World Wide Quilting Page

Question of the Week

Question for the week of November 17, 1997:

Our question this week comes from M Wise

What is the best iron to own; what should I look for?

PAULA :
I JUST PURCHASED A ROWENTA IRON. IT IS HEAVY, BUT THAT IS WHAT I PREFER. ONE TOUCH AND IT IS DONE.

joan :
black & decker i have one that is cordless and it's great not to have to worry about draging that silly cord over whatever you have just ironed

Robin Careu :
I don't have a specific iron I love but I have learned over the years I have been quilting, that one feature I hate is the automatic off - especially when the iron "beeps" ... this is distracting and frustrating..

Angie :
Like Anthony, I stick with the Black & Decker. I'm on my
second one now. The switch burned out on the first one after
leaving it on all day, everyday for 3 years. I took it into
the B&D store and they just gave me a new one and that was
3 years ago. It was $30 originally and I will continue to
use the B&D as well.

P Brown :
Well, I am kind of non tradir\tional when it comes to Irons. When I am quilting my iron may stay on for 10-12 hours in a given day. I have burned out the best of them. So now I use Irons that I find at yard sales, seriously, I buy them for under $2, when they die I throw them away. and I really see no differance in performance with the high priced ones. If I do not like them, I sell them at one of my yard sales.

Pam Jones :
I have a Rowena Power Glide. It heats up quickly and is not as heavy as the professional model. I also have used other irons with the nonstick sole plate, and have found that I prefer the stainless steel sole plate.

Danielle Erber-Weiher :
Both my mom and sister own an iron by T-Fal.
When I tried Mom's on a visit recently, I
couldn't believe how nicely it handled, how my
silk blouses turned out after pressing, as well
as how smooth it was over the 1/4 inch seams!

Susan :
I have a Rowenta Sew and Press and I love it. The price was reasonable and the iron is lightweight and glides easily over the fabric. I also don't feel as though I have to refill the tank as often as some of the other irons I have had. One thing to think about when deciding on which iron to purchase is the weight of the iron. A cheap heavy iron may seem like a good buy but when you use the heavy irons as much as you do in quilting, the weight tends to bother your wrist and it doesn't seem to be such a good buy after all..

Anthony :
Here's my entry. The plain old Black and Decker w/stainless steel sole plate. It heats up quickly is lightweight, the smooth sole plate means less drag and less stretching, and it's very reliable (I have two, one is about a year old and the other is about 5.) Both work great. I got a second so I could have both with and without steam irons available when pressing.) Best of all it's only about $20 at discount houses so if you do ruin it, no big deal.

I also have a Rowenta Professional and the new Rowenta Sew & Press as well. They're both great irons for general sewing, but I still think the best bang for the buck for quilters is the plain old el cheapo B&D.

An aside, If you ever find one of the old no-steam irons, buy it. The soleplate doesn't have holes, so it's great for fusing.

Shirley Akehurst :
I have a Philips steam iron with a non-stick base,
my husband has a Philips iron with an ordinary base.
(We recently combined households). I prefer
the ordinary base to the non-stick as,
curiously, the non-stick feels like it's dragging
more when you iron. However they are both
drip-stop which means they don't send a
splurge of mucky water over the cloth when you
iron. (And why is it always a white shirt!)

Trisha :
I have a Rowenta Steam Generator and I really love it!! It does a wonderful job of ironing clothes as well as pressing my quilting projects. Since you must fill it with water, you want to be near a source of water.

Theresa :
Bernina Iron! Be sure to register with
the manufacturer after purchase. IF any-
thing goes wrong, send it back & it is
replaced FREE of charge! They have a great
guarantee, has a nice sole-plate, plenty of
steam, nice point on end, and is not a featherweight!

Karen :
I have had a Rowenta for about 5 yrs. I love it. I wouldn't ever buy anything else. It's heavy buy I like that.

laura nordehn :
My best advice is to have an iron that is not too heavy. I have a Rowenta Professional that is great for pressing clothing but I find it too heavy to use for quilting. My wrists get sore from picking it up so often. I do LOVE the quality of Rowenta and plan to get one of their lighter weight models. The cordless ones look as if they might be handy-does anyone have pros or cons on them?

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