Calling all sewing community experts!! Please help me!!! This is my story in a nutshell. My iron's reliability is really bad! It is leaking for the second time in 6 months right down the electrical cord. The tank has cracked twice now in about a years' time. The first time it broke, I sent the iron back to Rowenta and they replaced it (for a charge) and told me promptly not to over filling it. So, I have
not been filling it to the max line and babying it the best I can. On Saturday, I found a pool of water on my ironing board ( about a 1/2 cup). Bottom line, I love the steam this iron gives, but that's about all. To add insult to injury, this iron has a heat dial that I find very easy to bump and hard to read, because of this I have lost a dozen or so projects due to burning. It gets very hot at times. Saturday was the last straw for me as I was making shorts and finishing them with a last ironing, I must have bumped the dial because I got the shiny marks on my garment. I do use a pressing cloth, but not for an overall ironing just for darts and such. Thank you for reading this, now this is where I need help. Does anyone have an iron you would recommend? Cost is not really a big issue for me as I would like to jump to the next level to a professional iron, maybe one with a large water tank. But I am open to any and all suggestions.
Thanks,
Gina
I still use a 1947 morphy richards iron.It never fails.I don't know what the equivalent American brands are but something similar maybe?You can get a new cord put on by an electrician if you are worried.
ReplyDeleteI recently had to replace my iron, too. I loved that thing so much but my kids knocked it over one too many times. It works but it leaks from the tank as well. I thought about getting the same exact iron again but I was mid-sewing project and couldn't wait for delivery since I couldn't find it in the store. It was a Kalorik from Amazon and I'd recommend it to any sewist. I think it would be great for you because it actually glows different colors based on the temperature. So no more accidental clothing melts. There's a Kalorik available on Amazon that has a water tank but I'm not sure if it glows the same way.
ReplyDeleteI ended up with a Shark iron from Target and so far, so good. Let's just hope my children stay away from the ironing board.
I checked this one out last night and it looks good. I am still thinking on it, thank you for all your help.
DeleteI like a good old retro black and decker stainless model, very basic and heavy. I had a rowenta my mom gave me and it was just too hot for my liking just like yours. Also I keep a spray bottle on hand and never fill my iron with water just spritz with the bottle very old school and low budget but it works pretty well.
ReplyDeleteYou know I had a B&D for 20 years and it worked pretty good, not much steam but it least it worked! hehe
DeleteI'm sorry I really can't help you, I'm currently on the hunt for the perfect iron myself and kind of thought that the Rowenta looked like a good alternative to the industrial iron's I've loved so much but this doesn't sound good at all!
ReplyDeleteGood luck and I hope someone else can provide better iron info for you!
I just have a cheapo one from Walmart and am planning on replacing it whenever it needs it.
ReplyDeleteOh no!!! I'm so sorry about your iron woes... There is nothing more frustrating than having a vital piece of sewing equipment malfunction like that. :/ I've been using a Shark iron my husband bought at Target before we got married for years. A lot of people says it gets hot really quick (always a good thing, imho--I'm impatient!), but I have found it works well for my sewing. It has fairly good steam output, is heavier than a lot of irons, and has put up with over 3 years of my abuse. (I'm hard on my sewing tools!) The only downside is that it has auto-shut off when it's been left on for too long (about 15 minutes), which is annoying when I'm in the middle of sewing. But it works for my purposes! ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks Casey, I have though of the shark too, the auto shut off would be a bear, but honestly I have left my other iron on and forgot to turn it off, so it might not be a bad idea. :)
DeleteMy friend had the exact same issues that you've had. Her husband finally just bought her a Shark from Target. She said it's not quite as hot, but she's pleased with it so far.
ReplyDeleteI have a shark too...only it had begun leaking after the kids bumped it over onto the floor once, so I use a spray bottle - but I heard somewhere that that's better for the life of your iron anyway? Good luck!
Never thought of that before, good idea.
DeleteI too have iron issues. I'm on my third Rowenta (I like the amount of steam and the heat), but all three of them have leaked. The one I have now is one of their higher end models and it leaks worse than the other two less expensive models! I let it sit in a disposable pie plate on my ironing board because inevitably, I will come back to a pool of water underneath the iron. I'm curious about the Oliso iron, but haven't really done any research on it yet. Sorry I can't be of more help.
ReplyDeleteWow, you are having some bad luck too, I paid about 100 dollars I think, I wished it would have lasted.
