Jump to content

Buying an Iron - any favorites out there?


Recommended Posts

I have a pretty good iron, but I was curious about the ones that you fill with water in a base, and the iron is connected (by a very small hose) to the base. This makes it lighter with the water in the base unit. Does anyone have one of these... I've seen a Maytag one in a quilting magazine.

I use my current iron on fusible web and I often have to clean it so I wanted a second one just for customer quilts and fabric ironing. Thanks!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm an iron junkie. I've had several Rowentas, including a steam generator. The Rowentas have not lasted long and I won't be buying anymore of them. My current favorites are Oliso (easy on the wrist) and a Panasonic digital readout auto shutoff from Walmart (gets good and hot and heats up really fast). I also have a cordless Maytag but it doesn't stay hot enough, which is no surprise since it doesn't have a cord!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't been really impressed with Rowenta either. They just haven't lasted and they seem kind of tempermental. My favorite so far has been a Black and Decker retro iron - no bells or whistles, just good heat and reliability. I found that a spray bottle of water works better than a steam iron. Eventually, every steam iron I've had manages to spit out some brown gunk on my fabric, even when I follow directions explicitly on the kind of water to use.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have killed several tank steam irons so have settled on just a plain ol' Professional Rowenta or one of the Classic looking Black and Decker ones. That one is very heavy and way more steam than you would think. I have found the heavier the iron the better I like it and my seams are crisper.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just purchased a Euro Steam Iron and I really like it. It is a professional iron. You fill it with less than 1/2 cup of distilled water and it steams for 45 minutes. I got this iron at a sewing expo about a month ago. You can not burn anything with it, even if you let the iron sit in one spot for hours! I tested it and it really worked. It is a nice heavy iron which I think is essential for getting a nice crisp flat seam. The burst of steam is amazing, well to humans anyway, my poor cat almost had a heart attack when I shot it off. They say you can iron up to 20 layers at one time, I have not tried that. My only complaint about it is that it takes 2 or 3 minutes to really heat up. The website is www.redfernent.com

Before that I always had Rowentas. I did find that I had to replace them every 3 or 4 years though. I liked the amount of steam and the weight of them. The last one I had had a retractable cord which I really liked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I have several irons.

I use my Bernina iron for pressing seams as I sew because it does not generate a lot of steam and therefore does not distort the fabric. And I use the Bernina iron when I prewash and iron fabrics. It gets really hot and takes wrinkles out instantly.

But, when I want to press a quilt top and get it really flat, I bring out my top of the line Rowenta. It gives out lots of steam.

I have a cheaper Rowenta that does not get very hot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought a Euro-Pro steam generator system over 7 years ago on the home-shopping network for $99 plus shipping. Love it! Steams great. Instructions say to use tap water and empty after each use. I will empty if I know I won't be using it the next day. Only drawback is that if you run out of water you cannot refill until everything cools off--takes at least a half hour. This is because the water tank pressurizes as it heats up. Otherwise, it has been a good investment and still works great.

Linda Rech

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...