Because what really matters isn’t how big your iron is, but what you do with it.
At first glance, this probably looks like our latest vending machine capsule toy find. After all, they already have gachapon replicas for rice cookers and air conditioners, so an iron isn’t that much of a stretch for collectors of quirky home appliance toys, right?
But this is an actual, working iron sold by Japanese company Pieria. Since we didn’t buy it out of a vending machine, it was a little more expensive than the 300-400 yen gachapon usually go for, but not by much, as it’s priced at just 1,078 yen (US$10.15).
So just how small is the Mini Iron, as it’s officially (and very appropriately) called? 10 centimeters long by 6.5 wide and 6 tall (3.9, 2.6, and 2.4 inches). If those numbers are too tiny to be meaningful to your mind’s eye, here it is next to an iPhone 7.
You can even make it more compact by collapsing down the handle when it’s not in use.
▼ Collapsed handle (left) vs. extended (right)
As you might expect from such a tiny apparatus, the design is simple. There’s no on/off switch, for example. Once you attach the cord and plug it into a power outlet, the iron turns on and stays on until you unplug it.
▼ It also comes with a carrying pouch.
You only get one heat setting, 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit), but by nature of the Mini Iron’s small size it heats up very quickly after you plug it in.
Being Internet writers, we always have multiple shirts that are in need of ironing close at hand, so we grabbed one to see what the mini iron could do…
…and it did not disappoint!
▼ Before (left) vs. after (right)
We did have to make a few passes over the same section to get it perfectly smooth, which is probably a result of the Mini Iron’s light weight and lack of steam. But because it’s so light, that really wasn’t a hassle, and as we flattened out the wrinkles we found another major benefit: because of its small size, it’s super easy maneuver the Mini Iron into the small spaces around a shirt’s buttons.
Pierra doesn’t say who the specific target market is for the Mini Iron. It’d definitely be a handy thing to carry when traveling, especially on business trips, but it’s also a really attractive option for anyone living the minimalist lifestyle, either by conscious choice or simply out of necessity because of how small some Japanese apartments are. We get our here form online retailer Felissimo, and it can also be ordered here through Amazon Japan for anyone wanting to follow our fashion advice (which sometimes is better than even we expect it to be).
Photos ©SoraNews24
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