Dry iron vs steam iron
 

Can someone explain to me why one is preferred over the other?

Really can't explain it except to say that I had always used a steam iron- Shark Professional but swithched to using an iron only on the dry setting. I like the dry iron much better.

i use a dry iron so that there's no chance of dribbling anything on my quilt pieces. the dry iron does not have steam holes to leave little 'bumps' on the fabric. i know... seems silly... but that's just me.

i save my expensive steam iron for projects that require steam.

I am on the other side...I prefer steam to dry. I think I have heard you should use dry when using fusible material but I don't even bother with that. I use steam for everything. If I am working with delicate fabric or if I am afraid of water dripping, I use a pressing cloth.

The dry iron has a solid sole plate, no steam holes. This allows for a hotter surface, even heating and no imprint of the steam holes on the fabric which is horrible for applique pieces especially if you are using fusible. If you want steam it's easy to spray with water. The steam iron with no water still leaves imprint. The newer irons seem to have smaller steam holes but more of them.

The dry iron new is under $25 so no big expense at all to have one.

Wow! What great advice and I just figured steam! Great question and thanks for sharing.

Also, if you screw up and get something sticky from an iron on applique on the bottom of a steam iron it's a real beast to try to clean out all the holes.

I don't use steam. If I need any moisture I use a spray bottle. When this iron gives out I want a dry only iron for the solid sole plate.

I use both. My travel iron has a solid plate and is great for pressing small items without distortion. Plus no holes to get caught on points, which happened a lot to me with the iron with steam holes. The steam iron is great for pressing wrinkles out of fabric or pressing completely blocks on the right side of the fabric.

With a dry iron, there is less possibility of stretching the fabric, but I find that the seams I'm pressing are not as flat as when I use steam. I prefer using steam for that reason, though I am very careful to PRESS rather than iron.

Thanks everyone for educating me on the difference. I just thought an iron is an iron. I do have to say, I like steam for the seams. Maybe I will get both.

I prefer to spray than use steam. I haven't found a steam iron yet thar doesn't spit. Think I might invest in a dry iron with a solid sole plate.

I prefer to use steam when I do my pressing of seams...seems to make them lay flatter. Just need to be careful to not stretch the fabric.

30+ years of using, preferably, a steam iron and I've never had trouble with the steam holes. I believe that the steam doesn't cause distortion, the presser does.

Jan in VA

I'm definitely a steamer. I use a steam generator versus a standard iron because I use so much steam!

I have the Velocity by Reliable and it hasn't ever spit or dribbled once. I applique quite a bit and it's never left a mark in any of my work. I love steam. I don't distort my work. I know how to press. I couldn't do quilting without my steam. The Velocity actually "roars" when you press the steam button. It's awesome!!

Definitely steam! I don't want the bother of having 2 irons and I use a steam iron all the time to press my clothes. I have never had my iron spit and I never stretch my fabric. I press when I want to press and iron when I want to iron.

as bellaboo stated- the difference is the sole plate- steam-holes-dry- flat no holes.
and cost- the dry iron tend to be much less expensive.
you can still have steam with a dry iron- just use a spray bottle of water- (which some of us prefer anyway- no sputtering/leaking from an iron filled with water)
and no holes to leave marks on our fabric

The iron I use is a plain dry iron with no Teflon just shiny metal surface. I don't like the drag of Teflon.

Difference between Dry and Steam Iron
 

A steam iron is an iron that uses superheated water to eliminate wrinkles in clothes and fabrics which may not be suitable for traditional dry ironing. Interpreting from the name a dry iron it an iron that work simply by it’s adjusting the temperature of the iron depending upon the type of fabric. But nowadays dry irons are rare to find. So if you are planning to buy a dry one go for a one with dual function which has the dry and steam mode. I have also bought Philips steam iron only as they are a much better and wise choice as compared to the dry iron.

I hope so it will help you.:)

I always dry iron, but spritz with water if needed. Using water makes it much easier to stretch seams.

What is a good iron that doesn't have an automatic shutoff. I hate those irons.

The Rival model ES280 1200 watt steam iron that sells at Walmart for $9.99. No shut off, mine has never spit up, it's small and lightweight, has a shiny sole plate for less drag and a nice pointy nose for small spaces, and it doesn't leave dimples. I use fusible on well over 50% of what I create and this iron is a real gem.

Ghostrider- it's a steam iron and it doesn't leave dimples?

I'm with Jan. I brought a solid plate dry iron and it quit working after 3 days - so I'm back to my old steam iron and I admit I like it better.

I took BellaBoo's advice and bought the flat dry iron and i LOVE it. It's all I use!

I like my Rowenta steam iron-I think I get much flatter seams with steam.

I've been checking thrift shops for a dry iron - no luck. I might just have to break down and order one.

The preference can be decided by each individual, like for me dry iron is a better as compared to that of the steam one as it get hot within seconds and even after switching it off i can continue with my ironing work for at least 5 to 10 min that help in saving some of my money as we all know that iron consume a lot of power.
But for my mom steam is a preferred on as because of the steamed water the squeezes get removed within second.

I like the flat plate of the dry iron as well. I keep a spray bottle at my work station so that I can spritz the fabric when I want steam.

I've had several irons leak and spurt hot water, which I don't care for at all.

Cheers, K

I agree. Just bought a new Rowenta (they seem to last me 10 years) Master. I steam and starch those seams flat as a pancake. LOVE IT !!!

Vintage dry iron + non-aerosol Niagara spray starch = smooth + awesome piecing :)

adrian87's post above is Spam and has been reported. Do NOT click on the link!

I use a steam iron most of the time and I use distilled water in it so there are no minerals in it. When in double I use a pressing cloth over my fabrics. Dry irons are nice for pressing seams open or to one side. However when pressing my blocks or pieces I use steam.

Gotta love it when spam revives old threads. 😜

In regular clothes ironing, I've preferred a steam iron. But with quilting, I definitely prefer a dry iron. My quilting Iron is a Wasing a https://www.amazon.com/WASING-Househ...en%2C75&sr=1-2 I think dry is better to not distort the fabric.

ETA: I actually keep a spare one. I like it so well, I wanted to keep an extra in case when I needed a new one, I wouldn't be able to find the same iron. I'm weird like that on some things! :0)

Seems most irons out there are steam type but I rarely use water in mine as eventually they start to leak so I keep a mister bottle filled with vinegar and water, mist my fabric or whatever it is I'm pressing, let it set for about 15 seconds and then press. My irons last much longer this way.......at least for me.

I got tired of steaming my fingers when dealing with really small pieces. So I no longer add water. I have spritz bottle if I need it, but for the most part I don't miss it. Now, when I was sewing clothing, I almost always needed steam.

I also use a dry iron with a mister bottle from Quilt in a Day, although many other companies sell them also. They spray such a fine mist that the fabric doesn't get water logged.

Oh, steam is a good thing when you want to shape fabric into say, a garment sleeve cap or a art project you wan to form into something. But, if you use steam and are working with bias cut quilt block pieces, you are risking the piece to stretch out of shape. I think you get the idea
The other thing to mention here is pressing seams open is an up and down motion, No Scrubbing on the fabric. Fabric is easily misshapen with steam.