Jiffy Steamer J-4000 Pro-Line Commercial Garment Steamer
by Jiffy Steamer
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Our Price: $234.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $209.99 (click here) Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Jiffy Steamer J-4000 Pro-Line Commercial Garment Steamer
Customer Review: A Bachelor's Favorite!
Summary: 5 Stars
Let's get one thing out of the way here.... I HATE IRONING!!!
I'm a 20-something bachelor, and although I know how to iron, I've always hated the particular mixture of tediousness/meticulousness necessary to get ALL the wrinkles out of clothes. So much so, that unless it is a special occasion, I just do the leave the clothes hanging in the bathroom while I take a shower (and hope for the best).
Enter the J-4000 Jiffy steamer. I'd heard legends about steamers being wonderful to use and easier/quicker than ironing. But the only people I'd known had the hand steamers, which were always garbage, and the big models always cost several times even the fanciest iron. My parents eventually bought a low-level conair big steamer and used it for about a week. In my mom's words, it work nice, but it just didn't produce enough steam, so things took forever.
Now I recently moved up in position at my job, and the wrinkled recent bachelor look just won't fly anymore. So I saw this during an Amazon Friday sale for a "buck seventy-five" with free shipping, did a little research, and saw this was the Cadillac of steamers. Knowing Amazon's excellent customer service, I ordered this, figuring if this didn't work as advertised, I'd return it, and close the door on steamers forever (and hope that someday I could afford a monthly dry-cleaning service).
But it worked!! When I broke this out on laundry day, I was initially greeted by a load of laundry I'd accidentally left in the drier for 2 weeks. If there was ever a test for the de-wrinkling powers of this steamer, some creases that have been pressed for 2 weeks ought to do it. But even on those, even the most wrinkled shirt/sweater took only about a minute and a half.
The thing operates like a breeze, is a snap to assemble, and produces a bunch of steam. The only drawback I see is that it's a little oddly-shaped, so it's kind of hard to store without breaking down, but breakdown only takes about 30 seconds.
I also saw in the brochure that there is a steam board that you can put on the wall, which might make things even easier, as it will prevent garments from swaying while being steamed, but Amazon doesn't sell it. It is pricey on Jiffy Steamer's website. I may end up making a home-made version, as it doesn't look that complicated.
But the end result is that even this iron-hating bachelor doesn't mind dewrinkling his clothes anymore. I wish I'd bought this thing years ago!! :)
Customer Review: Jiffy does not disappoint
Summary: 5 Stars
The Jiffy J-4000 Proline steamer is a daunting purchase for a recently graduated businessman who hates ironing. At $200 from Amazon, the cost of purchasing one of these things is the cost of about 100 dry cleaned and pressed shirts (about 6 months worth) at the local dry cleaners. However, I decided to give it a try, knowing that I could return it if I hated it.
The steamer arrived 4 days after I ordered it, thanks to Amazon's free and fast shipping. Putting it together was a joke, and within 10 minutes I was preheating the water. (A word of advice, let the machine preheat all the way before turning it to steam mode.) I am currently used to turning the preheat on before I shower, then turning it to steam immediately when I get back to my room, and it will be ready when I need to use it.
Using the machine seems simple, but there is a method that seems to work best. First, make sure you are sitting down. You can't use it standing up, and kneeling is uncomfortable. I used my computer chair, and that worked great.
Once the preheat indicator turns off, turn the dial to steam. It will take a few minutes before steam starts coming out of the nozzle, so be patient. Once you see the steam, it's ready to go.
I don't steam any women's clothing, so this is solely catered to males. Hold one end of one sleeve and work the nozzle down the sleeve horizontally. Do this twice. Then move to the front of the shirt. Hold the shirt at the bottom, and move the nozzle slowly down the shirt. You don't have to press the nozzle deeply into the shirt. Just hold it directly against, and even slightly off the shirt. Continue to the other side, then to the other sleeve, then turn the shirt around and do the back. Th entire process for 1 long sleeved dress shirt is about 8 minutes. A t-shirt takes about 2.
This beast of a machine dissolves the toughest wrinkles fairly easily. Of course, the thinker the material, the longer it will take to steam, but overall, the machine is great and should last for a long time, making it one of the best purchases I have ever made.
Customer Review: LOVE it now
Summary: 5 Stars
The J-4000 needs to preheat for 15 minutes and then takes at least another 5 minutes to make steam so I can't use it without thinking ahead. It puts out a lot of steam and I have scorched myself many times so I've started wearing gloves when I steam. That seems to be working.
I am able to steam a lot more clothing than I was able to tolerate ironing. However, the final product is definitely not as good as ironed. I'm still glad I purchased it though. Thought I could use it to do my husband's pants, but they come out sub par.
