PurplePansies

I’ be had both Rowena and Osio and neither lasted very long, maybe 2 years. Finally, I just figured if an expensive iron will only last two years, why not just buy a cheap one? Turns out, the best iron I’ve had is the Beautral 1800 watt steam iron for $40 on Amazon! It has nearly 14,00 reviews and 4.5 stars.

NJ Quilter

I've had a couple of Rowenta's and liked them both. Never had spitting/leaking issues that were not user created (too much water in tank). I will say, I think it's imperative that you read the directions to find out if yours will require tap water or distilled water. Rowenta makes both versions and it seems to be quite an important factor in how well it performs and/or how long it lasts.

My current one has issues because the cord at the base of the iron is somewhat broken. Dropped one too many times and the housing around the cord is broken and it allows the wiring to 'wiggle' a bit so doesn't necessarily work all the time.

rjwilder

I've had bad luck with Rowenta's and my Oliso caught fire. I bought a Hamilton Beach from Walmart, I bought it several years ago and it's still working with no problems. I bought the one with the highest wattage because they get the hottest. I don't put water in my irons, I just use sizing or plan water in a spray bottle.

sewingpup

I really do think we quilter's abuse our irons as we use them constantly, so I think if I get a good year's usage out of one, I at least break even. If one lasts more than a year, it is a plus. We don't expect our rotary cutter blades, mats, and rulers to last forever either. I do want a good quality iron that gets hot enough to get the job done and I really prefer the metal bottom ones rather than the no stick surface ones. I actually am using two right now. One is a cheaper, smaller, lighter weight one and I do the pressing of the small pieces as I stitch them up just so the seams lay flat enough to stitch together. Then when the block grows, I give it a good press with the bigger, heavier, hotter iron to get it flatter.

Onebyone

Turns out, the best iron I’ve had is the Beautral 1800 watt steam iron for $40 on Amazon!

I bought the Beautral 1800 watt steam and my daughter was here when it arrived. She said I need a new iron too so I gave it to her. She is still using it and its been almost three years. it's on sale at Amazon today for $34.

pennyhal2

I have a Rowenta but don't use it. The sole plate is too large which makes it a little harder to see where you are ironing.

cashs_mom

I had a Rowenta back in the day. I used it pretty heavily for a few years. I've also had an Oliso that I was very disappointed in. It only lasted me a couple years and I wasn't sewing that much during that time. As I like/need steam for some garment and other applications, I went back to LauraStar. My first one lasted me over 10 years of heavy use. I have the LauraStar Lift now I've had it for a little over 2 years now and love it.

LI_diva

My Reliable turned out to not be reliable, and caught fire after a few months. The company offered to send me a new one, rather than refund my money, but hey, I didn’t need or want an iron that would catch fire!!

Now I have a Chi from Costco which I like. When it stops working (which they all do), Costco will take it back.

berrynice

With the heavy use of an iron, when using it for quilting, I really don't expect an iron to last more than a couple of years. Actually, that is pretty much the norm anymore for any 'small appliance'. When I used my iron for just ironing clothing for my family, my iron lasted over 10 years. But, that was using it perhaps for an hour or two a month. With doing quilting, I use my iron probably that much every day, sometimes more. I had always used a dry iron with quilting and used a spray water bottle and have found it lacking in what I wanted it to achieve

I was basically looking for a heavy/large iron that had a stainless steel sole plate, high wattage so it would get really hot, and wanted to try the steam iron. I am looking at the steam not just being constant, but to be a shot of steam that would quickly do the job when I needed it.

aashley333

I really like my cordless iron. It hasn't fallen or been dropped yet, which is what usually happens to my iron. Thankfully, I've never had a fire!