What iron to buy?
 

I dropped my iron again, after my dog had already pulled it off the table, and this time it bit the dust. Tomorrow I will buy a new iron. Any suggestions, complaints, or favorites? I want a cordless iron and I'm wondering about the ones with points on both ends. I think I would prefer a stainless steel base. I do not use steam because I use Best Press. This iron is strictly for quilting. Someone suggested Panasonic. They have the regular end and the dual pointed ends. It comes with a carrying case, which I will not use. It will stay in my quilting area. That's all the info I can think of to add. Help. Thanks.

I bought this when it first came out and I love it !!! Mine gets hot and I've never had an issue with it, I like that I can stand it on its end when I need to, you can't with the double pointed end. The water tank is removable but I don't use steam. I guess I need to buy a backup because it looks like it's not going to be made anymore.

https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-NI-...+cordless+iron

That's the same iron that other lady suggested. I see a lot of them online. I'm leaning toward the Panasonic with both ends pointed. I have heard they are wonderful for pressing seams open.

I love my oslo yellow that has pop up feet. I love not having to flip up the iron and hope it doesnt tip over.

I don't understand the qualifier. What does Best Press have to do with steam? Curious minds....

I think she means she doesn't use steam because she only uses spray starch. ???

Best Press is an alternate to spray sizing. Its in a spray bottle and you use it with a dry iron. (It doesn't scorch like starch or spray sizing and makes the quilt blocks smell awesome.)

Just as long as you know it is starch. It's just been clarified, perfumed, and has an added surfactant to help it absorb into the fabric quickly. :thumbup:

It says right on the bottle "Mary Ellen's BEST PRESS The Clear Starch and Sizing Alternative," which is what I said. What difference would that make in purchasing an iron, except that I don't use steam?

She uses Best Press instead of steam as I do. I don't even have a steam iron. I use water in a spray bottle or Best Press depending on what I am pressing. Then I do not have to worry about nasty leaks on my fabric and clothing. I have a Continental brand iron and can be purchased from Amazon.

I bought a new brand of iron to me, an Erueka 1800 watt by Electrolux from online Walmart because it was 50% off and free shipping. It's a darn good iron. Gets very hot fast. The higher the wattage the hotter the iron. To me the 1200 watt irons are not hot enough to set seams and make the block flat compared to the higher watt irons.

I have the Panasonic 360 and LOVE IT! I do not use steam either. I love the two points when pressing seams. Don't know who thought of the design but it's GENIOUS. If anything happened to the one I have, I would absolutely buy another one. I do not use steam in my irons anymore. In my experience, at some point they all leak. Also the lime deposits on fabric. it is next to impossible to clean them and get all the gunk out of the steam holes. I was in the fabric industry for nearly 40 years. When fabric is steamed and ironed, the fabric should be left alone until 100% dry. When you steam and move the fabric before it is dry you risk stretching and distortion. If you use any type of wet spray in addition to steaming you cannot iron the piece totally dry. I have owned steam irons from low end cheapies to very high end cadillac models. I had 2 high end models that the tanks developed a leak INTO the iron and they caught fire! That is when a very wonderful person taught me the value of old time ironing, dry iron with reflective iron pad or cover.

Dang! I use the Mary Ellen's Best Press AND I use steam! Am I really missing the boat? Am I "over-doing"? So....you use the Mary Ellen's and then just dry iron? Hmmm......I'm thinking my irons would probably last forever if I didn't use steam.....Does anyone else use Mary Ellen's Best Press and steam? And, why aren't the irons just straight sided? Is there a reason that they all have that slight curve? Wondering what is the best design, shape, weight, etc. for an iron that is just used for quilting?

Hi everybody, thanks for your help. Yes, Nora, you're missing the boat. ;) Use a dry iron with Best Press. No worries about a leaking iron and the fabric does not get so wet. You will also avoid those dirty little brown leaks from your iron. I finally settled on the Panasonic NI-WL600 iron. Purchased it through Amazon and saved money and bought the 2 year warrantee. Paid $78 plus change. Was selling elsewhere for $99 and $129. Should arrive next week. I press seams open and this one is supposed to be the bomb for that. I considered the Olisio but read bad reviews and even had one dealer refuse to sell it. Said there is too many problems with the lift springs going bad and poor customer service. Seems life expectancy is about a year. The ratings for best irons said this Panasonic is the highest rated iron with 98.8 rating. I guess I'll see! lol I'll let you know when I try it. Thanks to all who posted here. This board is the best! Janet

I understand you said it was an alternative to sizing, and I'm not disputing that. I am simply pointing out that Best Press is starch. Just because the label says "alternative" doesn't mean it's not starch, it means it's an alternative to other starches. Smart and tricky marketing. :thumbup: The MSDS information for Best Press says it's a starch product.

I don't know, I was wondering the same thing, which is why I was asking.

