You can see above my surprising iron collection! I am a person that uses one iron. How did I happen to find myself with not one, but five irons!
Here is my story - or maybe my excuses? The middle iron with the black handle is the one I use almost daily. It is a trusty GE iron that I've had for over 30 years and was my mothers before me. It heats nice and hot. It does have steam capability, but I never use it. The only minor problem I've ever had was many years ago I replaced the cord.
The itty bitty iron on the far left is a little travel iron one of my sisters gave me years ago. It has no logo on it and I doubt it's made anymore. I have used it to travel with and it works great and takes almost no room in the suitcase. The only minor issue with this iron is that the cord doesn't stay attached to the iron very well. I especially love the fact that the sole plate on this iron is perfectly flat with no holes for steam. This is really helpful when doing fusible applique.
The white iron second from the right is the only iron I've ever purchased. It is a Power Glide Rowenta. I know is at least 10 years old. I had heard Rowenta was a good brand and I wanted a iron that used steam to use for a fusible batting that required steam for it to adhere. I did use the iron for this for awhile, but I found I wasn't using that batting anymore. Either it wasn't available, or I was just using other battings I had on hand. I decided to keep this iron as a back up in case my trusty GE ever quit.
The BIG iron to the right is a TG 1600 Pro & Smart Iron by Oliso. This iron was given to me by Oliso thru the Island Batik Ambassador program last year. This is a remarkable iron. It has a lift so you don't have to set the iron up each time you stop ironing. Little legs pop out that lifts the iron off the ironing board. It has steam capability. The thing I like best about this iron is the extra long cord so I don't have to use an extension cord.
I used this iron for awhile. I found I just wasn't excited about it. I think I've used the same iron for so many years it is hard for me to get used to something different. There are a few things I don't care for about this iron which are just personal things- nothing against the iron itself. I find it is just to big and heavy for me. I don't use steam, so that is not a drawing card for me. I don't care for the lift system/ For (in my mind) safety reasons, I prefer to set my iron upright when using it. Again, this is also from years of habit. Also when the little legs pop out it makes a small noise which isn't that bad, but I find it annoying. I don't need that sound when I'm doing lots of ironing and the weight is tiring. I didn't realize how often I start and stop and start and stop when pressing.
The last iron is the mini green iron second from the left. This iron was also given to me from Oliso thru the Island Batik Ambassador program. This year each Ambassador was given a new Oliso M3Pro to try out. This iron is quite a bit smaller than the TG 1600. The M3Pro is a bit smaller than my black GE iron, but since I love to do small quilts I can see using this iron more often. It is light weight and also has a nice long cord. It can do steam which I never use. I wish it didn't have steam as I find the buttons for using steam are big and kind of in the way in the handle. I wish it had a bit more of a handle grip. It comes in multiple colors which is really fun. It has Stand by and safety auto-off. It also came with a sole mate the same color as the iron. What I love most about this iron other than the long cord, is that it has a little light at the front! Who ever thought of putting a headlight on an iron is a genius!
Here is a photo of the sole plates of all the irons.
It's interesting to see the different sole plates. As I like to do a lot of fusible web, it is good not to have too many holes on the plate, as those areas don't fuse as well as the rest of the surface. The itty bitty iron has no holes as it doesn't have steam capability. The Rowenta not only has holes for steam, but other indentations. I'm not sure the reasoning why they have this, but it is my least favorite.
So there you have it. All my irons and what I like or don't like about each one. I'm a bit embarrassed to have so many and I will probably be eliminating a couple very soon as I have a small sewing space and really have no use for 5 different irons!
What is your favorite iron and why? I'd love to hear from you.
I use an Oliso that I purchased several years ago (I don't know how many years ago but it was before covid) and I love it. The main problem is I'm so used to it that at retreats, I often fail to set the retreat iron upright!
ReplyDeleteI had tried the Rowenta brand many years ago, (before the Oliso) I purchased it at JoAnn's when they were marked down. The first one didn't even heat so I returned it and got a 2nd one to try. It worked for maybe a year or two then quit heating.
The worst iron was the one I bought for $10 at a fabric store that was advertising them to husbands of sewists as Christmas presents. The following summer it made a funny noise then there was a smell in my sewing room. I quickly ran that iron down the stairs and set it outside on the sidewalk to cool then I tossed in the trash. I don't know what brand that iron was.
I don't use water in my irons, I think that makes the stop working faster for some reason. I simply use water in a spray bottle.
I really like that you are still using your mother's iron after all these years. It will be a sad day for you when that one quits.