Real Consumer Reviews and Ratings
Tobi Steamer Reviews and Ratings
Consumer Ratings - Page 9 of 11
Tobi is Crap
10/31/2007 - Camille of New Jersey, USA writes:
This product worked fine but leaked after a few weeks. I had to put a towel under the unit so it would not damage my floors. Then several months later the cap to the water bottle broke off forcing me to send it back. Tobi will not acknowledge receipt even though I have two (2) receipts from UPS showing receipt and signature. After 3 attempts to get closure, tobi advised that in order to get a replacement I needed to sent $29.99 to cover shipping. I feel this is not right based on the unit breaking down. This will be my third shipping fee as I've paid once to have it sent to me the first time and then again to send it back and now they want me to pay again. I am frustrated and don't know how else to handle this situation. All I know is that I'm out $159.00 plus another $30 and I have nothing to show for it. I wish someone would close this company down and reimburse all of us who have lost out on this product including time and energy in trying to get some kind of compensation for all we've been through.
It does it's job!
10/30/2007 - Carolyn of Texas, USA writes:
When I first purchased the Tobi, I found this website and read the reviews. I thought that I made a mistake in buying this product. It arrived in approx. 15 days and we were anxious to use it. Set-up of the product was extremely easy and the steam came flowing out within 30 seconds as advertised. This product does work easily on sofy cotton and polyester material, but not as easy on dress shirts. Overall, I am satisfied with this product and my husband is also. He was not happy to learn that I bought this product, but he is now eager to use it just as much as I am.
great on wood/tile floors
10/29/2007 - Suzanne of New York, USA writes:
no better than a $10 handheld which are not so good either. have returned it and have not yet gotten the credit back on ny redit card.
UPDATE
10/29/2007 - Chuck of Tennessee, USA writes:
UPDATE: After using this product about 3 weeks. my previous rating remains unchanged. I have learned a few tricks that may help. On shirts work from the inside and allow the meterial to create drag on the steamer head. Use the lint free attachment this not only removes the lint this will also create additional drag. Some have mentioned tiping over when pulling the meterial. What I did was to tuck the corner rear wheel under a low chair or any furniture low to the floor. Just use a little common sence when pulling the meterial.The pole is not that strong. If you want that crisp look that an iron will do, Tobi is not for you. What it will do is take the wrinkles out. Spend a little time with it and develope your own technique like I did and you just may like it. Would buy again.
It works
10/29/2007 - Jorma of Lansi-Suomen Laani, Finland writes:
For me it's now easier and more rapid WAY TO GET SHIRTS READY. I am man. With Tobi I can also steam my bedclothes and so on.
Waste of time and money
10/28/2007 - Matthew of Washington, USA writes:
Well, a few weeks ago my found my wife sitting in front of the TV with a credit card. She said she bought a clothes steamer. I have always been skeptical about "As Seen On TV" type products. It arrived today and I put it together for her. She turned it on and waited, and waited. Where's the steam. I got online and saw all the poor reviews, but I also saw some positive information. And if you tip the unit towards the hose it does produces steam, but spits hot water as well. It will be returned, and I'm sure we'll have a fun time like others who sent their's back. This unit is not UL listed, or listed by any other testing lab. This product would most likely fail due to the risks listed in many of the reviews. Don't buy products that are not UL listed.
product of poor quality-
10/27/2007 - Leanne of Massachusetts, USA writes:
poorly made- steam leaks out handle and burns hand- poorly made-plastic handle and wire tubing should be better protected so some one does not get burned- very cheaply made-
Not the best, but does work
10/25/2007 - Vivienne of Missouri, USA writes:
It took three weeks to receive it and I ordered an extra to give as a Christmas present. I used to be in retail and used the Jiffy. I knew going in that the Tobi wouldn't be the same, because they are completely different products. It works ok. I cannot create creases and cannot steam the lower end of garments. Not good for heavy fabrics. The bar is not sturdy or tall enough. But, it does steam pretty quickly for me and I only use it as needed (one outfit a day).
