More About Irons - -
 

After reading the thread here about the Oliso (I've been lusting after one of those) but all the reviews everywhere I've looked were so varied........most were "BOOOOOOs". Given the price, I'm not about to "see for myself". I've paid a fortune for Rowenta steam irons, and they all leak after a while. And, I've taken very good care of them. I've bought the least expensive to the high-end.........all with the same results.

I have wondered why in the world some mfg. company won't get the idea that there are a lot of us who just might prefer a dry iron.........(I had them in the early 50's, one mfg. was Sunbeam, and another was GE. I think I had both at one time or another, because I dropped one on the floor and it broke.

The only dry iron I've found is the "Continental" and I bought it from Amazon. Of course, it is made in China........and doesn't even come close to the "good 'ol days irons". It "works", but it's very "wimpy".

Am I the only one that would love to have a choice in irons? One without the "holes" in the soleplate.....and just "spritz" instead of steam whenever I want? One that heats up to really hot, and gets the job done?

Would love to hear opinions from all you quilters! Perhaps we could start a dry iron petition to some mfg. company right here in the good 'ol US of A! (hehe). Seriously, my thoughts are that they could make at least a small fortune by giving us a choice to either buy a steam or a dry iron......one that WORKS!

~skeetersmom

I just finished watching Carol Doak's paper piecing video on The Quilt Show. She uses a dry iron that she found at The Vermont Country Store.

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/s...Dry_Iron/42277

That is the Continental I was referring to that I bought at Amazon. The darned thing "looks" just right, but doesn't perform worth a darn!

I have been using a Rowenta Travel Iron since Feb. It is light, does not have the auto-off button, uses water if needed. I LOVE it. I can also set it up next to my sewing machine on a TV table to press my squares as I sew. I just purchased curtains & plugged in my full-size Rowenta to press them. The full-size Rowenta leaked. It was so heavy. I weighed it w/out water & it was 3.5 lbs! The next day I ironed with my travel iron & was very happy. The travel iron did not leak - one fill-up ironed a 50"x 84" curtain.

Thanks, Marilee

I've been using the V100 Digital Velocity Steam iron since my Rowenta broke. It has excellent steam, and I've been happy with it as a dry iron also. It's made so that it can't leak, and you can bypass the auto-shutoff mode. What's more, customer service has been excellent. I bought a reconditioned one and am very happy with it.

Oops! I went back and checked the video again. If I understood it right this time, Carol Doak uses an older dry iron, and mentioned that dry irons were available at the Vermont Country Store. Thanks for the feed back on the Continental.

I've been passively looking for a dry iron and after yesterday's quilting project, I'm upping that desire to an active search. My little pieces kept getting caught in the holes on my iron. I did a Google Images search and there are pictures of many irons.

https://www.google.com/search?q=dry+iron&client=firefox-a&hs=O7Z&rls=org.mozilla:en-US official&channel=np&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa= X&ei=qtQkUoSVGcjyqQHTjIH4Bw&ved=0CFgQsAQ&biw=1234& bih=838

There are also many listed on eBay - this was just one of them:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Oster-He...-/190810434440

Looks like this may take more research! :o

This is the iron I have, use and LOVE!!!

I got my Reliable V100 Digital Velocity on ebay refurbished
for $80.

Well worth the cost to me.

Thrift stores get old dry irons in. My husband was the manager for awhile and had the ladies save them for me. I gave 2 away and still have 3. Can't use one because it gets too hot. I like them when I don't need steam. Best of all, they don't shut off.

I just bought

I bought my dry iron from The Vermont country store, and I love it. Its nice and heavy and works perfect for my applique.

I bought a Eurosteam at a quilt show this spring. I love it. Pricey, but I don't plan on having to buy another iron. My current Rowenta is not the same as the one before it. Quality is not in that product anymore.

Me and my sister bought the dry iron about a year apart. Hers lasted under a year. After about a year, mine started acting up. I had just come back in the room when it threw a spark and a flame at the cord end to the iron. Never again.

In my opinion buy a Black and Decker F1038. You will need to search for the best price around $30. Great iron. Then spend $25 on a no steam and you will be in good shape for years and not have spent that much money.

YIKES! Was that the "Continental" ?? I bought one, gave it to a dear friend, then thinking I should have one too, I bought one for myself. Perhaps we should both throw them out?

I bought the dry iron from Vermont Country Store and love it. No dimples in fabric from steam holes. If I want steam for a large project I dilute Mary Ellen's Best Press with 1/2 water and lightly spritz the fabric. Works better than steam IMHO.

I have the Continental iron and have been very happy with it.

I never put water in my irons, I use a spray bottle.

I have had a Continental for about a year and would not call it "wimpy". It is a heavy iron, which I like, because I let its weight do the work; it gets hot fast; it stays hot; and it doesn't have an auto-shut off. Also, I have dropped it twice (from a sit down / tv table height), and have had no problems with performance.

The new Reliable Velocity iron is supposed to be very good. It has separate heating elements for the steam and the iron, so you can get plenty of steam at a low heat. I took a class with Doug Leko, and he loves it. He says the company stands behind their warranty. And I noticed that F&P and Jenny Doan have changed over from the Oliso to the Reliable.

