Nov 10, 2008 6:52 pm US/Eastern
Does It Really Do That: Tobi Steamer
UPPER ST. CLAIR (KDKA) ―
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KDKA's Yvonne Zanos tests the Tobi Steamer.
KDKA
If you are sick of ironing, meet the Tobi Steamer.
You've surely seen the infomercial on television that shows you how the Tobi Steamer can make your life easier.
If anyone should be sick of ironing, it's Kathy Carilli. She owns Pennystix, a children's resale shop in Upper St. Clair.
Kathy says she irons at least four hours a day. She irons so much her husband calls her "Chairman of the Board" - the ironing board.
That's why Kathy thinks the Tobi steamer could be a great product for her if it does what it promises.
The Tobi Steamer promises to get the wrinkles out of your clothes five times faster than an iron, but does it really do that?
The Tobi Steamer costs about $99 plus $30 shipping and handling. It's easy enough to put together.
We are surprised at how good it looks.
"I think it looks very nice," said Kathy Carilli. "I like the quality. It seems sturdy."
Directions say you simply fill up the water container, snap it in, turn it on, wait 30 seconds and you have steam. For us, the Tobi Steamer worked even faster.
At first, Kathy liked the way the steamer worked, easily getting wrinkles out of the clothes, but we soon run into some problems.
When Kathy pulls the clothes as directions recommend, she burns her fingers when she gets to the bottom of the dress.
The Tobi Steamer does give out a lot of steam. The other problem is that when you tug on the clothes, the Tobi Steamer tends to topple.
"It does topple easily," said Kathy. "I have to say until I get used to using it, I am a little bit nervous about that. It seems almost top heavy."
Even so, it does seem to do a good job on the clothes. It does take out the wrinkles.
It's when we try to use the Tobi Steamer as a portable steamer on the drapes, we run into more problems. The steamer has to stay plugged in and the cord is very short.
But here's the biggest problem of all. It is leaking, and not just a little bit.
The Tobi Steamer left puddles on the hardwood floors and wet the carpet it sat on. The leak is coming from the back of the steamer. We find the leak in the hose.
All in all, although the Tobi Steamer does an OK job steaming the wrinkles out of clothes, Kathy doesn't like the wiggle factor.
"I just don't feel like I am control," complained Kathy. "I would like to have one that is not defective and doesn't leak."
Kathy Carilli said she's not ready to give up her title, "Chairman of the Board," and besides she quipped, "Chairman of the Steamer just doesn't sound right."
So we give the Tobi Steamer a "thumbs down."
Search the web and you'll find that leaks seem to be a problem with the Tobi Steamer, but to its credit, when I called Tobi Steamer, I easily got a human being on the phone who offered to send me a new hose free of charge, not even any shipping and handling. No hassles.
Although we think the Tobi Steamer might be nice for occasional touch ups, at $130, we think you can get a better deal on a steamer at a retail store. Look for one with a heavier base - just wait for the sales.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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