Scored a Rowenta at yard sale
 

I know some hate and some love the Rowenta Iron brand. Ive never owned one but for 4 bucks at a yard sale I can afford to try it out and love it or hate it!!! I do like the weight of it.

We plugged it into an outlet in their garage before we left, it got hot. We will see if it holds up

I've had my Rowenta for about 15 years. Dropped it on a concrete floor -- twice -- and dh duct-taped and epoxied the thing back together. Still going strong. The ones with the removable water tanks are the ones that had the most problems, I think. Mine has the unremovable water tank. What I like about it is the weight and also the high heat it produces.

Mine is 20 years old. Made in Germany. Still going strong! It was $100 back then.
sandy

I love my Rowentas. Have had 2. Never had a leaking issue with mine either. Check online (assuming you didn't get an owner's manual) to see if that model needs tap or distilled water. That seems to be another issue with leaking in my opinion. Some Rowentas need distilled; some tap. I've always made it a point to get ones for tap water and never had an issue.

I think I would want one that used distilled water. We live in the Limestone Capital of the World, and our water has so much lime in it it's terrible. I have to clean my Bunn coffee maker once a month with vinegar. Good luck with your new iron!

Looks just like mine that I have had for over 12 years with no problems. Enjoy it !!

Bought mine at a thrift store for six dollars. It leaks so cant use steam but I like the shape and handling of it.

I have 3 Rowentas and all were purchased at estate sales/yard sales. So far I haven't had too much trouble with them. I don't use the steam feature so of course mine do not leak. I think I have a sum total of $8 in all three of them.

I love mine too. Got it off craigslist. Love how heavy it's is and hot it gets!

Great score!!!

be careful of it though. many quilters complained of that brand catching fire. I had one for years and it was fine until one day it blew out my power cord. I tossed it and the cord into the trash.

I am on my second one and I love it! Mine does leak on "Steam" if I let it sit to long. I have learned to add water when I need it and empty it as soon as I am through. If I need to steam again in 30 min. I just add more water...no problem! My 1st one was broken by the movers or I would still be using it!

I have that exact same iron. I know it's been more than 5 years now. I do empty the water out of it when I am finished using it. I live in an area of hard water so I use a 50/50 mixture of distilled and tap water. Knock on wood, no leaks or spitting. I do use mine dry more than with steam because I use a lot of starch. I do suggest getting the Rowenta iron cleaning kit for the sole plate. Works better than any thing I have tried and I believe I have tried just about all of them.

If its made in Germany, it will last for years. Mine has to be 20 yrs old and going strong. Great deal, btw.

just make sure it doesn't burst into flames...

aileen

Great find!

Collect rain water, pour it through a coffee filter , and store it in a clean container. Alleviate buying distilled water.
I do this and keep it in my sewing room.

I clean my iron plate with a little baking soda and water. Got all that burnt on starch right off and shiny as new. Mine is SS not Teflon though.

I recently picked one up at an estate sale for $8....still in the box! I thought it was new but when I got it home, I realized it did not have a polarized plug (one arm of the plug fatter than the other - no big deal) showing its great age. It looks and works perfectly!!

I've had my Rowenta for so long, I can't remember where I got it! Just love the heat it produces. The directions that came with mine said to use ordinary water...and that has worked well for me without leaks, but my water tank doesn't come off. Check online, as previously mentioned to see what kind of water is correct for this model. Happy presssing. :-)

I have 2 - one for quilting and one for clothes (which I seldom iron). The one for quilting, I never put water in and the one for clothes, I keep water in. I've never had any problems with either. I've had them both over 10 years (well over). I love them! I've worked at Joann's part time and occasionally we would get one returned for leaking. Pretty soon we figured out that they must have been putting distilled water in them - the instructions say to use tap water. They don't leak with tap water and will with distilled - have no clue why :) Both of the ones I have, I purchased after they were returned and paid the "damaged" price which was a substantial discount!

hate to brag but got mine at a yard sale for .05---had a big blob of somekind of brown gunk on it--popped off with a touch of my pen knife ---cleaned the soleplate off and ironed over some wax paper been using it since last May---first 2 I bought started spitting and I pitched them---this one has been great---who knew!!!!

Hope it holds water. Mine started leaking inside and was tripping the electric breakers. I found the inside all wet. Now I use it without water and it works OK if I use it without steam.

Good luck with your iron. I gave one to sister-in-law 3 yrs ago for Christmas,doesn't leak but doesn't work. I have one 4 yrs old, doesn't leak but thermostat does not work. It just keeps blinking off and on. Never stays on. I love my vintage GE irons in pretty colors.

I have always used distilled water in all of my irons, never tap water. I have 2 Rowenta's and love them both. One is 10 years +, the other is 5. I needed an iron in 2 different places.

Keep your eye in it - a lot of us have had problem with Rowentas catching fire. I know it's not common, but it has happened. Also, I think you'll find many of us have had leaking problems with Rowenta. Personally I would not have one again - even for $4. Just a word of caution - but I hope you got a good one!

I bought mine about a year ago and love it. The weight is great and I like the auto off.

Thanks for all the advice ladies. :)

I have a several Rowentas. I don't use the steam feature either. I have gone through one travel Rowenta, but it lasted a long time.

As far as the larger ones go, I try to only buy the German ones.

My Rowenta is about the same age as yours & has done a super job, but starting about a month ago it doesn't get as hot as usual. I had cleaned out the steam holes with a vinegar & water mix. Do you think that could have harmed it? Or is the iron just getting tired?

CountryCat, my bet is it's just getting old and tired. I've cleaned mine several times not only with vinegar and water, but also with Iron Out (we have a *lot* of minerals in our water). It still gets plenty hot; I just don't use the steam feature much anymore because of the calcium deposits in the holes.

Edit: Over the years I have acquired 2 backup Rowentas at Goodwill in case mine ever goes out. Each of the backups cost around $5, I think.

Do not leave water in them overnight. That's when they leak. Use water only when you need it and then dump it. Otherwise works fine.