Choosing a new iron

[mary_s]

Greetings, ladies!
As my old faithful Rowenta just died in front of me, I came here to ask - do you have any luck with modern sewing irons? Which brand would you recommend? I am in desperate need of a new iron, so I'd love to get your opinions on the best (or worst) ones for sewing and quilting. Preferences?... well, I like an iron that has some weight to it, holds temperature and steams without spewing water on my fabric. I've already checked some reviews and recommendations, though, most of them are Rowentas (but as I found newer models usually have leakage issues) or brands I've never heard of - like CHI? Some of them look interesting, though.

Your advice is much appreciated.

 

upd: decided to try CHI after some considerations, since it does have a retractable cord, so far so good. Bought it at Friday, so far so good.

[Gator]

I love my Oliso Pro 1600 iron.  It does a great job and I love the ITOUCH TECHNOLOGY  (Scorchguards lower with the touch of your hand and lifts when you have stopped ironing, preventing burns, scorching and tipping).  The only problem I've had with it, is when using other brands of irons, I tend to forget to prop them upright.  I got around 5 years out of my first one before it began to leak water.   I'm been wanting to try the  Reliable Velocity 200IR Iron   recommended by Fons and Porter and American Quilters Society but haven't.  I can't seem to give up my Oliso.      

If you want a heavy iron, you can't go wrong with an old model Black and Decker.  I have one that I never put water in, when I want to iron something with positively no steam.

PS:  I'm not a Rowenta fan because of the expense and leaks.

 

[Primitive1]

I wish I could find one that doesn't leak water, the only way to do that is to not use the steam in your iron and keep it dry...I have an oliso also that I love but it started to leak water after about 6 months, so I don't think one exists that does not leak...I've tried them all...but on the other hand if you don't use water it is a good iron.

[srichardson]

I bought one of these to replace my old iron.  I have been pleased with it.  It produces lots of steam and doesn't leak.  It does not have an auto off function so once it has heated up it stays hot ready for use.

 

https://dupray.com/collections/steam-irons/

[jimerickson]

We have a Pacific Steam gravity feed iron we've been using for 7 or 8 years now.  It's great!  It never leaks, and does not shut off automatically.  It's used by 6 or 8 quilters two or three days a week.(on all day when we sew)  It's a bit on the heavy side, but does a great job.  We've had Rowentas and Ollisos, none of which performed flawlessly.  None was very durable.  The gravity feed irons aren't portable, but they do work well.  We highly recommend them.  Do buy one with the hand heat shield, however.  I have friend who bought a gravity feed (another brand) without the heat shield, and she finds it too hot for her hand.  I think I paid about $150 for it in 2011.  Jim

[CathieD]

I've had the Reliable Velocity iron for about 4 or 5 years now. The only problem that I've had was when I ran out of distilled water and began to use tap water. Big mistake. It began to sputter and spit and I thought I'd have to replace it. I had a gravity feed iron all researched and picked out when I thought that I should give my one-foot-out-the-door iron one last chance. I emptied it completely, filled it up with distilled water and let it sit and steam and it was fine after that. Darn. I was really looking forward to a gravity feed iron and not having to constantly fill up the water reservoir.

[sewingpup]

I had a Rowenta that I used for 10+ years....with steam, worked great...then it finally died....got another Rowenta...no good, leaked almost immediately, brought it backed...it leaked again...went with a Black and decker....leaked and not very hot....tried another inexpensive brand.....not hot at all...oh dear....finally did some online research....found Rowneta  apparently moved production out of Germany several years ago...but too many problems....recently moved production back....don't know if this was true are not...but found one I could order online that stated "made in Germany".  I have been using that one for 2-3 years now and it is working great....there have been a few occasions with minor leaks....which seem to be if I refill it....and don't give it enough time to heat up or if I try and fill it right away after letting it run dry and not letting it cool off before filling.....I have been using tap water...as it says it is designed for that and specifically says not to use distilled water.....we have fairly decent water where I am.....Lin