What is eloxal iron sole?

In the modern world, there are a huge number of household appliances that make our lives more comfortable. Therefore, not a single housewife can imagine how to do without an iron. Today, on store shelves there is a fairly large assortment of irons from various manufacturers. These household appliances have various technical characteristics that should be taken into account when purchasing, but the soleplate of the iron deserves the most attention. The quality of ironing depends on it.

There are several sole options, each of which has its own specific properties and ironing quality. In addition to basic materials such as stainless steel and Teflon, more modern types of coatings have appeared that many people have not heard of. Therefore, many consumers are interested in the question of what is better: Eloxal or Saphir iron sole? Due to its special wear resistance and resistance to various mechanical damages, the Eloxal surface is more in demand than Saphir.

general information

When purchasing an iron, special attention should be paid to the quality of the sole, since not only the service life of the device depends on it, but also the quality of ironing, as well as the safety of things.
If the sole is made of low-quality materials, it will slide very poorly and scorch the fabric. Accordingly, there will be no benefit from such a device. These days, most irons are made with aluminum and stainless steel soleplates. To improve their performance characteristics, manufacturers apply special coatings to these metals. For example, the soleplate of the Eloxal iron is very popular. What is this, you ask? This will be discussed a little further, however, regardless of the materials used, the sole must be reliable, of high quality and meet a number of requirements.

Iron sole: selection criteria

Regardless of materials and types of spraying, the sole of the iron must have:

Low friction force. When ironing, you should not apply too much force. The iron should glide over any type of fabric very easily and smoothly.
Careful treatment of fabric. A high-quality sole should not scorch or damage clothing, nor leave folds or other defects on it. The soleplate of the Eloxal iron is very gentle; you will find out what it is a little later.
Uniform heating. Good irons should quickly and evenly heat the soleplate over the entire area, so that there is not even the slightest temperature difference. This is the only way to achieve high-quality ironing and eliminate any possibility of damage to the fabric.
High performance characteristics. During ironing, the soleplate of the iron may come into contact with various plastic and metal materials, such as buttons, rivets, zippers, etc., resulting in scratches. Therefore, it must have high strength, reliability and durability.

The Eloxal sole in Brown irons is considered an ideal option, since it not only meets the criteria listed above, but also forms significantly less carbon deposits compared to other types of soles.

Which sole is better - eloxal or saphir?

Saphir and Eloxal soles are produced using different technologies. The Saphir sole is a special alloy, the composition of which is partially known. It contains nickel, chromium, zinc and aluminum. The composition is so strong that it is 4 times stronger than steel. The Saphir sole is not afraid of temperature changes or sharp impacts. The manufacturer assures that after treatment with a metal brush, the surface will remain mirror-smooth. The diamond-cut Saphir sole glides perfectly over any fabric.

The ideal sole according to scientists

A lot of research has been done on different types of iron soleplates at various universities around the world in order to determine the best one. In this case, quite a lot of criteria were taken into account that the working surface of the device had to meet. The tests involved irons with soles made of stainless steel, ceramics, aluminum and many other materials, but the best results were shown by the sole of the Eloxal iron; many housewives know what it is. To understand which sole to choose for your ironing device, you need to have an idea of the advantages and disadvantages of each material that is used to make the sole.

The ideal iron sole: what it should be

When choosing an iron, you need to pay special attention to the sole. If its quality is poor, other parameters lose their significance. If the sole is of poor quality, ironing can damage items and other textiles.

When considering the question of which soleplate of a modern iron is considered the best, you should understand that there are many options for the working surface.

The most common materials used to make iron soles are stainless steel or aluminum. However, they are often combined with various types of spraying and additional coating. In any case, the sole of the iron must be reliable and meet many requirements.

A high-quality iron sole must be resistant to damage from third-party objects.

Requirements for the soleplate of the iron:

Ease of sliding. The device should move across the fabric without much effort. A high rate of this factor is achieved by minimizing the friction force that occurs when the sole of the iron comes into contact with things.
Careful contact. It is important that the iron gently smoothes the fibers, does not melt them, does not leave creases, shiny areas, puffs, snags and other defects.
Uniform heating. A proper ironing surface should have the same temperature in all areas. This allows you to quickly smooth out the material without damaging it.
Durability, reliability, strength. When processing fabric products, the iron sometimes comes into contact with buttons, zippers, snakes, snaps and other plastic or metal parts. In addition, the device cannot be dropped or subjected to other mechanical impacts.

It is considered ideal when no deposits or soot from adhering fibers form on the sole. If it does appear, then the surface should allow the contamination to be easily and smoothly removed.

Stainless steel

Undoubtedly, stainless steel is superior in all respects to the soleplate of the Eloxal iron; we will discuss what it is later, however, this material can be considered the best option, since it is very practical to use, has good characteristics, excellent durability and a low price. Today, irons with soles made of this material are the most budget-friendly.

The main advantages of stainless steel include:

low price;
high resistance to scratches and mechanical damage;
allows the application of various coatings that improve its characteristics;
Corrosion resistant.

As for the disadvantages, stainless steel has practically none. This material is ideal for the production of budget irons of good quality and affordable price. An ideal option for your home would be a Braun iron with a stainless steel soleplate.

Types of soles

The lowest part of the iron, which is made primarily of aluminum, is called the soleplate. It is the primary element in the entire structure. It is the sole that is responsible for the quality of ironing, so manufacturers are trying to modernize it. By the way, the Germans managed to do this best.