Don't buy this!!!!
10/22/2007 - Jayne of Virginia, USA writes:
This is an appalling company. They were late on delivery, the steamer doesn't work and it's easy to burn your hands! I eventually got authorisation to return the item, and had to pay return carriage costs. Now they are refusing to refund my money. Don't but anything from this Company!!
PIECE OF JUNK
10/16/2007 - Mo of Washington, USA writes:
this is the worst product ever made.it does not do what it said it does like on tv. DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF JUNK!!!!!! You will end up returning it and wasting money on the shipping..
Sent it back!
10/16/2007 - Pat of Florida, USA writes:
This product does not work as seen on tv. You have to hold the garment down with one hand and go over and over an area and then when you get to the bottom the steam burns your hand. I sent it back but I didn't get credit for the shipping charges and it cost me shipping charges to send it back so I lost money!!!!
Do not RISK using the Tobi Steamer
10/11/2007 - Karen of Washington, USA writes:
I thought that maybe the shipment I had received was defective, because the steam escaped from the handle, scalding my hand. Through this site and others, I found that I am not alone - this is apparently a prevalent issue in its design. It cannot do what it says on the infomercial if the steam is not concentrated enough through the nozzle due to steam escaping where it can injure you. Don't buy this product, because they also give you no recourse if you try to return it for refund. They will not refund your original exorbitant shipping fees, and they expect you to pay to ship the defective, injurious unit back to them. Ultimately, what you get for your quest to not have to iron your clothes again is over $50 in shipping fees and a scalded hand. This seems unconscienable in the 21st century...
bought this thing
10/6/2007 - Prak of Quebec, Canada writes:
First of all, thought it would easy but not confortable. at the bottom of a shirt, the steam heats my hand since i have to hold the shirt still to make a descent pass. Second i have to pass like min 4 time the same spot because the shirt still wrinckles. (Depending of the material). Since I have to hold the clothing down well eventually i get sore legs. After 2 shirts, I was tire of this when ironing takes me less time. But for some other clothing works fine But like for cotton, not that great. Also, the plastic handle, sometime gets really hot. So maybe they should think of making a better grip instead of plastic!!! So think before purchasing this product because it's not like they show us on TV!!!
WORKS WELL
10/6/2007 - Chuck of Tennessee, USA writes:
Was a little skeptial at first after reading several posts.But wife wanted to give it a try. about 2 weeks passed I received it as promised. being curious I had to try it. I was surprised how well this thing works. it's not going to replace the iron but will take the wrinkles out. Stand could be better but once you get the hang of it you take on your own style. Wife tried it was empressed with the results. Would buy again
I was a sucker
9/30/2007 - Dee of California, USA writes:
Difficult to set up. hard to use. Ineffective results. Did not perform as it was demonstrated on tv. Overall, did not meet any of the advertised expectations. I would not recommend this to anyone.
