Sewnoma

I have a Panasonic cordless iron and I LOVE it. The iron heats up in the cradle and then as long as you put it back into the cradle instead of just setting it on the ironing board it stays nice and hot. Plus, while it does have auto-shut off, it detects that it's being used each time you lift it out of the cradle, so I've never had it shut off on me while I was using it. Love not having a cord all in my way. And the water tank detaches from the iron so you can leave the iron in the cradle (heating up) while you fill the tank at a more convenient angle.

It also has a heat-proof lid that clamps onto the base, and the cord retracts into the base as well. So if you take it to a class or if you don't have dedicated ironing space you can bundle it up while it's still hot and nothing bad will happen.

Has really good steam, too, although it does hiss and spit when I put it in the cradle sometimes and I wish it didn't. That's pretty much my only complaint with it, though. I've had it about a year and a half now.

Shorebird

I LOVE my Oliso!!! My first one (purchased at a quilt show several years ago), fell for the 4th time onto a hard ceramic tile floor........this time was knocked off a shelf that was over 5 feet from the floor......it was temperamental after that (sometimes auto lift would not work) but it STILL heated up just fine! However, to be on the safe side - since I could hear things rattling inside, I got another.........and I just love the auto-lift - 1800 watts of power and tons of steam.....my seams are so nice and flat! Love this iron.....and well worth the money ( Nancy's Notions has it on sale periodically )

Dakota Rose

I also have the Panasonic cordless and LOVE it. It is so convenient to not have to fight the cord and it stays hot. Ditto to everything Sewnomo wrote. Great for carrying to class or on trips.

amandasgramma

I have paid $130 for a Rowenta that not only died, but it took out my fabric and ironing board cover with it.....POOF...set the cloth on fire....with NO warning! (and no, I didn't forget it)
I've bought cheap to expensive.........the BEST irons I've had are the ones I get at thrift stores or garage sales. Face it, they're going to die, so buy cheap....then you don't cry so hard when they die.

As for steam.....I use a squirt bottle and spritz the fabric. A LOT easier than worrying about cleaning the steam irons or whether they even steam or worse....they spew out ugly dirty water.

That being said, my friend/co-quilter, bought a Panasonic steam iron -- CORDLESS.....now that one has excellent steam and is CORDLESS!!!!! I may get it!

mckwilter

I don't use a steam iron, because so far, every brand and model I've gotten eventually leaks. Like citruscountyquilter, if I need to dampen the fabric, I spritz with water or Best Press which has been diluted 50% with water. I have a Continental dry iron (Amazon $45, but someone said they bought theirs at Home Depot for $30) with a stainless sole plate. I originally bought it to use with fusibles because I didn't want the little unfused places where the steam holes are. It does not have an auto shut off, which I also wanted. And best of all, it gets hot and stays hot. If I ever decide to get a steam iron, it will be the Reliable Velocity. My sister loves hers, and I noticed that Fons & Porter have switched to it. Doug Leko, a young quilt designer and teacher, swears by them. He says that the company guarantees the iron 100% and has replaced his iron twice.

amandasgramma

mckwilter.........the Reliable Velocity may guarantee, but I question that he has had to replace it twice!!!!!! Late on Saturday night sewing marathon, the iron goes out, I'm IRRITATED!
I will expand my comment based on yours. I don't like the auto turn-off.....irritates me to no end. I hook my iron up to a power strip. My lamp is attached to it, too. If the lamp is on, the iron is on. No fires!

nanacc

My old Black & Decker died, so I bought a cheapy Rival............Mistake! Would not even slide on fabric! Found a Singer Perfect Finish II (1700W), and love it! Only $30 at Big Lots. Has varying steam settings and does a fantastic job on wrinkles and fold creases in fabric.

MarleneC

Love mine too--after 2 horrible Rowenta irons the Reliable has proven to make my day, month, year---lol.

DonnaC

For years I used my wonderful Oreck iron... best one I ever had (it came in a package deal with my vacuum). Sadly it finally bit the dust. Then came a period I like to call "iron quest" (!) where I bought and returned at least seven different irons... they were all horrid. Spitting water all over, not getting hot enough, you name it. A couple of months ago I picked up an Oliso iron on sale at Jo-Ann's; it's the blue one, which is the least expensive model. Love, love this iron! It gets nice and hot, doesn't do a lot of spitting (unless I try to use it too quickly without letting it heat up like the directions tell me to), and I love being able to just set it down on its little feet. I have a habit of knocking irons off the ironing board and this iron prevents me from doing that! I paid $60 on sale and I'm very happy.

meanmom

I am fed up with irons. I bought a Rowenta. The first one lasted 3 months and started steaming so much I had to refill after about 10 to 15 minutes. The floor under the ironing board was wet. The store gave me a new one different model. The next one lasted just over a year and started dripping. More like pouring. I replaced that with a Shark. It is about 2 years old and is leaking now. I am trying to figure out what to buy next.
I have been looking at the Reliable. I know a lot of people don't like the auto shut off, I like it. I feel safer with it. It is really rare that I forget to turn it off but I do on occasion. I also installed a smoke detector in my sewing room. I will keep following this as I need an iron NOW!