I'm going to have my husband make me a padded vertical ironing board once I figure out exactly what I want. I think that will improve the final product and speed up the steaming.
The above was my initial review: Here's the follow up. I definitely have a system now and can do an enormous amount of ironing/steaming at one time. I now know what steams well and what needs ironing. For example, I iron collars and sleeves of dress and golf shirts and then hang them and steam the rest from the inside out hanging vertically. Everything needs to hang and to be steamed from the inside. I do all collars and sleeves and then whiz though the bodies of the shirts with the steamer.
I always wear gloves. The steam is HOT. I now LOVE this steamer in conjunction with some ironing. I still iron all pants but can steam golf shorts (because I can get the steamer inside the shorter leg easily). Steaming is great on interlock and pique knits and nylons and performance fabrics. My husband and I do a lot of sports so much of our clothing is of this variety. It's also great on cotton dress shirts, but as I said, the collars and sleeves need regular ironing.
So don't plan on throwing away your iron if you buy the steamer, but do plan on getting good and fast results if you use both. Remember, it does take 15 minutes to get the steam to the right temperature to steam and you will need a hanging board for best results. I hang a heavy towel over my built-in ironing board door and that works fine.
Customer Review: Cashmere sweaters and St. Johns tanks
Summary: 5 Stars
This Jiffy does an excellent job on the fine-gauge cashmere sweaters that I wear year-round in Florida. I have laundered my cashmere for many years, now using Mrs. Meyers, and previously ironed with a warm iron. Iron was adequate, and actually worked better than bothering with an inferior model of steamer. Now, this top-of-the-line Jiffy, on the inside of the cashmere, smoothes quickly, making ironing unnecessary and giving a more professional look.
The primary reason for the purchase, however, was to tackle laundering my St. Johns tanks also. (Tanks need to be laundered with greater frequency than the jackets, at great expense.)
Previous laundering attempts, with an inferior steamer, had produced inadequate results in removal of the embedded wrinkles in a St. Johns Collection wool weave. This Jiffy produced the steam/heat necessary.
With instructions from my saleslady, I now launder a St. Johns tank with a little vinegar in the cold water to retain the color. I slowly steam the tank from the inside, with slow movements to remove the embedded wrinkles. I then "finish" the garment by laying a damp handkerchief-weave cotton cloth against the outside, and ironing. This gives the woven wool its pristine "department-store" sheen.
The real benefit of owning this Jiffy is stains. Frequently, dry cleaners will not attempt St. Johns stains at all, especially those that have been sitting for very long, such as having been stained on a vacation. I had only owned the Jiffy for a few days when I stained a tank during dinner. That evening, I washed the stain out in cold water, knowing fully that, on my busy schedule in the coming week, I would have no time to get the garment to the dry cleaners, or to even finish the process myself. Yet, even several weeks later, I was able to restore the tank to its original beauty! This gives much freedom from anxiety in knowing that I have not permanently ruined a garment that is an integral part of a coordinated outfit.
Customer Review: Fabulous Tool for Busy People Who Have to Look Good
Summary: 5 Stars
Since I never know what I want to wear (to work) until morning usually, my modus operandi previously was to iron in the morning if I felt up to it. In addition, to get good results was a huge pain and time consumer, let alone that the clothes that I ironed looked worse and worse over time.
Enter the J-4000...
I first purchased the Jiffy J-2000 based on reviews on the Web and the fact that it was on sale at Costco.com. Upon receiving it and trying it out, I was not especially impressed because the steam seemed to merely seep out of the head. It did a passable job of getting wrinkles out, but did not seem to have what I felt was the power to really get my clothes in great shape quickly and effectively.
I then visited Amazon.com and re-read the reviews of both the J-2000 and the J-4000. I noticed that people were absolutely raving about the J-4000. I also discovered that the price at the time was a steal, so I decided to try it side-by-side and return the model I did not want.
Well, I received the J-4000 today and whipped out a few of my daughter's tiny little button-down lacy shirts that have been a nightmare to iron (and hence, have not been getting any wearings). I also steamed a suit I wore today to an all-day meeting and now it is as fresh as if I'd just gotten it dry-cleaned. Unlike with the J-2000, I actually could see the steam moving through all of the layers of fabric and making a true difference in my suit's appearance (and odor with a little Febreeze).
I am sold on the J-4000 and will be returning the J-2000. I think the J-4000 works so well because of the 1500 W vs. 1300 W heating element. It makes a big difference.
I paid $124 with shipping at Costco.com for the J-2000 and $199 with shipping at Amazon.com for the J-4000. Since then, I've only seen it as low as $250, so you'll have to watch for specials.