So what is a good iron to get? Does anyone else have the problem of overhead lights dimming whenever the iron is one? Lights constantly dimming and brightening then whenever the iron is on....is it the iron? Every house I have ever had does the same thing.

That is caused because the typical circuit is around 1,500 watts. One iron can be that much alone when it is heating. So, whatever else is on the same circuit, say your lights, then expect to see "brown outs" when the power is pulling more than the circuit was designed for. Try to find out if you've got a different circuit in the same room. I was lucky, DH brought in two additional circuits to my sewing room, and one serves only the iron.

That's not safe to have brown outs. You may have to iron in another room. As far as irons go. If you want the best on the market for quilters it's the Reliable brand iron. http://www.longarmquilterspro.com/re...team-iron.html I quit buying expensive irons and get a cheap one and use it until it blows a gasket.

Irons are like husbands---you have to find the one that suits you. Some people like teflon coating, others don't. Some like a heavy iron, I don't. At my house, cheap, light, with teflon coating and steam.
One of the LQS's that I take classes at has those really expensive irons with the feet that pop out and raise it up. Unfortunately sometimes those feet stick---out when you're trying to press, in when you stop. For the price difference I prefer the cheap with that little mat that you can get at Hancocks to set the iron on flat. The reason to keep it flat is so that the steam is always ready--if you like to press with steam.

I buy the cheapest iron. When it blows, you're not out lots of money. Plus, even though it might not be the heaviest iron, it still does the same things that the more expensive ones do.

I too have gone to the Walmart $14 iron... I found one that has a good teflon sole plate, does NOT automatically shut off, and after a year it still works like new :D:D:D I would rather spend this much every couple of years, than over $100 every 2-3 :wink:

You can get two models of the Reliable iron at http://www.allbrands.com/products/abc0675.html

I also really like the Black and Decker Digital Advantage iron. My guild bought one and it's everybody's favorite.

I get mine from Goodwill. I buy the old irons with no teflon coating and no steam holes. I just like them, will buy more if I get the chance, but they must work. If you do get the older irons, BEWARE they get way hotter than the new ones and will scorch anything. What I put up with for "cute".

I also used the iron with the pop-out feet at my local quilt shop during a volunteer program in January and I didn't like it. When I stopped to adjust the fabric, those goofy feet popped out. I found it aggravating. I recently bought a cordless iron with a steel soleplate. I like it. My last one was teflon and it started to peel off. Back to the old steel soleplate. It glides nicely. I like my small Rowenta with steel soleplate for small jobs, as well. I'm one of those people that looks up reviews on line before making a purchase, so I would suggest that you do that if you are planning on spending more than $20. Good luck.

exactly..i have a walgreens Iron..i think it is called "signature"

[quote=Shiloh]. I recently bought a cordless iron with a steel soleplate. I like it.

My husband bought me a cordless iron for Christmas a year ago. I absolutely love it. It's a Panasonic with a steel soleplate. It gives great steam, holds the heat for a long time and also has the spray water function. I don't think I could ever go back to an iron with a cord!

It is the Panasonic that I have and I really like it. I have only had it for a few months and I'm still getting used to placing it back in the stand. If you don't line those channels up you miss the connection. I will continue to check until I get it continuously get it lined up automatically. I'm going to blame that on my age. You can do that after you turn 65, can't you? My last cordless was an Oreck. Terrible. The reviews online echo that. No more Oreck irons for me. Shiloh - Gerry

yes, it's the iron, my lights do that too

Oh no, does that mean I have to wait until I'm 65? I've been blaming getting old for a few years now and I just turned 55! :?

My lights do that occasionally, too. If you don't mind the cord, I would get a Rowenta, but do check the reviews (I usually go to Amazon for reviews) before you purchase. There a number of styles and prices vary by model. A lot of your choice comes down to preference. Steel soleplate or teflon. I like the steel. Cor or cordless. I like cordless. 1200, 1400, 1500 or as high as 1800 watts. Want one that is hot enough or you won't be happy. Mine is 1500 or 1600 (I think) and sufficiently hot. Steam or dry? I like the steam option and can turn it off for dry. You gotta investigage and make the final decision based on your pocketbook and/or preferences.

Same here, hubby bought me a cordless and I love it. No more aggravating cord messing up my fabric when I'm ironing!


[quote=Quilting Nonnie]

Until now, I've never owned an iron that I really liked. Over the past 45+ years, I've owned inexpensive ones and expensive ones ... regardless of price and features, they were all mediocre or worse.

