The iron and board keep losing ground for a reason, and it’s less about the pressing than the fuss around it. Setting it up eats time you don’t have on a busy morning, and storing something that bulky is a headache in a small place. A handheld steamer clears both hurdles. There’s nothing to assemble, nothing that demands its own closet, and you can work on clothes right where they hang.
Once you start shopping, though, these steamers turn out to be far from identical, and the prices swing more than you’d expect. A lot of it comes down to the technology. Some models run on conventional steam and raw wattage, while others add a vacuum function that pulls fabric toward the head.
That split is what you’re really choosing between. On one side sits the Nori Cloud Max, a $138 suction steamer from a brand focused on clothing care. On the other is the Conair Turbo ExtremeSteam GS59, a $72.99 workhorse from a name you already know. Here’s how they line up, spec by spec.
Nori Cloud Max | Conair Turbo ExtremeSteam GS59 | |
|---|---|---|
Price | $138 | $72.99 |
Core Technology | Vacuum-assisted suction steam | Conventional handheld steam |
Heat-up Time | 25 seconds | 40 seconds |
Steam Modes | Two steam settings (Standard, Max), plus an optional vacuum mode | Five steam settings |
Water Tank | 7 oz | 7.3 oz |
Continuous Steam | 20+ minutes | Up to 20 minutes |
Built-in Creaser | No | Yes |
Pressing Plate | Not offered | Quilted aluminum plate |
Suction vs. Conventional Steam
Nori Cloud Max
One feature separates these two more than any other spec on the table. The Nori Cloud Max has a vacuum mode, and it changes how the device meets your clothes. When you switch it on, the head draws fabric gently toward it, holding the garment still so it stops sliding around as you go. On a shirt hung over a door, the suction does the steadying, so a chore that usually takes two hands is down to one.
You’ll notice the vacuum more with the fussy stuff. Because the material gets tugged in and kept flat, the steam makes fuller contact, which is how the brand can pitch quicker, more thorough wrinkle removal. In practice, you toggle between the two steam settings, Standard and Max, and turn the vacuum on only for the times you need it most, such as a stubborn crease that won’t let go.
With the Conair GS59, the output does all the smoothing while your free hand pulls the cloth tight. The point isn’t that one approach wins. It’s that suction and conventional steam are two genuinely different approaches, and the vacuum mode is what your extra dollars are buying. Whether that trade adds up comes down to how you like to work.
Speed From a Cold Start
When you’re in a rush, the clock counts. The Nori Cloud Max reaches temperature in about 25 seconds. The Conair GS59 takes closer to 40. Neither leaves you tapping your foot, but the quicker warm-up is a small daily win on the way out the door.
Runtime lands in a near tie. Both push out roughly 20 minutes of continuous steam before a refill, enough for a full outfit or a couple of shirts with margin to spare. Tank size is almost a wash too, at 7.3 oz for Conair against 7 oz on the Cloud Max, though you’d be hard pressed to feel a third of an ounce mid-session.
Steam Levels and Pressing Extras
Conair Turbo ExtremeSteam
The two brands part ways here on how much control they hand you. The Conair GS59 takes the maximalist route with five steam settings that step up from delicate to turbo, a built-in creaser for pleats, and a quilted aluminum plate that can substitute for a light iron. If you press structured trousers every week or want to fine-tune the setting for every fabric, that toolkit gives you room to work.
The Nori Cloud Max pairs two steam settings, Standard and Max, with the vacuum mode as the third lever, on the bet that pulling fabric flat matters more than dialing in a fifth heat level. On everyday shirts, blouses, and hanging garments, that’s usually right. The suction does the smoothing, the two levels cover almost everything you’d reach for, and there’s less to think about mid-session.
The choice really comes down to what you reach for the night before your morning plans. If it’s the finer dials and the crisp pleat, Conair is set up for you. If it’s a device that keeps the fabric where you put it and cuts down the passes, the Cloud Max is for you.
The Anti-Leak Question
Nori Cloud Max
Handheld steamers have a reputation for spitting. On silk or satin especially, a single spot can throw off your whole look until everything dries evenly, leaving you to wait it out or steam the area again.
That’s why the two brands treat leak prevention with very different levels of noise. Nori puts it front and center, flagging anti-leak and anti-spit technology among the Nori Cloud Max’s core design features on the product page.
The Conair GS59’s listing leads with wattage and steam power, and spill protection simply doesn’t get the same billing. That’s a difference in how each company talks about the problem. No independent test has measured the two against each other, so read it as a stated priority rather than a proven edge. If a dry, spit-free pass is the detail that would keep you up at night, the Cloud Max is the one making the confident promise.
The Suction Payoff
A vacuum steamer changes what you can get done in a hurry. Delicate blouses, linen, or a jacket you’d normally send out are the pieces that eat time on a Sunday night. The suction is what shaves it back. Over a month, that adds up to fewer dry cleaner drop-offs and less standing in front of a hanger.
Price sits in line with the category, too. Vacuum-assisted models generally start near $100, so the Nori Cloud Max at $138 lands in the middle of the pack. The Conair GS59 at $72.99 lives with the traditional handhelds. So this isn’t a markup on the same tool but the price of a feature the other doesn’t have.
The Right Steamer for You
Both of these do their jobs well, and they’re built for different people. The Conair GS59 is the budget-friendly all-rounder: five steam settings, a creaser, and a plate for pressing, all under $75. If you want maximum control and don’t care about suction, it’s an easy call.
The Nori Cloud Max makes sense when the vacuum mode speaks to you, especially if you mostly refresh clothes on a hanger and would rather not wrestle them flat by hand. Quicker heat-up, a leak-focused build, and a compact body that stands on its own round out the case from a company with over 100,000 customers behind its clothing-care lineup.
It also suits small-space owners and design-minded shoppers after one tidy tool. It costs more because suction does, and only you can decide whether that trade fits your closet and your week. If the newer technology is the part you keep circling back to, take a closer look at the Cloud Max.
All details were verified at the time of publication and are subject to change without notice.
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