Mitch's mom

I have a vintage Samson dry iron for quilting. It weighs a ton and gets hotter than a red a**ed bee. I have a 17.00 Shark from Lowe's I use everyday for clothes. It's great.

retrogirl02

I use a Rowenta ProSteam for most of my projects. Occasionally, I use a craft iron & for tiny applique I use my clover iron. The work horse is definitely the Rowenta.

Should I have the urge to iron clothing, I suppose I could use it for that, too....but why iron clothes when I could just press some more fabric for the stash instead?? lol

retrogirl02

PS if you decide to buy Rowenta, be sure you are getting the GERMAN ones...other countries make them but they are NOT the same quality and will leak.

Occasionally, you can find one on craigslist or at a local yard sale and people SAY they leaked...check to see if it's German made...it could be that they didn't fill the water area properly. My mom picked a brand new one up for less than $10 (US) because the lady overfilled it once and refused to use it again.

gaigai

I have a Krupps. This brand is the best. It is over 15 years old and still perfect. I only use distilled water in it, NEVER tap water. I can't recommend it enough, nor encourage everyone to only use distilled water in their irons. Some manufacturers say to not use distilled, but that is only because they DON'T want the iron to last. It's called planned obsolescense!

TanyaLynn

I have a Rowenta Professional Luxe. I've had it several years, works marvelously, has survived a few falls onto the floor. Uses our own well water, steams drapes and steam irons, paid $120 and it has outlasted several other irons that other family members have had. I use it every day.

retrogirl02

gaigai,
we have very hard water here. I've used both distilled & tap water without issues on 2 different Rowenta irons. They work well for years.

I think there may be cleaners recommended for people with hard water who use tap in their irons, though I've not purchased. Some irons (including Rowenta) suggest tap because they are designed to handle hardwater up to a specific point. We don't know our exact hardness and treat with a softener, so technically, we're not supposed to be able to use tap only....but I do, without issues.

I'm glad you are happy with your iron but I'd prefer not to pay for water just for an iron. My last Rowenta lasted about 12 years with regular use and admittedly a couple of drops to the basement floor. I suppose I need this brand due to my clumsiness factor alone. =)

JulieM

I have a GE that I bet is about like yours. I bought it in the 70's when I moved out of my parents house for the first time.
JulieM

mamaw

Both Rowenta.....full sized and travel sized.

davidwent

I'm not saying this to ruffle anyone's feathers it's just my opinion I can't see spending so much money just for an iron. I have a 7 dollar proctor silex from walmart and it works great.
David

Scissor Queen

I've used a lot of different irons. You might think those cheap irons work great but if you compared them side by side to a better quality iron you'd probably be surprised at how much more work it is to iron with a cheap iron. Check out some of the mid priced irons, the ones in the $40 to $80 range. You can usually get really good deals on those irons on Amazon.com.