A good iron

[Lotti D.]

i've been searching the internet and the local second hand shops for an old iron like the old jura my mom hand when i was a kid... everyone tells me that they got rid of theirs just a little while ago... :x :x :x
i'd love the vermont country store one - but... i need 220 V and it's awfully heavy and expensive to ship to europe
my main problem with the "new" irons is that they ALLLLLLLLLL have a safety that switches them off when they're not moved for a couple of minutes - drives me nuts when i'm paperpiecing or doing other stuff where i'm switching from the sewing machine to the iron and back all the time...
so i'll keep searching through those second hand shops and asking friends, neighbors, friends of friends if they or their mom still have one hanging about...
those irons were much hotter than the steam ones and NO SHUT-OFF :wink:

[Lotti D.]

Like many of you I have Rowanta (I am on my third and yes, they can leak). And, like many of you I wanted a dry iron that stays on. I thought I would stop at the Vermont Country Store this summer while on my quilty vacation and purchase one. However, while antiquing in PA yesterday I came across this beauty. She vintage, small (about 8") and heavy (about 3 pounds) has no steam and no auto shut off and she sure is shiny and pretty. I had to take her home with me...

Barbara

Hey Dawn! Thanks!!

[ANNE E.]

Hi ,I have a Bosch iron and the steam works really well and doesn't leak through the soleplate, the only problem is that it leaks at the handle and I iron with a handkerchief tied around it, other than that it's a great iron
Anne

[ANNE E.]

Lotti, check out the Digital Velocity. It has the timer override. And you don't need to put water into it if you don't want to, just use it dry.

I don't know if they have a European distributor but it's worth looking into.

[Annis C.]

I had an iron with a removable water tank that lasted for years. It never leaked and I could remove the tank when I didn't want steam (it gave me steam even when I had the steam turned off) but it eventually quit getting hot. So now I'm using my backup irons which are all inexpensive. The first one lasted about 2 years, only leaked when it turned itself off and I wasn't paying attention. I learned to check to see if the light was on. When that one gave out I tried another one but it did leak and when it turned itself off I had to unplug it and plug it back in. That was getting tiresome so for now it is not being used. I had 1 more backup iron, a Proctor-Silex Model 17135. That's the one I am using now until I come up with something better. So far I haven't had a leakage problem, but occasionally some clean water comes out of the top. Most of the time the steam works correctly but after it's been on for awhile it sometimes quits. I've found that if I switch it back and forth between dry and steam or turn it off and back on it gives me steam again. And it doesn't turn itself off which is not always a good thing. I'm always careful to unplug it when I'm through. Of course I do that for the ones that turn themselves off too. I like an iron with an edge that's not too rounded and has a fairly sharp tip. Most of the expensive irons I've looked at have a thick edge and a round tip. That's why I'm still waiting for the perfect iron.

[fiona j.]

I have a very cheap iron that NEVER gets water in it. that way I can leave it on for most of the day and not worry about it. They usually last for about a year or so, but at under £5 (around $8, I think), who cares???? If I want steam, a quick squirt with a children's garden spray does the job.
I do use the family iron for yardage but otherwise, I pay my teenager to do my clothes and her little sister's....

[fiona j.]

I'm with everyone here about the very poor quality of irons these days. I've been using a T-Fall iron over the past few years. They are available at Sears and at Amazon. I've never had a leaking problem with this particular brand. I just don't think the iron gets as hot as it should. How about someone in America making a great iron -- there's sure a market for it. Who know's perhaps some jobs could be created.

[Rita C.]

I was looking at a tutorial from the Missouri Quilt Company and the iron that they are using is an Oliso iTouch Professional. Has anybody used one of these? They are only $199.00 :!: Thinking of getting two, one for each hand. :roll: I wonder how long they will last?

[Nancy R.]

Hi Rita -

My current iron is an Oliso, but not the professional. It's a lower end (somewhere around $170). I've had it less than a year and it has several problems:

- it leaks out of the front hole fairly regularly.
- the automatic shutoff sometimes works, sometimes doesn't.
- just last week the little feet that come down from the sole plate decided to not go up for some reason. power-cycling fixed this but I've turned off that feature now since the iron can't be used if the feet won't retract.

My irons get a lot of use and they all end up failing pretty quickly. It seems like I have them on all of the time since I do a lot of piecing, so I'd estimate that my yearly usage is more like 5 or 6 years of usage by a "normal" person. But you probably have your iron on as much as mine. I also love steam and use the steam except where inappropriate like paper-piecing or starching applique. I'm waiting for this one to completely die, then I will move to my iron-in-waiting (a digital something, forget the name). I probably won't buy an Oliso again unless I see a really good deal on one.