DON'T TOSS the IRON
9/23/2007 - LaShall of California, USA writes:
This is not the answer to the Iron. 1. Shipping charges through the roof 2. Will not steam linen or thick material 3. Steam only lasts for 2-3 garments 4. Pole too flimsy 5. Will dewrinkle collars, cuffs 6. Money better spent on high end iron or mangle
Does work as described (sort of)
9/19/2007 - Sylvie of Ontario, Canada writes:
I've had a mastectomy, which makes any upper body work more difficult and strenuous. When I saw the ad for the Tobi, I couldn't wait to try it out. I hate ironing to begin with, so anything that cuts out ironing is worth a shot. Let's just say...I would rather toss clothes back through the wash cycle to avoid ironing, even before the mastectomy. :) I just got my Tobi this morning, and set it up right away. Setup was easy. But when I turned it on, I waited over 10 minutes, but no steam came out at all. I could hear it hissing, and the base of the hose was getting hot, but nothing was coming up through to the nozzle. I was frustrated and disappointed. I turned it off, logged on to the internet to check if anyone else was experiencing the same problem. I read through a lot of the same complaint and started to think I had been burned. Until I saw one comment that suggested two things...extend the hose straight up, and tip the machine forward towards the hose. It worked! MAJOR steam started happening, and my Tobi started looking like the ones I had seen on television. I've spent the last 30 minutes "Tobi'ing" 2 large loads of laundry that my teenagers had left sitting in the baskets, and they were terribly wrinkled. I steamed everything (and I do mean everything) and it came out almost perfectly. I used it on tshirts, jeans, and my nice black pants. I used it on my husband's casual dress shirts (the ones with collars) and all the wrinkles came out perfectly. The only problem I had was with the collars. I guess because of the extremely thick parts, they didn't come out perfectly. But these are shirts I would not have bothered ironing anyways, so it is certainly better than they would have been before. So, for anyone experiencing the same problem I had (no steam), try tipping the machine forward every once in a while and extend the hose straight. It worked for me and now I'm really glad I came here to read the reviews!
Junky, not that great
9/18/2007 - Bob of New York, USA writes:
I'm in the apparel industry so we use steamers all the time, the heavy industrial types. When we put presentations together we use it smooth out wrinkles etc and it works fine. However, I know that if I'm working on a shirt or then a steamer will end up puckering the seams. Those types of items you have to use an iron. A steamer will just not make the garment have that crisp look you want. However if you are doing something like a jacket, blouse that is out of a softer fabric then this is perfect (up to a point). WIth that being said a steamer is useful to have but its not the be all and end all and you still need an iron. There is some skill to using it. Why did I buy it, well first of all Steam is Steam so I figured that it didn't matter what it was made of and I was impressed with the fact that it was portable. Our heavy duty machines are bulky and heavy, although not that more expensive. The portability factor is good however this is a piece of junk. Its too easy to burn yourself, the steam doesn't come out that easily because the pipe gets kinked up. I would not recommend this at all, go on line and seach for Jiffy. Or just buy a hand steamer for $20. This item is neither one thing or the other.
Tobi does work, but not like the infomercial
9/14/2007 - David of New York, USA writes:
It took 3 weeks for me to receive this without having to pay for expedited shipping. It came in one box, and the parts were easy to put together. I was up and running in 5 minutes. I agree that the steam is powerful, perhaps so much so that it may be harmful when your skin is close to it. I know because it's HOT. The upright stand is very flimsy - it will tilt over if you try to pull on the clothes you are ironing. Thus trying to get a crease and steaming the collars are easily accomplished. The plastic water bottle is also very flimsy. I can't imagine pulling it out to fill it with water many times before something breaks. A full tank does about 2 - 3 shirts. Now it does steam. It does take out wrinkles. It does refresh your clothes. But it does not replace your iron, and most definitely it does not minimize your trips to the dry cleaning. If you think you can replace your iron and dry cleaning with The Tobi, you will be misled. Now I've only had the Tobi for a week, so maybe I will change my comments in a month or so. I was going to throw away my iron and ironing board once I received The Tobi, but I'm hanging on to them just a little while longer. I also purchased the travel sized Tobi. It's compact, powerful, and should get out the wrinkles you need on a trip. But since I haven't taken it on a trip with me I can't speak much for it. All I can say is that it pushes out powerful bursts of steam. It is easy to fill with water, and it heats up less than 30 seconds.
It is just ok
9/10/2007 - Antonio of Missouri, USA writes:
I have just received the tobi. It works... it is not that simple to use it. It is like to iron in the air... I find useless the hanger because it is too short. I have ended hanging the clothe on a door. I'm not getting fantastic results and my clothe ends a little wet... I guess it is a question of time I get use to it. The product works as showed on TV but it is not that simple to use it.
