the structured field rather than the marketing copy. The XCEL's Amazon title says 25-Sec Heat-Up. The Wattage, Capacity and Heat Time fields on the same page — the ones Rowenta files as the product's specification — say 1,875 watts, 6.4 ounces and 0.66 minutes.
Forty seconds is not a bad figure. It is simply not twenty-five, and if you buy expecting the faster number you will notice. We would rather flag the discrepancy than quietly pick whichever suits the ranking. The full XCEL review works through the rest of that machine.
The Pure Force is the interesting machine
Ten seconds to steam is three times faster than anything else here, and it comes with a horizontal press plate. For a mixed wardrobe that is close to the ideal single machine — steam the wool jacket vertically, press the cotton collar horizontally, no board involved. The cost is three pounds in the hand, which is the weight of the soleplate — the full Pure Force review works through both sides of that trade.
The upright, which this page did not used to mention
Rowenta also sells a full-size upright in the US, and until October 2026 this page did not say so. The Pro Style IS2461 publishes 1,500 watts, a 45-second heat-up and — unusually for any maker — a steam output figure of 37 g/min, which is the highest published anywhere on this site. It also carries two steam levels, which the cheaper uprights do not. The catch is documentation: its Capacity field holds a weight and its Item Weight field reads 1.31 ounces for a machine 65 inches tall, so it is scored on two of four figures. The full review works through what that means against the cheaper SALAV GS18, which matches it on power and heat-up.
The suction steamer, which is new here
Rowenta also sells a suction handheld, the AeroSteam Twist DR9310, and it is one of only two machines on this site that grip the fabric with a fan instead of relying on the garment's own weight. It publishes 1,260 W, a 35-second heat-up, 2.4 pounds and a suction force of 3,300 Pa — a figure the rival BLACK+DECKER VacuSteam does not state at all — and it is nearly a pound lighter than that rival. The catch is that Rowenta publishes no tank capacity for it anywhere on the listing, so it is scored on three figures rather than four. The full review weighs the two suction machines against each other and against an ordinary high-power handheld.
The iron side
The Steam Force Pro and the Master Steam Station are what you buy when the honest answer to your wardrobe is an iron — linen above all. Both publish generous wattage and neither publishes a tank capacity or a heat-up time, which on a steam station is a real omission: boiler capacity is the figure that decides how long you can press before refilling.
The Rowenta range
Ranked on published specifications. Tap a row for the full write-up; the price button goes to Amazon.
#
Product
Best for
Spec score
Price
1
Rowenta Pure Force 2-in-1 DR8822Steams vertically, presses horizontally, and publishes the fastest heat-up in this set by a factor of three.
Ten seconds to steam is the lowest published heat-up of anything on this page. If the thing that stops you steaming is the wait, this is the answer to it.
The horizontal plate is the real argument. A steamer relaxes a wrinkle; only contact and pressure will put a crease into a trouser leg or flatten a collar point. This does both, which is why for most wardrobes it genuinely replaces an iron and a board.
Three pounds is heavy for a handheld, and that weight is the soleplate. Judge it as a small iron that also steams, not as a light steamer that also presses.
Good
10-second published heat-up, the fastest on this site
Vertical steam and a horizontal press plate in one body
210 ml tank, larger than most 1,875W handhelds
Not good
Three pounds — the heaviest handheld here
A plate needs a surface, so it is not purely hang-and-go
Wider footprint than a pure steamer to store
Who should not buy it. Skip this if you only ever steam hanging garments. You would be carrying the weight of a soleplate you never put down.
2. Handheld · Dress shirts and tailoring
Rowenta XCEL Steam Force DR2020
Full 1,875W at 1.4 pounds — the best power-to-weight ratio on this site.
The interesting number here is a ratio. Every other 1,875W handheld we looked at is published between two and three pounds; this one is 1.4. Over a rail of shirts that difference is the whole experience.
Note a conflict inside Rowenta's own published data: the listing title advertises a 25-second heat-up, while the structured specification field on the same page reads 0.66 minutes — about 40 seconds. We score the specification field, because that is the figure Rowenta files rather than the one it markets. If you buy it expecting 25 seconds, expect to be disappointed by fifteen.
The 190 ml tank is small, and Rowenta pairs it with a stated 10 minutes of continuous steam — an honest figure rather than an optimistic one.
Good
1,875W at 1.4 pounds — the best power-to-weight figure here
Removable tank, so you refill at the tap rather than over the sink
10.8 inches tall, so it lives in a closet rather than a cupboard
Not good
190 ml is a small tank even by handheld standards
Rowenta's own title and specification field disagree about heat-up time
One-year warranty against Conair's two
Who should not buy it. Skip this if you want one machine that presses as well as steams. It is a pure vertical steamer with no plate — the Pure Force is the Rowenta that does both.
3. Iron · The iron half of the argument
Rowenta Steam Force Pro DW9580
1,850 watts and a stainless soleplate — what you buy when the honest answer is 'iron'.
Rowenta does not publish tank capacity, heat-up time for this model, so those figures are excluded from the score rather than estimated.
What the numbers mean
Linen and heavy cotton want contact, weight and heat, and no vertical steamer supplies any of the three. This is the tool for those fabrics.
1,850 watts is at the top of what a domestic iron draws, and 4.2 pounds is heavy in the way that helps — the mass does part of the pressing for you.
Rowenta publishes neither a tank figure nor a heat-up time on this listing, so two of our four metrics are unavailable and the score is computed from the two that are.
Good
1,850W — the most powerful iron in this set
Stainless steel soleplate with published smart presets
4.2 pounds of useful mass for pressing
Not good
No published tank capacity or heat-up figure
Needs a board, which is the whole reason people buy steamers
Nothing an iron does helps a pleated, beaded or structured garment
Who should not buy it. Skip this if you do not own a board and will not buy one. An iron without a surface is a paperweight.
4. Iron · Pressing volume without refilling
Rowenta Master Steam Station
1,750 watts with a separate boiler — continuous steam a self-contained iron cannot sustain.
Rowenta does not publish tank capacity, heat-up time for this model, so those figures are excluded from the score rather than estimated.
What the numbers mean
A steam station separates the boiler from the iron, which is what lets it deliver steam continuously instead of in the bursts a self-contained iron manages.
Seven point one pounds is the heaviest unit on this site, and almost all of it is the base. The iron in your hand is light.
Rowenta publishes neither tank capacity nor heat-up time here. On a station the boiler capacity is the figure a buyer most needs, and its absence is a genuine mark against the listing.
Good
Separate boiler gives continuous rather than burst steam
1,750W
The iron itself is light because the mass sits in the base
Not good
No published boiler capacity — the key figure for a station
No published heat-up time
7.1 pounds and a two-piece footprint to store
Who should not buy it. Skip this if you press occasionally. A station earns its size only if you work through a basket at a time.
Questions people actually ask
+Is Rowenta a good steamer brand?
On published specifications, yes — it holds the fastest heat-up here at 10 seconds and the best power-to-weight ratio at 1,875 W in a 1.4 pound body. Its warranties are one year, against Conair's two.
+How long does a Rowenta XCEL take to heat up?
Rowenta's own data disagrees with itself. The listing title says 25 seconds; the structured specification field says 0.66 minutes, about 40. We use the specification field, because that is the figure the maker files.
+What is the difference between a Rowenta steamer and a Rowenta steam station?
The steamer works vertically on hanging fabric and never touches it. The steam station is an iron with a separate boiler, so it presses fabric flat with continuous rather than burst steam. They are for opposite halves of a wardrobe.