I know others who swear by Oliso, so this is just my experience.

Nancy

[Rita C.]

Like you Nancy I have my iron on most of the time so they tend to wear out pretty quickly. I have had two irons die in the last week! And the replacement I got is such crap that I can see that it's not going to last much longer either. I have a great little travel iron that I got years ago (so it doesn't have steam at all) which I use when I am piecing with a spritzer bottle to hand. I recently bought a new travel iron with a "shot of steam" but as soon as I tried to use the steam it began to leak. However, I am now using it without the steam and it's great. I think the elements just wear out because we quilters have them on so much of the time. I just can't believe that I would get long enough out of any iron to warrant paying $199.

[Rita C.]

Personally, I would not buy the Oliso, Rita. I have heard numerous quilters comment that the self risng and lowering legs give out way to quickly.

You are probably best served by getting cheap irons, not using water/steam in them, and just using Best Press or a garden spray bottle with water instead. They won't last long, but at US $10 - $15, they are not expensive to replace 2-3 times a year.

I too am waiting for an iron made to quilting specifications: NO leaks, very hot, good weight, auto shut off override. The closest I have seen to this is the Digital Velocity I mentioned in a previous post... but they don't seem to make it for 220 usage. Can an iron be plugged into some kind of converter??

[Dawn S.]

The closest I have seen to this is the Digital Velocity I mentioned in a previous post... but they don't seem to make it for 220 usage. Can an iron be plugged into some kind of converter??

I'm not sure that I am understanding your question. Here in the US we plug our small appliances into 110. Why whould you be plugging yours into 220? Or, is the country on your profile not where you live?

Anyway, yes! there is a converter, or step-up, step-down device. My daughter bought a stroopwaffle (very Dutch) machine for me in Holland (220V), and my DH bought such a device for me. It is a very heavy, around 5" cube, and will convert 110 to 220, or 220 to 110. If you are seriously interested in this, I will send a picture to you, and try to get more information for you. They are not cheap! But if it allows you to get any electronic item that you wish, then it is well worth it!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

[Dawn S.]

Dawn, I am in the US, but I was thinking of Rita, in Ireland and Lotti, in Switzerland, I believe. Lotti posted this inquiry first, and so many others have now commented too. Seems many of us are not happy with our irons! And with the 220 volts in Europe, it seems even more of a problem!

I suspect Lottie and Rita would be interested in the convertor thing-a-magic you have (that is the technical term for it!! LOL) Do you think it could handle the heat and constant cycling on and off of an iron?

[Dawn S.]

Dawn, I am in the US, but I was thinking of Rita, in Ireland and Lotti, in Switzerland, I believe. Lotti posted this inquiry first, and so many others have now commented too. Seems many of us are not happy with our irons! And with the 220 volts in Europe, it seems even more of a problem!

I suspect Lottie and Rita would be interested in the convertor thing-a-magic you have (that is the technical term for it!! LOL) Do you think it could handle the heat and constant cycling on and off of an iron?

Thank you for clearing this up for me! I skimmed through the thread very quickly, and do believe Lotti is looking and Rita has found one that works for her. Regarless, there are a lot unhappy quilters around the world, when it comes to their irons. The step down converters (transformers) come in many different wattages, and are as cheap as around $10. I would certainly NOT get a cheap one, just for the reason you brought up - - the continual cycling on and off. My stoopwaffle iron is contiually maintain a certain temp, so will heat up and cool down. Mine is a 1000W (and more $$ of course) and can handle it. If I were anyone wanting an iron that only comes in 110V I would research (Google) Step Down Converters/Transformers. I hope this information helps those of you who are in need of it!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

[Debbie W.]

My expensive Rowenta has been leaking and it recently quit heating enough even to iron fusible on fabric!!! It's only a couple of years old and causing me a lot of grief.

Good news! I did find a wonderful new red mini- iron at my LQS a couple of weeks ago and I just started using it last week. I LOVE IT! It is very light and compact and it heats so good. The ladies at my LQS highly recommended it over another brand of compact iron that offered steam. I was fusing blocks today for machine applique and they pressed up beautifully with 'Lil' Red' and Best Press. Normally I have problems with my back & shoulders when I am sewing, but since I started using it, I have not had those problems and I believe it is because I'm not constantly lifting the standard size iron. It can easily be packed for classes & retreats and since it is not a steam iron, you don't need to worry about it leaking

My 'little red iron' is called Kandi's Handi-Iron. It was $40.75 at my LQS. I looked on Amazon and did not find one, but they had one on eBay. Here's the link if anyone is interested in checking it out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kandis-Handi...item3cc138c426.