Sorry but I'm not sure if the topic of an iron is on or off so I'll leave it to others to decide.
I just finished my ironing, except for the finished Oriental Fan because my iron doesn't seem happy. It kept going off and cooling down and needed to be unplugged and plugged back in to warm up or alternatively it got so hot that it started spitting at my clothes. Maybe I'll iron the piece a little later but if I decide to do so I'm going to have to be very careful not to let it spit and maybe get some dirty water on it.
If as I suspect it's on it's last legs I would like some recommendation. This is a Rowenta with steam and surge and it worked nicely for the past several years, but if it does drop dead soon I would love to get some educated opinions on brand.
I am happy with my current iron - as happy as any ironing hater ever is. It steams well and handles well. When I bought it I decided I would not pay much for it and I tried lifting them all and making ironing motions until I found this one which for me handles well. Believe it or not, it's Black and Decker and still going strong after
19 months or so. Still steams as it did when I first got it. Water level is easy to see as well. I don't recall how much it was but do remember it was certainly less than $30 as I was fed up with expensive irons giving up the ghost.
I seem to be hard on irons and they never last for me more then a few years. I did have a Black and Decker before this one and it was pretty good. However, in the last few years they just had such a rotten reputation that I went to the much more expensive Rowenta.
I liked this one, a sew and press vertical, until it started acting up and I'm trying to decide if I want to get another Rowenta or go for something else this time. So far everything I looked at is 1500 watts except for the Rowentas.
I've had a Black and Decker for over 8 years and it's still going strong. But buy another one? Probably not. B&D is not what it used to be from what I have read/heard.
Personally I`d stick with Rowenta - I`ve had one like yours for years, and will replace it with another when it dies. Sure you don`t just have a loose connection? I`d check the plug if I were you.
Hmmm, good question. Sounds like last legs. Two schools of thought about irons - heavy, professional jobs - like a bigger Rowenta, or lighter weight ones, and replace them as they go. On a quilting show with Alex Andersen - she actually spoke about this - as people can get pretty fanatic.
I didn't like the Black & Decker - the typical iron once in a blue moon, $25 one.
Right now, I have 2 irons, a Phillips & a Sunbeam. The Sunbeam - similar to the more expensive Rowenta, but not quite as heavy as the pro model - with the steam, surge, and spritzer. I use all of these features - as I'm one of those people that irons for clothes and sewing. I bought it at Costco, and it was about $40 less than the professional Rowenta they had, so I thought what the heck - IIRC about $35-$40 versus $75-$80 It's been great, heats pretty quickly, and I like the weight - it's got enough heft, but isn't awkward and is my workhorse. Sunbeam is: Sunbeam Professional 4243 Has a vertical steam capability, no dripping from the sole plate, and it has an auto shut off if it's on its side, or horizontal for >30 secs, or standing for more than 15 min.
The dog ate the cord on the Phillips, and I actually had quite a job finding the current rating in replacement wire - and of course built one myself - so that iron has a long, heavy cord. The Phillips is pretty similar, though a bit lighter. I've had that one about 14 years, and it's fine. Definitely better than the Black & Deckers which always seem a bit too light and flimsy for me, and I've had issues with dripping sole plates with those.
So, perosnally, I'd feel them, for the weight, etc. I like the ones that have clear, easily fillable reservoirs, and don't require distilled water. Also, a point that is tapered enough, and I actually find that the slits for buttons up near the point do work - at least on my current iron.
Although, I will admit, I've thought of buying a steam generator like the professional garment industry folks use - just not in the cards to spend that kind of money.
I misstated the other day that mine was a B&D - then I went to actually iron something, and realized it's a Sunbeam! Sounds like the same model as Ellice's.
For me, the important factor was the auto-shutoff. NOW I remember that I looked carefully at that in all the guides, and the B&D one was way too short....the Sunbeam had the longest time before the auto-shutoff went into effect. When I'm sewing, having something that shuts itself off after just a couple of minutes really isn't helpful!
Agree completely about the shut-off time. I'm good with the 30 second timer
- and the 15 min shut-off. When I'm sewing, once the ironing has started I'm usually up and down with another piece before it shuts off. And it's pretty quick to reheat.
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