I am so frustrated. My Iron just died. I finally have a day when I can sew with little pain and my iron dies!!!!!
I don't think I have even had this one a year. It is a Black and Decker Steam Express. It had been leaking and spitting water for a while but today I noticed that it wasn't getting very hot. The auto off died a couple months ago, but that didn't bother me, I hated the auto off feature.
Now it won't even heat up!!! Dh is out for a couple more hours this evening and I could have gotten in a couple more hours of sewing but........ Stupid Iron!!!!!
I think he took the car. All that's left here is a 35 year old truck that I hate to drive and it's pouring rain. I guess I will have to stop at Target or something tomorrow after work.
GRRRRRR!!!!
Sorry, just had to vent!!!

That is so frustrating. Just when everything is right for sewing something like that happens.

What is it with all the iron trouble. There have been alot of iron threads lately. It seems there is no real good iron out there. People love Rowenta, people hate Rowenta, people love shark and hate shark. Many love their Black and Deckers and I swore never to buy a Black and Decker again. Good luck getting another iron. I am in Castaic, California and the weather is dreadful. Be careful if you go out.

mine died on monday! it wasn't a cheap one either-i didn't have it a year either! i was so pissed, paid 50.00 for the darn thing and boom doesn't heat up one day!! no leaking or anything-was working just fine the day before. went out on monday and bought a cheap one! figured if it lasts as long as the more expensive one then i can buy a new one every year!!!

just don't buy it at wallyworld...
have you noticed that irons don't have a 'sharp' point there?
I haven't looked for an iron for awhile since my old one is working great (knock on wood) but did buy one to give to the lady who drives us to guild - and it didn't have a sharp point either... sheesh...

My quilt shop has a Reliable brand Iron. They claim that it is a great iron, better than Rowenta. they have it on sale for $130. Do I buy another cheap iron, or do I try the expensive one in hopes that it will work great for the next 5-10 years? I don't know. I don't want to buy a $60 one to have it die!!!

If it is your local shop maybe it would be easier to return if there is a problem. I wonder if you can buy extended warranty on irons. Is that the shop in Ventura?

Actually the shop is Baron's Fabrics and it is here in Camarillo, less than a mile from my home.

In fact the shop is closer than going to Target or even K-Mart.

Of course convincing my DH that I need a $130 iron might be another matter entirely!

I did not know about Baron's, I will have to check it out the next time I am over your way.

Baron's is not just a "quilt shop" They are a small fabric store that happen to specialize in carrying great quality quilting fabrics. they also sell Bernina sewing Machines. The store is right off of Carmen in the Michaels/Trader Joes shopping center. I spend way way too much money there!!!!

Thanks for the info Gayle.

If you're ever out this way, give me a hollar and maybe we can meet there sometime!!!

That would be great.

Does anyone know if you can buy an iron that doesn't have an automatic shut off feature? I don't want that when I'm sewing, especially piecing. When I want to press, I want the iron to be hot, not wait for it to heat up.

The Reliable one that I mentioned has a feature that you can shut off the auto shut off. I haven't looked into it too much, but I hate that auto-off as well!

Surely irons are like the rest of our quilting accurements-MUST have more than one. :-D

i got one Oreck cordless and it heats up in 30 sec i just pick it up to move it and it starts to heat up i have had it 2 years and i have dropped it about 5 times keeps on ticking. oh it has a point.
memathomas

Thats why I have a spare. ;-)

Geez, sorry bout your iron, right when you were trying to have a sewing night. I guess i am thriftier, and have maybe just had "luck" with irons? I've never had a new one, i don't think i'd like the auto shut off feature on them. I've only ever used thrift store irons, and over the years, each one has lasted me over 10 years. But my iron probably doesnt get as much use as some irons maybe. When i'm at my sewing machine, all seams get finger pressed either with my thumb nail lol, or the end of a spoon, and blocks dont get pressed until theyre complete, then they get pressed and squared up. I think if i was going to buy a new iron, i would go for walmart, and go for the cheapest, but thats just me. Less features, less to go wrong, and i know with walmart, i can take something back five years later, they dont care, they will take anything back lol. But really, if the more expensive one will be less headaches for you, then i think it is absolutely worth it :)

I don't know if you can get them over there but I have one with a cordless feature - it is brilliant and it reheats in seconds on it's stand. You can also use it corded for ironing yardage (or shirts!) but it stays hot cordless plenty long enough to press a few blocks. It only cost around the equivalent of 20 USD. In fact I've got two, one in the sewing room and one downstairs for DH's shirts - guess which one gets the most use? ;-)

HI, are you ironing fabric a lot of it or just the blocks. At JoAnn's the have that little mini iron.... no steam which you do not use when ironing blocks. $reg 19.00 I used a 40% off coupon. It is so small and so great... I had a B& D iron too and the same thing I got a Rowenta and the same. The steam thing was replaced and it did fine for a few years... then started spitting again, and DH got me the big seperate water steamer. The I won a new rowenta still in the box... The little cheep iron I got at WalMart about 7 or 8 years ago is great. So you do not have to spend a lot but frustrating when you think you are getting a good one and it goes so fast... They do have a year warrenty on most of them...