I have the Contiental dry iron. It's heavy enough for me and gets very hot. It's about 5 years old and still working great. For classes I use this one: http://www.nancysnotions.com/product...+steam+iron.do It is the best small iron I've tried. It gets very hot, uses steam if needed and no auto shut off. I found it at Tuesday Mornings for $9.99 some time ago. Also Tuesday Morning has Rowenta made in Germany irons in the store here. Rowenta was sold and now the new irons with Rowenta name are made in China.

I had the dry iron from Vermont Country Store and loved it! It worked great until I dropped it. So we've ordered another one and I'm eagerly awaiting it's arrival.

For regular steam irons I buy the cheapest at Walmart, usually $9- $12 and use it until it leaks. I'm on year two of the my last $9 iron.

I can't tell this story enough,so I'll tell it again. I have been through many irons, Cheap to expensive. They just aren't made to last any more, imho.

I bought a new 'Reliable' brand (blue model) for my cloths ironing a few years ago after my third Rowenta went bad in just about the same number of years. I love this iron. Four years with daily ironing and no drips, spits or any problems at all. Good weight, great steam, beautiful pressing.

So I thought, since my Rowenta iron for quilting went down the dark path, I would try the Reliable (orange) model. It has an over ride to have it on all the time.

I got one through 'ALL BRANDS' for $60.00. Worth a try. It is a deal where it is refurbished or repackaged due to slight damage like a scratch. Well I love this iron too. Great steam when you want it, nice weight, no drips and I mean no drips, no spits, just wonderful pressing. I do hope it lasts. I really hate sending irons to the dump.
peace

Worth every penny.
peace

Again, thanks to each one of you for your great input. For those who are actively seeking a good 'ol dry iron without holes........(I'm doing that too), let's agree to post our findings.
Till then........
~Skeetersmom

This is going to be my next iron. I never use steam. Ever. And I have searched high and low for a good dry iron. I stumbled upon this one a week or so ago and I fell in love with it. :)

I bought the Continental it is junk. Polished bottom came off.

I don't think there is a "perfect" iron out there. I have read glowing reviews on the Continental, yet some of you have had a bad experience with them. I own a Rowenta that I love and it has been a workhorse for me for years without ever missing a beat, but some say they've had trouble with them. I think there is good and bad in every iron out there. I like that we discuss them here now and then, but there are lemons in everything that is made. Having one doesn't necessarily mean the whole line is junk.

I like to research everything I buy and weigh out the pros and cons based on all the reviews, both good and bad. A few negative reviews don't bother me. First, you can't please everyone, and second, as I said before, there are the occasional lemons in everything. BUT . . . if the good outweighs the bad by a good enough margin, I'm usually willing to give it a try, if it's what I need and want. :)

Yikes!!!! Which dry iron was it?

I bought an Oster Dry Iron on Ebay and am very happy with it.

As with everything else, folks are more likely to post complaints than they are about compliments. We complain about something bad and take something good for granted.

I, along with two of my quilting buddies, have the Reliable iron and absolutely love it!!! Heats up very fast, very hot and can be a dry iron. You have the choice to have it turn off or not. I asked for it for Christmas and glad I did!!!

You can sometimes get a dry iron, no holes, at an antique store. My youngest daughter bought me one several years ago and it is great!

I, too, use the V100 Digital Velocity Steam iron, and will never, EVER use anything else. Have had it for 3 years, it has never spit once, and the steam it produces is unbelievable! Well, well worth the price.

bought 2 Rowentas that leaked and got too hot before very long---bought a Rowenta at a garage sale for a nickle---had "gunk" on the sole palte---th gunk fell of with my pen knife and it has been the greatest iron ever---who knew????

I love the Olisio iron...I originally purchased mine on line and after a couple of years it was not placed flat on the ironing board and it fell off...I replaced it with another one that after a while seemed to stop popping back up but I unplugged it and let it cool down and then it began working fine...several years ago I found them at the Christmas Tree Shop for $ 29.95 and purchased a couple of them for replacements...still have them in the boxes...a good back up is a Sunbeam with the extra long retractable cord that I purchased years ago at Walmart and sometimes still use...first choice would be the Olisio iron.

After reading this discussion yesterday, I checked out the Vermont store and ordered the "Dry Iron" and today got a message from them that they are back ordered and should be sent out in the next 30 days...disappointed...but will wait eagerly to get it. Thank you to the person who suggested the store. I have ordered merchandise from them several times and have always been very satisfied.

This iron has two features that can go wrong. - the steam and the pop up stand. Both have happened to the 6 I have had. Not both at the same time of course. Often what looks good isn't. However there are apples and lemons in everything.

I looked at a comparison on product reviews and they say the Black and Decker Iron is every bit as good as the Rowenta, I don't know about the others, but I bought the Black and Decker and love it. Its not a throw away, but I won't cry if it has to be replaced

I bought a Continental dry iron from Amazon. Very reasonably priced and great for quilting. Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...2Cgarden%2C320

Vermont Country Store has a dry iron that works well. It looks like a Black and Decker iron without the holes and is a heavy iron. It gets good reviews from quilters, too. I've had mine for years.