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Looking for a good steam iron.


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Hi to all. I've been reading this site for quite awhile now but this is my first posting. I need some input on which irons people find reliable. I was going to get a Rowenta with the water reservoir but read a lot of bad review about the Rowentas. I would like one that doesn't turn off automatically because that gets annoying. I sit to sew and then get up to iron and it is off. Thanks for any info you can offer me.

Joyce

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You are right the tank Rowenta irons do have some problems, but it all depends on how hard you are on it. I had one it lasted about 1 1/2 years before it blew hoses and I couldn't get replacements for it.

BUT understand that my iron was turned on at 8:00am and sometimes didn't get turned off till midnight or later just about 356 days a year....now if you are going to be that hard on one then go with a very expensive one that you can get from a dry cleaner supply place....they are very expensive...irons run about $400 and the tanks are sold separtely....which run about $500 so for just under $1000 you should get a iron that will last you a life time...

NOW on the more reasonable side, any heavy iron from WalMart or even Lowes and Home Depot will do the job for you....and I don't think you can find one anymore that won't turn off...its a fire protection thing that has been put into effect to keep houses from burning down should one get knocked over by a cat or dog when no one is home.

I have a professional Shark down stairs that turns off after being idol for 15 minutes...but the recovery time is just a short few seconds so I don't have trouble with it....and it doesn't bother me that it turns off....

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I asked the same question a while back and you might like to read those replies.

I'm going to vent here. I get angry at the number of readers on this forum who are taking, taking, taking, and not giving. While I realize that some readers are new and just looking around, and I realize that many topics are very specific and don't apply to every reader, this topic does apply to every quilter on this forum. There is not one quilter on this forum who does not have an iron and therefore would have been able to contribute to this question. Nor is this a selfish question. Everyone on this forum could benefit from others' experience with their irons.

There, I'm done venting.

Regarding your wish for an iron that does not turn off, it may be that they no longer make them way for safety concerns. There may be a law that says they have to turn off automatically after a few minutes to prevent fires. I don't know this for sure, I just made it up:P

http://www.apqs.com/quiltboard/viewthread.php?tid=11640&page=1

I don't know why I can't get my hyperlinks to work. Just cut and paste and it works.

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I've just decided that irons are disposable so I buy ones that are not too expensive. I like one with some weight. The last Black & Decker I had did not have the auto shut off and it wasn't that long ago. I have an inexpensive Shark now and I like it okay. It spit on a backing I was pressing a few weeks ago but I quickly sprayed the stain with Oxiclean and it was fine. The Shark does have the auto shut off, which I find both annoying and comforting. I tend to forget to unplug it.

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I have a Europro that I've had for almost 2 years and I love it. It does not shut off until you turn it off. You do have to wait after you add water to it. I get a really good steam from it and I love that. I also love that I can not burn anything! I have left it on fabric for a long time and it never scorches. The only thing that I don't like about it is I like to starch all my fabric. I have to let the starch dry some before I can press it, otherwise it would take forever. It has something to do with the way the iron works. That being said it is wonderful to press almost anything and never burn it! I can press creases in hubby's pants and not get a shine on the crease too. I think it was worth it.

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I have had it with Rowenta - always end up with water leaks or spurting & then you might have a mark on the fabric......... Lately I have been buying the cheap Black & Decker & when it goes belly-up, I just get another and have not spent that much money. It heats up quickly & has plenty of steam.

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Heidi, I have seen the Europro at shows and wondered if they were worth their price tag. I usually but the cheap one until it wears out and then get another. I bought the cordless Maytag a couple years ago but was very disappointed in it as it had to set in it's cradle to heat up and didn't heat while you were ironing. And I paid about $120 for it. It sits in my closet now while I use my Walmart Sunbeam.

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I have also been buying the cheap irons at Walmart. I toss them when they quit. I recently bought a steamer at Walmart that works great for steaming the wrinkles out of backing material. I just put the backing across the rollers, and steamed. It was only about $30.00.