I have a Black and Decker that doesn't shut off for an hour and a half. It was pretty cheap but has done great.

Maybe we should do like Barb M and get our irons from the thrift stores, never thought about that. At least we should buy a backup from there. Great idea Barb.

My favorite irons are the old heavy ones that can be found in thrift stores and garage sales. They get hotter than the new irons and don't have automatic shup off which I don't like at all.

And the best part, they usually sell for under $5 a piece. I own about 10 of these as I use them at my Quilt Retreats. When one dies or gets dropped, I just pitch it and get another one. Many times the only thing wrong with them is the cord is shot so I buy a 12 foot extension cord and have my husband wire it on the iron for a new cord. Works great!

Does anyone else wonder why we can't buy an iron without steam? Seems to me that the manufacturer that comes up with a hole-less plate on an iron that gets hot enough and has an always on option could sell quite a few units...what do yall think?

I think mine is B&D. I bought it a couple of years ago when my old iron gave out. I could not justify spending the big bucks on a Rowenta. I searched and searched for a reasonably priced ($50 or less) iron that wasn't made in China and could not find so I got a made in China one at Walmart for around $20, may have been $30. The steam feature quit working and it leaks water like crazy if I try to put water in. I just use it with no water and keep a spritzy bottle in my sewing room. I can't help but wonder if using steam features and putting water in an iron shorten's their lifespan. Also I am pretty sure the auto shutoff doesn't work any more either because it always seems to be hot whenever it is turned on but that is fine by me. I found it annoying as well but when it did work it only seemed to take a minute or so to get up to heat. This thread makes me want to go out and buy a backup though.

I believe it does shorten the lifespan, no matter how often I clean my iron eventually it has a calcium build up and I only use bottle water. When it starts to spit, which they always do, you get some hard white residue that will come out. I have tried vinegar and let it just steam and steam, it helps but does not get it all out.

Is there an 'iron virus' going around? My Oreck died last week. I had not used it for about 6 weeks. When my classes started back up it was dead. It was free with the purchase of my vacuum cleaner so I did get my money's worth out of it. I had an old one so I dragged it out. Think I'll try the thrift stores too. The Reliable at Joann's is that a brand name?

Mine is a WalMart $14 Proctor Silex Model 17135, teflon soleplate, no auto shut off, it gets hot, has decent steam and a point on the tip. If it lasts 1+ years I will be happy :D:D:D
I bought it in Oct/Nov

I have bought irons that have costed me over hundred dollars and didn't last a year. Have bought two irions at thrift stores for two dollars and have lasted me ten years. They are older irons but I thimk the older irons lasted longer. I just bought a small iron at a thrift store and I just love it. The small iron also has steam. My small iron is a norelco voyager and my regular size irons are black and decker.

Reliable is the brand, it is called Digital Velocity V100. I do not know if they carry it at JoAnns. I did not see it there. This is at a fabric store near my house.

I thought my iron had died also. I had turned it off after the last ironing and didn't check it before I ironed again. DUH!! Sometimes, it IS the operator and NOT the equipment.

Ok, I bought the stupid expensive Iron. DH said I could so I went to my shop and asked one of the ladies there to try and sell it to me. She has one herself and just loves the iron. She quilts and also sews garments. She talked to the dealer at the Houston Quilt Market and really was impressed by the company and the iron.
I hope it works. It cost me $151 including tax.

Congratulations! :)

Hope it lasts for you!

I recently bought an iron at Goodwill for $7. It gets really, really hot. When I bought it, the clerk said I had 7 days to bring it back if I found that it didn't work.

It gets hotter than the new one I bought a couple years ago. When I was looking used, I just made sure the sole plate looked in good shape.

These are the best. They are getting a little harder to find but I will take them anyday!

Same thing happened to me, but I had the iron 10 yrs or better. The iron still worked but the cord got so hot you couldn't touch it; I was afraid of a fire. MY husband researched the Rowenta. Don't get one that was made in China. The one made in Germany is ok. After reading reviews on them, someone wrote to get a T-Fal, half the price. I did and like the iron very much. It has the anti-calc valve. Good luck.

LOL after I left my iron on for 3 dys I decided that I need an auto shut off even if I have to wait for it to heat up

Hate to brag on it but my Rowenta is about 15 years old and works fine. I keep a small iron next to machine when piecing that is a Craft Sealing Iron. It gets hot and works great. Not that tiny little one I have seen.