DeleteWe're Black & Decker people. (My husband irons his own stuff at times, too.) We've always been B&D people when it comes to irons and other small appliances. We dish out the dough at WalMart and have never been disappointed with B&D irons.
ReplyDeleteHowever, to put it bluntly, you're getting shafted by your iron's manufacturer. Perhaps sending them a "burning" letter-- you know, the typed on paper kind-- including photos will help. Might also announce that you blogged about it with photos. They can read everyone's comments here, too. They just may take the time to read your post!
When I read your title, I immediately thought, "Again?" I remember the problems you've had with the ol' irons. Sooooo sorry it's been burning up your labors of love.
Kelley, you are right! When I called I asked if anyone had problems with leaking and she said No! On amazon, there are so many comments about leaks, so I am surprised. Thanks!
DeleteI have noticed that if you sit your iron flat when filled, most of them will leak. Is it leaking flat or when up on end? FWIW, your model looks exactly like mine, so the poor design on the dial I cannot help with.
ReplyDeleteI would search out consumer reports and see what they recommend for irons...
A quick scan of the internet dug this up:
Deletehttp://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/june/appliances/steam-irons/overview/index.htm
Most libraries have CR in their archives, so perhaps you can find this issue since it was only last year?
Rachel thank you this was helpful!! :)
DeleteIrons can make or break a sewing project. I've gone thru many different models only to have them shell out after a period of time. I finally invested in a professional Naomoto iron and it was so worth it. I've never looked back. Nothing compares, IMO. At $300.00 it seems like alot but I easily spent more than this over the years on several diff irons, including rowenta which is far overated and not that great of quality. I bought my Naomoto here: http://www.cleanersupply.com/products/product.cfm?pID=3056
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you! I really enjoy your blog and projects!
WOW! sounds like a great iron, This maybe an option too, I am still learning what I can about them, I have never even heard of the brand before. Thank you so much!
DeleteI have a Euro Pro Steam Shark and I love it the most. Instead of a dial, you have to hit buttons for the temperature, which makes it impossible to accidentally bump up the temp.
ReplyDeleteIt's super steamy too!
Thanks Amy!
DeleteI am currently using a $6 cheapest of the cheap iron, purchased at Wal-mart, three years ago. It doesn't put out much steam, but it has worked for me. I have never ironed with a "good" iron before, so I don't really have anything to compare it too. It does get rather hot, as I melted some taffeta with it not terribly long ago. And it doesn't leak, lol.
ReplyDeleteI have a Bosch steam generator at the moment which is horrid - the iron is supposed to rest on a plate on top of the water tank but the black stuff its made of melts and sticks to the iron! Also the bottom is a bit scratchy and has made a mark on my coffee table, although I don't usually use it there which is also annoying, so I can't wait for this one to blow up! I usually get about 3 years out of an iron before they conk out - my last was a Rowenta which did really well. I tend to get them from Argos (discount warehouse type shop) as the new ones come in they sell off the old models cheap. I don't expect them to last too long, particularly now that I sew the iron gets left on for hours at a time.
ReplyDeleteSo this wordy comment is of absolutely no use to you at all, except to let you know you are not alone with your iron problems! Hope you resolve them! xxx
Well, I use the old Ikea iron my husband bought about 15 years ago and it is still doing fine. I don't know how much it cost, but it can't have been too expensive.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, things used to be constructed differently - nowadays electrical appliances tend to last as long as the guarantee lasts (on purpose).
Good Luck with finding a new one!
I have to be another to recommend a black and decker old fashioned kind. Like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-F67E-Soleplate-Steam-surge/dp/B001RJTQ8U/ref=sr_1_16?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1334775114&sr=1-16
ReplyDeleteI just got one. And Love it, its just like the one my mom used when I was a kid.
Hope it helps
Sarah
My old Sewing teacher in High School always told us that we had to use a dry Iron for sewing to avoid shrinkage and streching etc.
ReplyDeleteso I recently brought the cheapest I could from Kmart and I have never put water in it. and it's great.
you have to set the iron slightly lower than the recommendations on the iron so you don't burn things, but other wise it's much better dry.
Although when the garmet is complete I tend to use a spray starch or just a sprits of water on the cloth as I iron.
:) I hope this helps!
(on a side note the dryness came in handy once when a drunk friend put it in the freezer!)