Posts
....with IRONS! Or more correctly, with iron manufacturers! This isn't the first time I've lamented about irons on my blog, so if you don't want to read it again, I understand! LOL I know there are bigger things to be concerned with in the world...and my iron woes are a minuscule problem in the scheme of things. But, is it too much to ask to have an iron that works for more than 6-12 months? I've tried them all...cheap ones, expensive ones, trendy ones.....they last an average of a year or so for me before they quit working. Now, it's no surprise my iron's purpose in life is not to iron clothing. 99.9% of the time, my iron is used only for quilting projects. :) I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that my iron stays "on" for hours at a time while I'm working on a project.
There are just a few things I look for in an iron...1) I like a "heavy" iron. 2) I like it to be nice and HOT. and 3) Most importantly, I want STEAM...and LOTS of it! That's it...
One of the first 'splurge' irons I had was the Oliso. It has that nifty feature of lifting up on legs when you let go of the handle. Really cool. It took me a while to get used to leaving it "down" rather than standing it up like every other iron in the world. This is actually a replacement iron, as the first one didn't work properly right from the start and I was able to get a replacement while on warranty. After about a year, it just didn't heat up enough for my liking. I think there is an issue with the steam too, but I honestly don't remember exactly. I can't bring myself to throw it away...
The Oliso was eventually replaced with this Rowenta, but there were other irons in between (the cheap-o's that I don't have a problem tossing). This was not my first Rowenta...I had one before the Oliso and it started leaking at some point. I love this iron...it's heavy with great steam. But guess what? It leaks. Not just leaks, it DRAINS. No rhyme or reason when it will drain either. It's done this almost from the beginning. I can use it for weeks with no issues and then one day I'll turn around and my ironing board will be soaked with water because all the water has come out. I pick it up and it will just drip, drip, drip from the bottom. Sigh... Again, can't bring myself to throw it out...it's still works great as a "dry" iron.
And then....along came the Reliable Velocity iron. This one came with great reviews from quilters. Was this the answer to our iron problems? This iron seems to have it all...it's big and heavy, AMAZING steam and heat. I love it. I followed all the rules with this iron....only distilled water, drained it at the end of each day or when I knew I wouldn't sew again that day. We were happy together. About 2-3 months after I purchased it, the steam stopped working. Really? It was under warranty, so for the (not cheap) cost of shipping it to Canada, I had steam again and I think it worked better than ever. I was once again living happily in steam bliss for about another year and Wham-O. No heat. Nothing. Probably the heating element went out. Of course, it's no longer under warranty. I will probably look in to sending it back to Canada for repair...this time paying both postage and repair costs. But maybe it's worth it. I do love this iron...when it works. Right now we aren't on speaking terms....
And now...the stand in. Yes, another Rowenta,even though I don't have a great history with Rowentas. What was I thinking? Well, I bought it with a 30% coupon at Kohl's plus a little Kohl's cash, so it didn't cost me much. Let's hope this guy can live up to my demands expectations. So far, it seems to be cooperating but it does "spit" a little.
Is it just me? Am I expecting too much? If there is anyone out there that can develop an iron for QUILTERS, I think you would become a millionaire. Seriously...I don't think I'm the only one that feels this way.
By the way...my mom has a 20+ year old Rowenta that works like a charm. I think the old saying, "They don't make 'em like they used to," is definitely true.
Happy Quiting...and ironing!!
