Thoughts on choosing an iron
Recently, I was asked by a friend for my opinion on irons to use for sewing, specifically quilting. I was so excited to weigh in on this topic, that I thought it would be nice to share with you, too. These are my opinions of what has worked well for me and is not intended at all to pass judgement on anyone else’s iron that they’ve purchased.
My go to brand of iron is Rowenta though because they moved some of their production to China, you'll need to look for the German made models.
DW8080 review video - this is the one I have and I love it! 'Tis my baby. You can find on Amazon for $90 or ebay for $45.
This blog has a bunch of links for recommendations of German made irons: https://wheredotheymakeit.com/steam-irons-made-in-germany/
This blog tested and updated products for 2023 and you can find some much more affordable options: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/appliances/iron-reviews/g1991/best-irons-0409/
I also just recently found out about Euro Pro X brand of irons and got this mini one for $5 and holy shit do I love the reliability of its heat distribution and that it warms up so quickly. I'm eyeing a full size one with steam on offer-up that I'm hoping to buy soon...they keep bringing down the price because I don't think many civilian people know the brand. It's a professional one and I think that's why I hadn't heard of it. Something like this or this. I really recommend looking on sites like OfferUp and Facebook marketplace for irons (and sewing machines) that are available in your area. Clearly used items are a risk, though the ones that say barely used and new in box are the one’s that catch my eye.
Next, this woman's videos make me really happy, though she talks too slow for me so I usually watch them sped up. This is a great starter video on quilting ironing.
Lastly, your iron doesn't have to have steam in it. You can use any spray bottle, though I've found this and LOVE the even fine mist spray that it puts out. Doesn't soak my fabric, just mists it. You can look other places if you don't want to use Amazon, just look for a "continuous spray" one.
Another note about water, I'm going to really hammer it home, if you DO use an iron that produces steam, two things. ALWAYS use filtered water, as filtered as you can but also like a Brita or whatever is better than nothing. Even in your spray bottles. Even if the iron says that it self cleans and you can use tap water, don't do it. It'll leave white shit all in your hot plate holes (lol) and will spray out when you press the steam puffer button (lol) and it's just not worth it. Becomes very annoying. So, always put filtered water in your shit. The other thing is that sometimes when the iron is standing up, the water will drip down through the base and cause a lot of puddles, annoyance, fear of electrocution. This was the issue with one of the Chinese made Rowenta irons I had. It was great in all ways unless I had the reservoir full past a certain point. So, I would constantly have to have only a minimal amount of water in the iron at all times so that I would use it all up in that session. Blech, no fun, very annoying.
I hope any of these suggestions help you in finding an iron for yourself!