In their test laboratory, an innovative mechanism based on physics was invented. In simple words, the sole called “eloxal” is more durable, not susceptible to overheating, scratches, and most importantly, it effectively and quickly irons even the most “delicate” clothes. But first things first.

There are three types of soles in Brown brand irons: ceramic, eloxal and sapphire. Ceramic coated soles are the most common.

They ensure even heat distribution and also help eliminate static electricity. Perhaps each of us has seen yellow or black carbon deposits at the bottom of the iron, this means that the iron overheated and the material could not stand it. Every owner of an iron with a ceramic sole will experience such a defect, because the ceramic itself is short-lived.

Eloxal iron soles are a proprietary anodized finish that provides scratch resistance and effective glide, while Saphir soles offer even greater scratch and slip resistance.

For ease of maintenance, you can clean Eloxal soles with steel wool. In terms of price, ceramic plate is the cheapest, Saphir is in the high-end category, and Eloxal is in between.

Interesting fact: Many development engineers question the superiority of sapphire in relation to eloxal.

Braun irons with Eloxal soles are made using Textile Protector technology. The manufacturer says it is now possible to iron clothes at lower temperatures with full steam power as a means of protecting delicate garments.

A few key features in its range include an anti-calcification system, which aims to remove large-scale particles to reduce the impact of scale, and anti-drip technology, which helps prevent water droplets from appearing on clothing.

You can also use a steam iron to iron clothes on a hanger or even hang curtains with a vertical steam function.

Think about it, curtains are extremely susceptible to low temperatures and are flammable. But the soleplate of the eloxal iron is so safe that even curtains can be ironed safely.

Braun's safety features include an automatic shut-off system that activates after 8 minutes when in a vertical position and after 30 seconds when horizontal. It will start heating up again as soon as the iron is moved, so quickly that you don't have to wait.

Enamel

Irons with enamel soles have gained great recognition among many housewives around the world, since they are much easier to maintain and are very gentle on fabrics without damaging them during ironing.
In addition, they have a very low coefficient of friction, so they glide almost independently on any material. However, excellent practicality came at the cost of durability, since the enamel is very easy to damage. In addition, the high cost of high-quality enamel leads to a significant increase in the cost of irons.

Ceramics

Surely, many people have seen a Braun iron with a ceramic sole on sale, which is a top seller. This material is non-stick, so it does not scorch the fabric, glides over clothing very easily and smoothly, and also has fairly good strength and durability. However, it is very important to understand that the soleplate of the iron is not made entirely of ceramics, but only a ceramic coating is created that is applied to the metal. However, irons with ceramic soles have very impressive advantages:

such a sole heats up faster and more evenly and cools down much longer;
provides excellent glide on all tissues;
very easy to clean and maintain.

However, despite a fairly impressive number of advantages, unfortunately, there are also some disadvantages. Ceramic is very fragile, so if it is handled carelessly, chips and cracks will appear on the sole very quickly. Therefore, the ironing device will not last for a long time.

Eloxal: reviews

The Eloxal iron sole, which contains expensive alloys, is a proprietary invention of Braun. This sole is based on a lightweight aluminum plate, which has high strength, durability and excellent performance characteristics. During the production process, aluminum is oxidized by an electrolyte, due to which the metal becomes able to withstand very high temperatures and is resistant to corrosion, and does not deform when heated.

During use, Braun's Eloxal sole retains its integrity and uniformity when in contact with metal objects. Even after several years of using the iron, you will not find absolutely any scratches or defects on its sole. Today, the Eloxal iron sole, which has both positive and negative reviews, is considered the most reliable for use. Housewives who use irons with soles of this brand highlight their low weight, ideal shape and excellent sliding ability. From the negative reviews you can only hear that not everyone can afford it.

General information about the Eloxal iron soleplate

Among the ceramic, steel, Teflon, and titanium surfaces of irons, aluminum ones are also known. Lightweight and quick to heat up, they have one drawback - they quickly become unusable due to the softness of the metal. The developers of Braun technology eliminated this drawback, and the improved sole was called Eloxal, i.e. "electrolytically oxidized aluminum".

The essence of the method is as follows: after processing, aluminum instantly reacts with oxygen. The resulting oxide film has a small thickness - only 2-3 nm, but even this is enough to protect against subsequent oxidation. But it does not reliably protect against corrosion, which is why irons with aluminum soles are not durable. But if you create a film with a thickness of about 30 microns, which is about 10 thousand times thicker than the natural one, the product becomes durable, its surface acquires the shine of a mirror and the smoothness of polished steel. Numerous studies have shown that anodized metal can be used for decades without changing its qualities. This technology is used in the production of Eloxal.

Benefits of Eloxal sole

Eloxal iron soleplate, which you can find out how to clean below, is an innovative and high-tech product on the market. In order to clean the soleplate of an ironing device of this brand, you don’t have to worry too much. It is enough to dissolve any detergent in 200 ml of ordinary water and simply wipe the surface. In addition, you can buy a special cleaning pencil in stores and use it to remove various contaminants from the sole.

Despite the fact that irons with this type of sole are much more expensive than other devices, due to the high cost of production, many consumers choose these irons. The main advantages of the Eloxal sole are:

Very low weight, high strength and excellent mechanical resistance.
Corrosion resistance. Thanks to the special treatment of aluminum, the metal does not oxidize and does not enter into any reactions when in contact with water.
High slip coefficient. Eloxal soles literally glide over clothing like skates on ice with minimal effort.

To get maximum comfort and pleasure while ironing, when choosing an iron you should also pay attention to the shape of the sole.