I bought a TFAL iron and it is terrible. Set on the hottest setting just to iron cotton and it dosnt get all the wrinkles out.
Havent used it with water yet. Sprayed the fabric with water and that helped. Ive had alot of irons in my 77 yrs but this one is the worst.

Eep!! I have that iron too, and I love it. Maybe I ought to buy a backup too, I just sort of assumed that it was so wonderful that it'd be around forever, but I suppose I should know better!

One reviewer gave the best answer. She said the Panosonic rechargeable stayed hot for 60 -90 seconds before having to be put back on the charger and took about that to reheat. This would drive me nuts as I can barely tolerate the auto off after 15 minutes.

I love my Oliso. And when it breaks I'll get another. The pop up feet saves me from shoulder problems.

I have a cheap Black and Decker. It's at least 15 years old, paid maybe $10 for it at Walmart on sale, get good and hot, no auto-off to hinder long pressing sessions, has steam if I want (not often since I make batches of stayflo at 50/50) and when it gets too much starch residue on the bottom I clean it with faultless iron cleaner and n old bath towel. Used in conjunction with my homemade ironing board-- which has the reflective covering it works great.

I like it a lot better than the more expensive irons I've used at my LQS that don't get hot enough to press well, or shut off too quickly.

Rob

Ahh!! The iron debate again. I purchased an expensive iron (steam) and only had it a few months. called manufacturer since it was under warranty. Have yet to hear anything from them. Sent email and no response. I will stick to the cheaper hot ones. I use a spray bottle can't stand the Best Press because of the price and odor. I do just fine with my Sta-Flo which I can control the stiffness. I miss my old GE but after 40+ years I guess it was time to bite the dust. A Teflon can only tolerate so much heat otherwise the Teflon coating will come off. That's why it's hard to get a good sear in a Teflon skillet for a steak.

I am back iron shopping, I love the Rowenta I use for quilting, I use steam sometimes, never leaked, yet! I replaced my broken travel size Rowenta recently, used in our RV. I did some quilting while we were up north and found that I hate the iron. It is 1000 watts, never got hot enough, pressed the same spots over and over. So now I need to replace it again. I do like to read about everyone's choices knowing that the sewing area iron has to bite the dust someday! Love these iron discussions!

I have had different brands of irons. Some were good and some were not good. My last iron was the pink Oliso and it was still going strong after two years. I gave it to my daughter because I needed a lighter weight iron thanks to a torn muscle in the right rotator cuff. I got the Panasonic N1-WL600 at the same price from Amazon a few months ago. I use steam and/or Best Press; the iron works well either way. The wattage range is 120V for low heat to 1500W for the highest heat setting. After I read the manual, I got used to how it works and I LOVE it. No regrets at all!

Best iron I've EVER used is the Reliable Velocity. Not cheap: $169 on sale - but no drips, heats quickly, handles any fabric w/o scorching, generous water tank, great steam, presses out wrinkles in batiks/denim/aged fabric w/o a hiccup. I LOVE IT

I purchased a Rowenta a couple of years ago and loved it until it starting peeing like a puppy within the first year. I then purchased a B&D Digital Advantage for about $49 at Bed Bath and it's wonderful. I see they are on sale now at Bed Bath for $39. Jan, I will be curious to know which one you decide on....I'm in the "inquiring minds" category.

Here is what I ordered. Panasonic cordless freestyle NI-WL600. Haven't received it yet. Should arrive next week. Its like waiting for Christmas. Hope its as good as they say! I've never had a cordless iron and I'm anxious to try the freestyle ends for pressing seams open.
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yes indeedy same here with the cheapie black n decker, faultless iron cleaner and stayflo , i don't steam anymore.

I noticed Walmart had a Sunbeam cordless iron now.

I make the "alternative" to Best Press and it works just as good and sure is less expensive. Time after time the recommendation about irons is to buy cheap and toss when they stop working.

I'm not sure if I believe that. I think mine stays hot for a lot longer than that. But usually it's in my hands about as long as it's in the cradle. I press a seam or block, drop it in the cradle as I'm moving my fabric around, pick it up for the next pressing, back into the cradle for the next fabric adjustment... For that kind of work, it's just not an issue, it's always hot. I can see maybe if you were pressing a lot of very large pieces of fabric it'd get cool too fast, but for the length of time it takes to press a block or a seam, it's not an issue at all. And some of those seams are full length of the quilt, not just the little guys. Even pressing completed quilts it's been fine - anytime I have to move the quilt I have to set the iron down anyway - just get into the habit of dropping it into the cradle instead of propping it up on the board.

The nice thing with this iron is that it does have an auto shut-off, but that timer resets every time you pick up the iron. So it really ONLY shuts itself off when you haven't been using it for awhile, never right in the middle of what you're doing.

