Urpower Steamer Review | Is This Budget Steamer a Good Buy?
Urpower are makers of budget small home appliances, including portable garment steamers. You can buy an Urpower clothing steamer for around $30 making this an affordable choice for some. The Urpower steamer has its limitations however. Let’s take a closer look to see if it is a worthwhile buy in 2022.
The Original Urpower Garment Steamer
Urpower garment steamers are designed as a small handheld steamer with travel in mind.
Measuring 8.8 inches by 6.2 inches urpower steamers are fairly compact and include a travel bag to store the steamer whilst traveling or not in use.
We really like that the urpower fabric steamers come with a steaming mitt. If you’ve spent any time reading the posts on best garment steamers, you’ll know we are all about protecting your hands from steam and potential burns.
Unfortunately, not a lot of garment steamer manufacturers recognize this and neglect to include any kind of hand protection with their steamers. We are delighted that this has not been overlooked by Urpower.
The Urpower steamer also comes with a 2 year warranty. Most budget steamers offer a 12 month warranty. For a steamer that is priced under $30 (at the time of writing), a 2 year warranty is impressive.
That’s about all the nice things I have to say about this Urpower steamer though.
First of all, the Urpower steamer is restricted to a maximum tilt of 45 degrees. This means, if you had the handheld steamer in your hand and needed to lean it over to reach a certain area of your clothing, you could only lean it up to 45 degrees.
This makes the Urpower steamer quite limited when it comes to uses. There’s no tilting to steam the bottom of curtains, no steaming wrinkles from clothes laying on the bed, your bed covers or sheets.
No tilting the steamer past 45 degrees to steam soft furnishings such as lounge cushions, or armchairs. In short, you can hold it upright, lean it over a little bit, but it will be prone to spitting and spluttering water as most steamers of this design do.
The water tank is 130ml, which is approximately 4.4 fluid ounces. The urpower steamer will run for around 10 minutes of continuous steaming, which for a travel steamer, is expected.
There are some good qualities to this Urpower steamer, such as overheating protection. The steamer will automatically shut off if the unit gets too hot or the water level is too low. Again, for a low priced garment steamer, this is a good feature.
The heat up time is 2 minutes, for 4.4 oz of water, this is a really long time. That alone tells me this urpower steamer is not very powerful, confirmed by the wattage of the steamer which is 700 watts.
There are far better steamers on the market for 2022 which are similarly priced and have much better features. We’ll discuss that further below.
Pros
- 2 year warranty
- Auto shut off and overheat protection
- Includes a steaming glove
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Cannot tilt past 45 degrees
- 2 minute heat up time
- Small water tank
The Updated Urpower Steamer (2020 Model)
The Urpower steamer has also had an upgrade in 2020, and now features a larger water tank. The water tank has increased from 4.4 oz to 6 oz (130ml to 180ml). With the increased water tank size, comes a slight design change to the appearance of the water volume on the front.
All other features of the urpower steamer are the same as the original model.
The urpower 2020 steamer is a 700 watt model. This is not very powerful when it comes to handheld steamers.
These steamers will be best used for lightweight summer clothing. If you need to steam wrinkles from denim, linen, suit fabrics etc, we don’t suggest the urpower steamer. It is not likely to handle these types of fabrics well.
Also, the lack of tilt function with the urpower steamers makes them more prone to spitting water. This is a common complaint among consumer feedback about the urpower steamers. Make sure you always use it with distilled water to minimize spitting.
Pros
- 2 year warranty
- Larger water tank than the original model
- Auto shut off and overheat protection
- Includes a steaming glove
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Cannot tilt past 45 degrees
- 2 minute heat up time
- Lacks decent steam power
If I had to choose between the two urpower steamers, my choice would be the upgraded 2020 model with the larger water tank. At the time of writing, it was also the same price, as the other model.