Sharon

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I have 2 Rowentas and I haven't had a problem with either. I got them for nearly nothing at Big Lots. They were refurbished but came will full warrranty. I figured someone had already cussed the business out of them so they would probably work for me. That have done a great joy. Now, it does turn off but heats up really, really fast.

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I've been really lucky, Had a black a decker for almost 20 years, worked with tap water! Then when it faded, I bought a Rowenta at a really nice 80% (60 +20use your credit card) discount at Kohls?!. It worked so well, fast, great steam, I bought another for my daughter's house, where I do a fair amount of visiting. I use irons for 12 hours at a time, quilting, and home dec, and bridal-altertions. I really think irons are hard to buy, they don't seem to run true to CU ratings? If you figure how many hours they work for us, they really don't cost very much....but a bad one is truly aggravating....

to ANN: I am a new member here, haven't done much more than PPP with my new milli, I read everyone's comments, and realize because I'm not experienced yet, I can't really participate with some of the forums, everyone is very friendly, and I look forward to getting more experience, and being able to participate more in the future. I'm truly not a computer person, prefer the needle, but I do value the input, and hope to return more to the forum in the future.

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Originally posted by lamedna

Heidi, I have seen the Europro at shows and wondered if they were worth their price tag. I usually but the cheap one until it wears out and then get another. I bought the cordless Maytag a couple years ago but was very disappointed in it as it had to set in it's cradle to heat up and didn't heat while you were ironing. And I paid about $120 for it. It sits in my closet now while I use my Walmart Sunbeam.

LeeAnn I bought my Europro at a show and I was skeptical but I really wanted a good iron. I have never regreted it.

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I have several irons - one is the EuroSteam iron that you see at lots of shows that has a boiler in it for the water tank. It gives lots of steam but stays cool so you don't burn clothes. I find it too big for using when I'm piecing, but I love it for steaming/pressing yardage and quilt tops. (I really like this iron when pressing my husband's work shirts, pants, etc.) This iron does not shut off but it will run out of water and you can refill it while it is hot.

I also have Europro (which is different). It looks like a Shark. I purchased mine several years ago from HSN but you can now find them in Target and WalMart. I use this 90% of the time. It gives lots of steam, gets hot. This iron basically will go into a shut-down mode but not turn itself completely off. It does re-heat very quickly so it isn't much of a problem.

I also have a travel size Rowenta. This is my second one and I don't really like it as it leaks all the time. I loved my first one but the handle broke :(

I also had an Oliso and I would not recommend these. In about 7 months it died. It worked great one night and the next day when I went to turn it on, it was dead. Since I couldn not find my receipt, I could not get it fixed. I had a friend that had the same thing happen to her Oliso and she won't get another one. Also, because it is sitting with the heat and steam constantly facing your ironing board, it damaged my ironing board cover. The fabric literally disintegrated and I got big holes (this cover was supposed to be 100% cotton but it looked like the fabric just disappeared with the constant heat and steam on it).

I've been thinking of getting an iron that has a separate water tank but I haven't done anything regarding checking them out yet. Someday I'll take the time to do this!

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I just bought an Oliso last fall, I sure hope it lasts. I, too, have had it with Rowentas. I had two that died in just weeks or spit all the time. I then used cheap Black and Deckers and really had little problems. Then the Oliso was appealing. It is really good for my ailing shoulders. The jury is out, we'll see.

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I have a steam generation iron. It's a Deloghni and I bought it at Costco for about $250. It's very similar to the steam generation Rowenta, but it only had great reveiws. The only thing I can say that is bad is that if I'm too impatient and don't let it heat up enough first, on the first steam blast I get water drops on the fabric (but that's my fault). I takes about 15 min to heat up the first time, but there is NO auto shut off. I LOVE this iron, it had lasted over a year with heavy use, and I don't think that I'll ever be able to use a regular iron again. I came with a 3 yr warantee too... Good Luck!

