Skip to content
Crease Control

Compare

Rowenta Steamers and Irons

The only brand here that competes seriously at both ends of the steamer-versus-iron argument.

By Scooter M., enthusiast, crease control · Published

Home appliances lined up on a shelf

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
ModelTypePowerTankHeat-upWeight
Pure Force DR88222-in-1 steamer + press1,875 W210 ml10 s3 lb
XCEL Steam Force DR2020Handheld steamer1,875 W189 ml40 s*1.4 lb
Steam Force Pro DW9580Steam iron1,850 WNot publishedNot published4.2 lb
Master Steam Station VR8338Steam station1,750 WNot publishedNot published7.1 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 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 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.

#ProductBest forSpec scorePrice
1Rowenta Pure Force 2-in-1 DR8822Rowenta Pure Force 2-in-1 DR8822Steams vertically, presses horizontally, and publishes the fastest heat-up in this set by a factor of three.One machine instead of two6.3/10
$79.95 · Amazon#ad
2Rowenta XCEL Steam Force DR2020Rowenta XCEL Steam Force DR2020Full 1,875W at 1.4 pounds — the best power-to-weight ratio on this site.Dress shirts and tailoring7.2/10
$49.99 · Amazon#ad
3Rowenta Steam Force Pro DW9580Rowenta Steam Force Pro DW95801,850 watts and a stainless soleplate — what you buy when the honest answer is 'iron'.The iron half of the argument8.3/10
$139.95 · Amazon#ad
4Rowenta Master Steam StationRowenta Master Steam Station1,750 watts with a separate boiler — continuous steam a self-contained iron cannot sustain.Pressing volume without refilling5.8/10
$199.99 · Amazon#ad

The picks in full

Rowenta Pure Force 2-in-1 DR8822 — Rowenta product photo

1. Handheld · One machine instead of two

Rowenta Pure Force 2-in-1 DR8822

Steams vertically, presses horizontally, and publishes the fastest heat-up in this set by a factor of three.

6.3/10Power 10.0Tank 4.4Heat-up 10.0Portability 0.8

Computed from published specifications only — the rubric is published in full.

$79.95 · View on Amazon

#ad · how this is funded · price as of September 16, 2026

Published specifications

ModelDR8822U1
Power1,875 W
Tank210 ml
Heat-up10 s
Weight3 lb
Voltage120V
Dimensions11.81"L x 8.66"W x 6.69"H
WarrantyNot published

Source: Rowenta published specifications (Amazon listing), accessed September 2026.

What the numbers mean

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.

Rowenta XCEL Steam Force DR2020 — Rowenta product photo

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.

7.2/10Power 10.0Tank 3.6Heat-up 7.3Portability 7.2

Computed from published specifications only — the rubric is published in full.

$49.99 · View on Amazon

#ad · how this is funded · price as of September 16, 2026

Published specifications

Model23108805209
Power1,875 W
Tank189 ml
Heat-up40 s
Weight1.4 lb
Dimensions5.71"L x 4.53"W x 10.83"H
Warranty1 Year Limited Warranty

Source: Rowenta published specifications (Amazon listing), accessed September 2026.

What the numbers mean

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.

Rowenta Steam Force Pro DW9580 — Rowenta product photo

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'.

8.3/10Power 9.3Portability 6.3

Computed from published specifications only — the rubric is published in full.

$139.95 · View on Amazon

#ad · how this is funded · price as of September 16, 2026

Published specifications

ModelDW9580
Power1,850 W
TankNot published
Heat-upNot published
Weight4.2 lb
Voltage120V
Dimensions12.6"L x 5.98"W
WarrantyNot published

Source: Rowenta published specifications (Amazon listing), accessed September 2026.

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.

Rowenta Master Steam Station — Rowenta product photo

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.

5.8/10Power 7.9Portability 1.5

Computed from published specifications only — the rubric is published in full.

$199.99 · View on Amazon

#ad · how this is funded · price as of September 16, 2026

Published specifications

ModelVR8338U1
Power1,750 W
TankNot published
Heat-upNot published
Weight7.1 lb
Voltage120V
Dimensions13.54"L x 8.03"W
WarrantyNot published

Source: Rowenta published specifications (Amazon listing), accessed September 2026.

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.

Read next