Both models are priced under $30, which make them quite affordable for a travel garment steamer. Unfortunately, the lack of ability to tilt the steamer past 45 degrees is a huge turn off, especially when a known problem with steamers such as this is spitting of water.
Other Steamers to Consider Instead of the Urpower Steamer
The Beautural handheld steamer is a better option than the Urpower steamer. It has a higher wattage for stronger steam output, can be used both horizontally and vertically and includes attachments to make steaming pants and thicker clothing easier. It is comparable in price to the Urpower steamer, but offers much more value. Take a look below:
- 8.79 ounce water tank
- Use horizontally or vertically
- 30 second heat up
- 1200 watts
- Attachments included
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
This Polardo steamer is also a small unit, suitable for use as a travel steamer and comparatively priced to the Urpower steamer. It has a nano filter making it tap water friendly, can be used both horizontally and vertically and an electronic steam pump to avoid spitting of water – although it is worthwhile noting some users have still had a problem with this. It heats up quickly, holds 4 ounces of water and operates at 900 watts. At 7.48 inches x 3.9 inches x 2.36 inches in size, this is a true mini steamer for travel that is far more impressive than the Urpower steamer.
- Tap water friendly
- Use horizontally and vertically
- Lightweight and compact for travel
- 1 year warranty
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
What is the Urpower Steamer Wattage?
The Urpower steamer operates at 700 watts. This is a fairly low wattage and will create a gentle output of steam, most suitable for lightweight fabrics. Steamers that operate at 1200 watts and above have more steam power for faster wrinkle removal.
Why is my Urpower Steamer Spitting Water?
The Urpower steamer cannot be tilted past 45 degrees. If you tilt it too far it could cause water spitting and leakage. Another reason why your Urpower steamer may spit water is if it has mineral build up from tap water. You may need to descale it using a vinegar and water solution.
How to Clean a Urpower Steamer
To clean the boiler tank of your Urpower steamer, fill the tank with 1/3 white vinegar and 2/3 water. Turn on the steamer and allow it to run until the steam is flowing well. You may need to repeat this process for large amounts of mineral build up or if your steamer has stopped producing steam altogether. Wipe the outside of the steamer with a damp cloth. Never immerse the steamer in water.
Can You Use the Urpower Steamer on a Wedding Dress?
The Urpower steamer may not be powerful enough to remove wrinkles from thicker wedding dress fabrics. For lightweight and delicate fabrics the steam output will be suitable. Keep in mind, many users of the Urpower steamer have complained about water spitting. If your wedding dress fabric could be marked by water, I would avoid using the Urpower steamer on it.
Urpower Garment Steamer vs Conair Extreme Steam?
Conair Extreme Steam Steamers offer much more flexibility than the Urpower steamer. You can use the Conair steamers both horizontally and vertically, most have multiple steam settings, and a higher wattage for stronger steam output. Expect to pay more for a Conair Extreme Steam steamer than you will for an Urpower steamer.
Urpower or Pursteam for Steamer?
Urpower and Pursteam travel steamers are both very similar in design and functionality. The Pursteam steamer offers 900 watts of steaming power for their handheld steamer and 800 watts for their travel steamer. This is slightly higher than Urpower, which runs at 700 watts. Both Urpower and Pursteam steamers are made in China. Consumers have complained about spitting water for both brands.
Conclusion
While the Urpower steamer is a budget friendly option, it lacks a lot of capability in comparison to other steamers on the market. If you are traveling, it is compact in size, fairly lightweight and the 2 year warranty is a bonus.
The downside with the Urpower steamer is you cannot tilt it past a 45 degree angle. This makes it unsuitable to use for sanitizing surfaces and other uses around the home. There is only one steam setting and the low wattage of the steamer makes it output gentle steam suitable for lightweight fabrics.
Many users have complained about water spitting from the Urpower steamer and clothing ending up very wet. This could be from over tilting the steamer, or overfilling the water. Overall, I feel there are better handheld steamers on the market in 2022 than the Urpower steamer, which I have outlined above.
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