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No more Rowenta's for me. I'm was on my third Steam Generator and it went out after 7 months. It was still under warranty (I made sure I saved my receipt this time) so I sent it to their designated repair center. After waiting almost 30 days they sent an iron back to me that I knew wasn't mine. It was filthy. The tank had grime on it and the cord had grease on it. Rowenta had me return it to their headquarters and promised me a "brand new" replacement. It took forever to get it and the only reason I finally got it was that I reported them to the Better Business Bureau. It was extremely irritating. This all happened between Thanksgiving and New Years when I was really busy.

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I weighed in on this subject the first time around...I'm beginning to think that, just as there is no one sewing machine that does everything or no one vehicle that is right for every situation, we probably need more than one iron. I had terrible experiences with the Rowenta steam generator irons (leaking, dripping, spurting) so purchased that Eurosteam iron. I don't like it for pressing blocks or yardage because it doesn't get hot enough but I do like it for blocking quilts.

I bought an old-time but brand new heavy dry iron from Vermont Country Store and it is great for most pressing of blocks or yardage (I am a big believer in starching before cutting for patchwork). And my go-to iron for most long sewing days is an old Bernette (no longer made) that doesn't shut off, gives off continuous steam, and the soleplate stays hot, almost too hot. I'm going to investigate the DeLonghi steam generator as it seems to have the best customer feedback.

A wardrobe of sewing, quilting and embroidery machines and a wardrobe of irons to match :D

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I'm still looking for that dream iron. Currently I am using a T-Fal Advantis 90. It is heavy, has a teflon bottom with little ridges to keep from sticking, steam, and auto shut off. I like it because it's very pointed at the front which makes it easy to iron my husband shirts and getting into tight corners. It heats quickly and hot.

I also have a mini-Rowenta Vertical that Sharon Schamber recommends and love it. It is little, but powerful. It heats quickly and hot, and steams longer than my Tfal. It has a very long cord on it so I can plug it in and do touch-ups while a quilt is loaded. It has the stainless steel bottom---don't get the teflon coating. I bought it at 40% discount with a special coupon from Fabric Depot.

I took my full size Rowenta to my cousin's condo at the mountain and left it there---it works but not my favorite.

I have dropped every iron I ever owned and tried some cheap ones for a while. Black and Decker is good. Then I went the middle of the road---not over $50, and am satisfied with what I have.

I've looked at those tank/steam Rowentas and put it on my wish list. If I had a larger area to set up an ironing center, I would probably get one.

Hope this helps.

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No more Oliso for me. I loved it, til it died out of the blue (Only 6 months old)when I had just used it the day before. Right when I needed to press a quilt. Bought it at Costco, but no receipt so out of luck. I have my trusty dusty EuroPro tank steam generator. I have an extension on my ironing board so it sits off to the end and takes up no room. I love it. Yes, I have to wait about 15 minutes for it to heat the water, but that's a great time to get a cuppa something, get my sewing stuff ready and think. I need think time!:D:D:D I got it at allbrands.com so it was not as expensive as I have seen them elsewhere. And free shipping. I also have an OLD sunbeam heavy duty sucker that I use at my condo. I love the darn thing. It is from the 60's and still plugs away like a champ. I love that it is heavy. Irons are like sewing machines. Ya gotta find the one that "fits" you. ;);););)

Nancy

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I have the DeLonghi steam generator iron and like it. It is wonderful for pressing yardage and easily removes wrinkles and creases. I bought mine on Amazon and paid $199.00. The last time I checked the price had been reduced to $179.00. I have had bad luck with Rowenta ranging from leaking to one that went up in flames and smoke when I was using it. I do have the small Rowenta travel iron and love that but I don't use the steam function because of the leaky history of the full sized irons. I use a spray bottle instead. It is a great iron for taking to class too.

Sue

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Hi. Harriet HArgeave was at one of my local guild meetings recently, and she raved about an iron called "Reliable".

It is expensive, but she said, how much have you spent on irons already. A few of the ladies said they had it and loved it.

My rowenta is on its last legs, and I plan to get the reliable when it is finally dead.

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