Looking for a new steam iron.

[Bubby]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

I have a Rowenta (love it because it has a little weight to it), the same T-Fal as Kensington and it's a nice iron but it makes hissing noises at me and currently I'm using a cordless Panasonic 360 iron and LOVE it. The Rowenta and the Panasonic cordless cost $100 and the T-Fal was about $35 at WalMart.

[sumarben]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

I have a Panasonic 360, it's cordless (base is plugged in, iron is removed from base for use). I absolutely love it, and for me to love an iron is something else! The water fill part is detachable and it never spits and sputters. The best thing about it - I can set it on a shelf near my ironing board/mat (bottom of base does not get hot) and I DON'T KNOCK IT OFF MY IRONING BOARD! I've ruined several irons that way and have burned my arm on regular irons because they stand up. It has an auto shut off, can use steam or dry. And I am so glad I bought it. Check it out

[Laurie B]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

Concur with Guitar Gramma about my Eurosteam Evolution iron that I bought at the PA National Quilt show. It is not just better, it’s different. I really love this iron, and will add that at the same show I purchased a little Steamfast Home & Away Steam Iron for piecing. It’s great to have both.

[Iris Girl]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

Panasonic cordless best iron ever!

[cv quilter]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

I love the Panasonic 360 cordless, too. I especially love it for the pressing mat I have right next to my machine.
Editing to say I also have the Oliso iron, and I love it, too, for using on my ironing board when I am pressing large items, such as quilt tops and fabrics.

[quiltingaway]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

I have the Panasonic cordless as well and love it. In addition to it just working wonderfully I love the case it comes with. It is very easy to take to retreats. When you're ready to go you just put the cover on and it's good to go, no waiting for the iron to cool down so you can pack it.

[GuitarGramma]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

It's good to have this thread resurrected. My opinion has changed since posting in 2014.

RE: Eurosteam Evolution
After about a year and a half, I think that a gasket dried up. The handle on my Eurosteam now gets so hot that it's painful. It's like the steam escapes its holding tank and makes its way up into the handle cavity. OUCH! The iron still does a fabulous job flattening 1/4" seams, so I'll still use it when I'm working with tough fabric. But I have to use a potholder, because I simply cannot hold that handle. It's been over a year since I "resorted" to the Eurosteam.

RE: My new favorite iron
To replace that pricey Eurosteam, I purchased a cordless Panasonic. I found one on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...tion=new<br /> ) that's shaped like a regular iron. I'm not fond of the new-fangled football shape; the shape takes too long to iron yardage. The "regular" shaped Panasonic is also far less expensive than the "football" shaped unit. I love this iron. It is 90% as effective as the Eurosteam, and it's now been running well for years.

[oldmanquilts]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

Irons- whoda thunk that a simple appliance like an iron would require so much research when choosing one? It is however the second most used tool for quilters and garment makers, so I guess it's natural, and it can be a sizable investment, or at least one with a pretty wide range of pricing.

When I first started sewing, I was intrigued by the "lift mode" of the Oliso and just had to have one. That is until I used my DIL's. The newness wore off in about 10 minutes. And, the $160 price tag had me thinking twice.

So... when my old Proctor-Silex gave it up after 15 years or so, I did what any "cheapskate" would do. I bought another $20 iron to hold me over until I decided a high dollar iron was the ticket. It's a 1200w Hamilton Beach with a retractable cord. Doesn't leak and I never empty it. Gets good and hot and I can't imagine that a "better" iron would do a better job, unless of course it did your ironing for you. BTW- I do like the auto-off feature.

The Panasonic cordless looks very interesting, but the base's footprint just doesn't do it for me.

I also have a Clover (not the mini). It is cute, but that's about it.

[JCY]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

My last two iron purchases have been the Black & Decker Classic Steam Iron, F67E. The first one I bought on a clearance sale at Penney's for only $4.99. It lasted 4 yrs. My last one was purchased from Amazon for $27.44. It's still going strong. One of the reasons I like it is because the controls are on the top of the handle, readily accessible for use.

[chelea]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

I've had a Rowenta for a few years. Plenty of steam and auto-shut off which is a must for me. The only think I don't like is that the water tank is dark maroon which makes it hard to see the water level. Last week I was fortunate to pick up the iron that Donna Jordan uses, it's a Rowenta with the external water tank, for just $28. The previous owner barely used it...it still had plastic on the cords.

[GuitarGramma]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

I've had a Rowenta for a few years. Plenty of steam and auto-shut off which is a must for me. The only think I don't like is that the water tank is dark maroon which makes it hard to see the water level. Last week I was fortunate to pick up the iron that Donna Jordan uses, it's a Rowenta with the external water tank, for just $28. The previous owner barely used it...it still had plastic on the cords.

I've heard "experts" say that Rowenta irons tend to leak. Does yours? (I presume the one with the external water tank doesn't leak.)

[Mischiefkat1]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

I just want one that doesn't leak and gets very hot. I've had 2 Rowenta both leaked and spewed water on what I was ironing. I need one what is light weight and gets HOT. I searched the net for the hottest one available. Ended up with a Sunbeam, which doesn't fit my needs. Turns off automatically but takes a long time to heat back up. Kathy

[JCY]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

Neither of my Black & Decker irons has leaked. They heat up in 90 sec. I like it because it doesn't shut off in 5 min. or less like some irons. It gets plenty hot for me. However, it's a bit heavier than some other irons.

[Grey Lady]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

I've heard "experts" say that Rowenta irons tend to leak. Does yours? (I presume the one with the external water tank doesn't leak.)

I have had 3 Rowenta irons. They are made in both Germany and China. The two from Germany were wonderful. The one from China leaked like mad. My sister had the same experience.

[Mimi_Howard]

Re: Looking for a new steam iron.

I have both the Panasonic cordless versions, flat bottom and football shape. I use flat bottom when piecing, I can set it up on board like a regular iron when repositioning the pieces to flatten them. I use the football one when ironing the entire top and during the sandwiching process. Both have been going strong for 3 years now. I do have a Rowenta... leaker city too. I have an auto shut off one (either rowenta or sharp, can't remember) but every 5 min I would need to move it to keep it from shutting off. These days the weight of an iron is another issuer for me. Can't do heavy irons any more.