A couple of weeks ago, when the latest mediocre (but expensive) one started leaking huge quantities of water, I went out and bought a Rowenta pressure iron and steamer. It's not the latest model (that costs twice as much and is not worth it to me), but I sure like it. I pressed a huge piece of fabric (6 yards) with it in about 1/10th of the time it would have taken me with a conventional iron and with much better results. I like the fact that the iron itself has no water reservoir. My initial problem was finding a level place to set it at the end of my ironing board. Despite what Rowenta says, the unit does NOT fit on a metal extension on the end of the ironing board. So I found a little stereo cabinet I had stashed away; it is just perfect size and height to keep the iron/reservoir on. The cabinet has wheels on it and the steamer unit's electrical cord is 12 feet long so it's working out well for me.

I love my T-fal. $40 at Target and I will never own any thing else. As far as the lights browning out, In the winter if I try to iron it blows the circuit but its an old house and for some reason the people before ran the added on room to the same circuit as the living room. And we run space heaters. Its not a problem in the summer. It always reminds me of the old Green Acres episode where her tells her "you can plug in a 1 and a 2 but not a 2 and a 3" or something like that. LOL
As soon as we can we are going to get some additional wiring done.

having used irons from $2 thrift store finds to fancy $150 irons...for longevity i have found the $10 cheapies from walmart hold up the best....the thrift store (very old) iron lasted me almost 3 years...the $12 basic i bought lasted almost 10 years...the $150 fancy iron...3 months..by then leaked horrribly, did not heat well was heavy and what a waste of money!!!
i like my iron to stay on and stay hot so when i'm ready for it is ready for me, i hate the ones that shut off after a minute and you have to shake it to wake it up again...and i no longer ever put water in my iron...i keep a spray bottle of water on the end of the ironing board

I have had two Rowenta irons that were pricey. They have leaked and gave out very quickly. I now have one by Shark that works well and was not that expensive. I also have a small Rowenta (it is about the size of the palm of a mediums sized hand) that I use without steam and it works well. But the minute I try to use steam it will leak. I do not recommend Rowenta. I also do not like anything from Black and Decker. This is only a suggestion of what not to buy. I really don't know any of the other brands except for the Shark.

Have a great day.

Two of my irons that went wonky are Rowenta, so I'm really curious to see how long my new Rowenta keeps working. It has only a 1-year warranty. I have vowed that it will be the last Rowenta that I will ever buy IF it goes wonky within the next few years. I looked on-line at all the pressure iron/steamers available and, while they are common in Europe, they are not in the USA, so my choices were limited. (So far, it hasn't made my lights flicker.)

I never use steam and don't like teflon.
I use an iron that belonged to a friend's Mother (I'm soon to be 74) in my sewing room.
The Vermont Country Store has a no steam, no teflon iron for about $35, which I use away from home: workshops, retreats etc and like alot.
I have about 5 other irons that are steam and/or teflon that I no longer use.
http://vermontcountrystore.com

A few years back I bought a Rowenta - pricey @ about $80. We now use that one for our clothes ironing - I bought a cheap Kmart iron, which seems to give off more heat & steam and I love it.

I also like the Rowenta with the steel plate. Although last week at our UFO, I used a Black and Decker owned by the Extension Office and liked it alot. Since they have two extra ones, I will leave my Rowenta at home and lighten my load.

[quote=Quilting Nonnie]Where do you buy the cordless irons??

I won't buy an expensive iron because it isn't very compatible with the wobbly ironing board! :) I've had 3-4 irons in the last 5 years. Mostly under $25 from Walmart. I wasn't happy with any of them. Last month, I bought a Shark at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $29. So far, I love it! It's a steel soleplate, I usually get teflon. Plus it doesn't seem as top-heavy as the others I had. The cord is 10', which is a priority for me because of where I need to set up.

i buy my irons at Wal mart and the plug in i use only has the iron plugged into i dont think your power should dim when your iron is on that doesnt sound good

I have a sumbeam brand iron I have used for years, hubby wants to buy me one that shuts off because I forget everything. But we don't have finances to do that. God bless. Penny

I agree with you about power dimming. I had my iron on the table next to me and noticed the screen kept flickering on my Pfaff 7570. I moved it across the room and apparently it is a different circuit. Scared the bejebbers out of me, thinking I had ruined my computer sewing machine! Yeah, it's a pain in the patootie to get up to go press, but it sure beats killing my sewing machine. :oops:

Does anyone have Black and Decker Steam Advantage? I bought one at the Salvation Army that looked like it had never been used -- in the box, instruction book etc. It does a great job but turns off in 8 minutes of non-use then forgets to turn itself back on when you pick it up again. It seems it only likes to start working again if you unplug then plug in again. Picking it up, shaking it, or just turning it off, then on does not persuade it to do anything.
I may just have to save it when I need to do a lot of steaming!