Iron confusion
 

I cant decide between an Olisa, Rowenta Eco intelligence or the retro look of the Vermont County Store dry iron. Taking suggestions. My current iron is from 1992! And is done for.

I love my Rowenta, and if it ever dies will get another one

I love my Olisso and wouldn't have another.

The reasons I love it .....

It STAYS hot!! I have never waited for my iron to get hot while using it a long time to iron yardage.
Looooong cord ... 12'.
Looooong shut off ... 30 minutes!!!
Nice sole plate ... nothing sticks. I wipe it with a damp cloth every now and then (every 3-4 months I guess) but it really doesn't need it.

The 'feet' are a bonus, and I admit to turning them off most of the time when I'm just pressing blocks or ironing small pieces of fabric. The only time I turn the feet on is if I need the full width of my board to iron yardage and I then have to rest my iron somewhere else ... like my cutting table. At that time I put the feet on just as a safety caution in case it tips (which it never has).

There are only two things I don't like about it.
Because I leave the feet off, sometimes the front foot will "fall" a little and catch an edge of my fabric. If this happens I turn the feet on, let go of the iron so the feet come down, then turn the feet off again so they go back in - and this time the front foot will completely recess back into its hole.
Price ... sure I'd love to spend less on an iron, but I would pay it again if I had to.

note: I don't use steam so I can't comment on that feature.

Which model of Olisa did you buy. The yellow? Or blue?

I agree with DogHouseMom. Mine is blue. I have had for several years and I always use the steam. It is well worth the investment!

I like Reliable brand if you use a lot of steam. I use a dry iron for most of my quilt pressing because I starch heavy and that gives enough steam. For a reasonable priced iron that works great the Black and Decker Classic is a good choice.

i have a kenmore steam iron. works for me.. auto shut off..lcd light and temp control.

Rowentas are notorious for leaking.
Savers (a thrift store) has a few and I bought one for 6 dollars. It leaks and as a dry iron it dosnt get hot enough.

If you buy a Rowenta check the box. Buy the one that says Made in Germany. If it says Made in China, put it back on the shelf. Rowenta was sold and now being made in China. There are still German made Rowenta left so look for them. I know Tuesday Mornings have the German made ones.

Like my Oliso. Took a while to get used to the feet coming down, but my right arm is weak and I love not having to lift the iron as much. I too have trouble occasionally witjh the front foot staying out and catching the fabric, but not too bad. I tried a friends Rowenta and that iron was HEAVY, only comment I had on that. As for price, I have the blue one and I found it on ebay for $60 which is almost half what they are at Joannes. Of course a 40% coupon could help that, too.

I treated myself to a Reliable Velocity iron, and I could not be happier. It is heavy, something I wanted, and it gets hot, hot, hot. And, there is more steam than any other iron I've ever seen.

Love my Reliable!

I have a Rowenta with a steam container next to my main ironing board. I have the yellow Oliso that I take to classes I take, and classes I give. I love them both. I had the Vermont dry iron and gave it away. It was a PITA. Just my opinion. But then, I like all the amenities. I also have a Featherweight that I find annoying due to its lack of ammenities. lol.

I currently have a Reliable Velocity iron since my husband did research and said it was best. But I really miss the lift technology of the yellow Oliso I had prior and I will get Oliso again next.

after hearing about Rowentas catching fire, I would not have one if it was free!

Rose Mary mentioned the leaking problem with Rowenta. She is so right. I got burned quite badly on the hot water. They are also so heavy. I now go to Walmart and buy their cheapest model. The Proctor Silex I have now was about $8, has a very long cord, has lots of steam holes, nonstick bottom and is light weight. I never get one with automatic turnoff. I have developed a ritual for shutting down for the day so I never leave it on. Since it was cheap I never worry about dropping it. They last a few years with tons of use and then I buy another. Black and Decker makes a good inexpensive iron too about $12 I think.

Another vote for the Reliable Velocity here. And I would not touch a Rowenta with a 10 foot pole. Just do a search on this board and you will find many stories of Rowentas catching on fire, burning fabric, ironing boards, and hands!

I love my Vermont Country Store Dry Iron...I have gone through several Rowentas and one Oliso...never again for either brand...the VC iron gets hot, stays hot and is just the right weight...

I brought a Rowenta and I will never buy another one. My mother came and was using it and didn't like it either. Both of us liked my Black & Decker instead - it did a better job. It also cost a lot less.

When shopping for an iron, check the watts listed. They vary from 14 to 17, quite a difference. I tried Sunbeam, Black and Decker then went back to Rowenta. I like it because it gets hot. Some of the others that I tried left wrinkles when I was finished with ironing. I do keep an eye on it and be sure to not leave water in it and unplug it when finished.
Jothesewer

I'd like to get an Oliso but right now I have a Black and Decker with an auto shut off, and it seems to be great. Coupons don't work at Joanns on the irons, unfortunately, but I do have a gift card if they go on sale.

I had a Rowenta that began leaking after about 9 months, then it overheated and burned thru fabric and ironing board cover when it was 1 1/2 years old. Then I read the bad reviews - too late.
I have the Reliable Velocity now and it's great!

I had a Rowenta iron that I loved. I will never ever buy another one. I paid over $100 for it. When it was just a couple of months out of warranty it started to leak. Not just a little but a lot. It was a mess. I emailed and called the company and they said I was SOL. My sister has had 2 that did the same thing. Never again. I just got home from a quilt retreat and they were saying the same thing about Rowentas. If you look it is all over the internet about them leaking. I have a Sharp that is about 8 months old that I like.

I've had every iron imaginable. In my own humble opinion I'd but the cheapest steam iron possible. Save your money for fabric.

I have a Rowenta steam generator and I love it. My first one dies after about 10 years. Paid $350 for it but it does not leak. Only thing I didn't like is you can't turn it off without unpluging. On my first one it was the on/off switch that quit working. When I hit the steam trigger my iron almost jumps off the table.