Getting Smart with a Patrona Shirt Shuttle

We were going to do our latest video blog on this latest purchase but we are overrun with press commitments at the moment that are taking over our lives a little (it really is not as glamorous as it might sound). So, this blog about the Patrona Shirt Shuttle Mk2 is going back to the old skool, but look for another video very soon.

So what is the Shirt Shuttle MK2? – Well, beyond having a pretty cool name is basically a device for transporting a freshly ironed shirt around without it creasing. Sounds too good to be true but is it… well I have put this British made device through its paces.

Please forgive the TM Lewin shirt it is rather old.

I first came across these guys via an article that was emailed to be by no less the 100 people. The story is a cautionary tale, aimed at small businesses, highlighting the risks of cheap manufacturing in China. Patrona were given of an example of having been lured into the offshore manufacturing trap and then stung when they had to write off £250,000 worth of faulty stock leading to their business nearly going under. You can read the full story here: http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/british-firm-successfully-brings-manufacturing-back-home-175338800.html

Now, it must be said that not all Chinese manufacturing is bad (as not all British manufacturing is the best) but Patrona’s story is one that we have now heard many times… but arguably only from those that survived.

Anyway, on with talking about the Shirt Shuttle MK2:

At £30 (and then with £5 P&P) on top it really is at the very top end of what I would pay for a crisp shirt every day. This cost concern was further compounded when I received it. The distinct plastic feel and the general robustness of the thing did leave me questioning whether I had received value for money. That being said, it is very light and surprisingly compact, and the real test would lay in whether a shirt could maintain its freshness in transit.

I do a 60 mile round-trip commute on my (British manufactured) Triumph Explorer motorcycle every day and I often ferry my work shirts into the office in a backpack.  So, you might be able to imagine why the Shirt Shuttle seemed like the solution to a very big problem in my life, and how I was possibly going to be someone that could put the Shirt Shuttle through its paces.

My first use of the Shirt Shuttle was earlier this week. My small amount of experience standing at an ironing board and general lack of care when folding my shirt into the Shuttle meant that the end result was little better than the Waitrose bag that I would usually employ to protect my shirt. However, after a lot more care with the ironing and a little more time taken over the loading of my shirt into the device today’s results are markedly better.  Not drycleaner fresh, but certainly more than passable.  So the thing works!

All-in-all it is a very attractive design that seems to do what it says on the tin, provided you put in some effort loading a well ironed shirt as instructed. My only concern with this item is that the catches feel slightly flimsy and at £35 it is at a price that will put many off.

– James