Black+Decker Vitessa Advanced Cord Reel Review

Performance Comparison

Ironing Performance

Testing for this metric was conducted by using the iron on a variety of fabrics and scoring its performance on each of them. Those fabrics were cotton, linen, silk/satin, and polyester. The Black+Decker Vitessa did respectably well overall, with superior performance on linen and polyester but the lowest performance of the test cohort on silk and satin.

Our first test material was cotton, where irons are usually used on their highest temperature setting. Running this iron across the fabric, we immediately noticed that it felt hot, with heat radiating off it. This was also where we first noticed that the retracting cord on the Vitessa, although an excellent idea, is short and sometimes gets in the way when maneuvering around the board. The Vitessa could smooth out nearly all of the wrinkles on cotton, but it stalled out on one stubborn deep wrinkle we set up for these tests, which hardly any iron could remove.

As we mentioned, this iron's performance on linen and polyester was fantastic. We were able to smooth out our linen test sheet in around three passes, and we were able to clear up the notoriously stubborn polyester in around a dozen passes, which made the Vitessa one of the top performers for ironing polyester.

The Black+Decker Vitessa's middling performance on silk and satin materials dragged down its overall score in this metric as it did with many other irons. With over a dozen passes of the Vitessa, we only saw a 60% improvement in the smoothing out of our wrinkly silk and satin materials. As we kept ironing, we could feel the plate start to catch and stick to the fabric; however, using the steam function did make working with silk better overall.

Steam Ouput

To evaluate steam output, we fully filled each iron's tank, weighed it, preheated it for three minutes to bring it to temp, and then ironed with it for two minutes using the steam function. Afterward, we reweighed the iron to calculate grams of water converted to steam per minute. We abstained from using steam burst functions that would skew results. The Vitessa scored in the above-average range in this test, but we noticed it leaks a bit of water, which skews its result.

The Vitessa's initial mass when full of water was 1514.9 grams, and 1403.7 after the three-minute preheat and two minutes of ironing. That would be a total of 111 grams of steam produced.

Heating

To test heat output, we set the iron's heating element at its highest temperature and allowed it five minutes to warm up before taking readings from four temperature probes connected from the iron's soleplate at the top, bottom, middle-left, and middle-right. The Black+Decker Vitessa scored an average temperature of 298 degrees Fahrenheit, with its highest concentration of heat coming from the middle-right probe and its lowest heat coming from the bottom at 274 degrees.

Detailing

This metric measures the iron's prowess at detail work like ironing around buttons, creating specific shapes, like pleats, and how it glided and handled on the fabric. Things like weight and handle ergonomics also came into play here. The Black+Decker Vitessa Advanced Cord Reel wasn't an exceptional performer in these tests.

The Vitessa weighs in at 2.6 pounds, placing it near the middle of the pack for heft, but our main complaints are that it doesn't feel as balanced for good handling as others, and it leaks a little water. The cord coming off the side instead of the rear causes some issues with turning the iron in certain directions. We also noted a slick handle and somewhat awkwardly placed buttons, which can lead to accidental inputs. However, we did come to appreciate this iron's narrow design and the thin plate lip that make getting under buttons a breeze.

Ease of Use

This metric evaluates a few different areas, which include cord design, ease of water filling, temperature indicator, and quality of the water spray mechanism. Altogether, the Black+Decker Vitessa came in near the bottom of the group in these tests.

As we've mentioned, this unit's retracting cord is a neat feature until it isn't. Throughout our testing, we felt limited by its length and maneuverability, especially when turning the iron, because the cord comes off the right side of the iron instead of the rear. We also dinged it a few points for having a less than ideal fill port that is so narrow that a lot of water splashes off the side of it during refills at the faucet. The max fill line is slanted and a bit confusing to understand as well.

As to the temperature indicator, the Black+Decker Vitessa features a light that turns on solid when it's plugged in and begins blinking to indicate it will turn off soon if left upright and unused. It includes a dial for different settings, with a chart on the machine correlating each setting to fabric types, making it easy to use and read. However, there's no clear indication of when it's fully heated, leaving users to gauge readiness based on the solid light being on for a few minutes.

The Vitessa can produce a powerful burst of steam with a tight cloud formation around the iron, and it's capable of delivering multiple bursts consecutively. However, the steaming effect is somewhat limited. The spray function produces a clumped spray of water that doesn't evenly cover a wide area of fabric and tends to make the fabric excessively wet during ironing. Using the spray function also resulted in water stains on the satin fabrics.

Should You Buy the Black + Decker Vitessa Advanced Cord Reel?

If you value the convenience of its retractable cord and you'll primarily be using it to iron cotton, linen, or polyester, this is a great fit. However, it falls short in many other areas. This is not a particularly great iron with regard to ergonomics, and we didn't find it well-optimized for some detailing tasks.

What Other Iron Should You Consider?