I also like that, rather than unplugging it for safety, I can just take the iron off of the cradle. The circuit isn't complete without the iron on the cradle, so it's really safe. I have a silicone heatproof pad that I can drop my hot iron on when I'm done for the day, and never have to worry about it shorting out when I'm not home.

I have the Oliso iron and use it daily with no problems. My only issue it seems the point on the sole of the iron doesn't get as hot as the main body. It is a very good iron steam or no.

Time to post an update!!! I absolutely HATE my iron. I purchased the Panasonic NI-WL600. It doesn't get hot enough, it shuts off too soon for quilting, its heavy to lift in and out of the base, and I do not like that both ends are pointed. That means one is constantly lifting it in and out of the base which is a real pain. Also, if you don't get it exactly in the right spot on the base it doesn't slide down in far enough to reheat. It hangs up unless you watch as you return it to the base each time! Between the short shut off time, not getting or staying hot enough and the constant lifting it in and out of the base, it was a very bad choice on my part. I figured I'd give it a chance and maybe I'd get used to it... never happened. Today (Three months later) I went to WalMart and purchased a regular steam iron (Hamilton Beach 19800) and it works much better. The only thing I would change is I'd prefer a regular stainless steel bottom and this one has Teflon or Durathon or whatever the coating is. It also has the swivel cord which keeps the cord from getting in the way and has 3 way shutoff. I think the shutoff time if not in use is 30 minutes and its instant if knocked over. It cost $23.48 and time will tell how it holds up. If it only lasts a year I'm ok at that price. I just want something that does a good job with quilt blocks and is easy on my arm and shoulder. Just saying I would not recommend the Panasonic cordless to anyone. Thought I'd update this post to share my thoughts for anyone else looking to purchase an iron.

I know Jan's settled on something but just wanted to put in a plug for my loyal trusty cordless Maytag. I've had it probably over 10 years and I still love it. It gets hot fast, shuts off when I forget to turn it off (yeah, I do!) and works well for quilting and regular garment pressing. I would like it to produce more steam but it does fairly well with that too. I do use best press, when I think about it, and also steam. Works fine for me! long live Maytag! had a Mayteg washer and dryer for the last 20 years and loved them too. Had to just replace dryer and can't stand my new one. Couldn't afford the highest price one and this one feels really cheaply made. I hate losing quality products!

I hav e to look up the Oliso as I hate to pick it up and I also saw one on one of the quilt tutorial that looks like the back becomes a rest when putting it down and now I can't find it. Will just look up ions on the sites.

Good to know, thanks for sharing. I was seriously thinking of a cordless for my mini board right next to my machine. I feel quite certain that the things you mentioned that irritated you badly would also cause me to dislike that iron.

Helen6869 I did not know about the Maytag irons. I looked them up and their corded iron is almost identical to the Hamilton Beach iron I just purchased, except it has the stainless steel bottom that I wanted. Its about 1/3 more expensive. I might have chosen it for the stainless bottom if I had known. I can't get over how similar they are. If this one bites the dust I will definitely try to see a Maytag. I think I'm going to like this one but won't know for sure until its time tested. ;)

Hi all. I think my wonderful Yellow Oliso is toast, but I'm not sure. I smelled a hot iron yesterday and then again today. I took a peek at the bottom of the contraption and it looks scortched. So I just tried to iron the ironing board cover and it seemed to scortch that. Now I am afraid to use it for fear of a fire.

What can I clean the plate with? I've always used distilled water in it. I have two other retired irons.

Maytag sold out to Whirlpool some time ago.

Marcia

BATTLE AXE, the directions with an Oliso tells you not to use distilled water unless you have over 12 gms of hardness. Then I think they say to dilute 1/2 and 1/2. I believe it is Bohn that makes a good iron cleaner. Look on Oliso's site for cleaning instructions. Baking soda comes to mind but not sure. Could it be that you are not scorching your cover , only that it is coming off the iron? Hope so. Spray starch and iron on products can nasty up an iron for sure.

Battle Axe (Marcia) Their irons are still sold under the Maytag name. Sorry about your iron problems. Hope it can be fixed. My iron says use only tap water and if you prefer to use distilled water to only use it every other time. Is bottled drinking water considered the same as using tap water in an iron? I can't imagine using my tap water. It tastes nasty and sure nothing like spring water. I normally use Best Press but tried water in this new iron and I like how it works. It has the vertical steam feature and I'd like to use water in it for that purpose. I don't know what you use to clean it, but I remember we used to clean the iron then we ironed over wax paper as the last part of cleaning it.

Wow, glad I took a look at this. I think I will look into the Maytag Iron, about $45 on Amazon. At the least I will always look for the stainless steel plates. I had an Oliso, overheated and fried with 3 months. so never spending tons of money again. I currently have a Black n Decker from Walmart, has worked well, but the teflon (?) plate is a mess now, wearing off and not allowing me to iron smoothly. Has lasted me 6 years for, what?.. $19 or $29. Can't beat that!