Having the Right Tools for the Job

Well, I did it. I spent another $100 on an iron. As far as I am concerned I will never bring another Rowenta into the house. They have disappointed me hugely over the years with their awful leaking, so no more. I had just about made up my mind to get a cheap iron and be done with it, but recently I got a couple of suggestions for pricier irons that might be worth the expense. One reader suggested the Rowenta ironing station, where the water is stored in a large base that sits under the iron itself. She said she gets great steam, no annoying auto shut off, no leaking, and it's been working great for her. But at $299 I wasn't sure I wanted to throw any more money at Rowenta. 

Another reader told me about her Chi iron. Chi is a company that is known for hair tools. Dryers, straighteners, curling irons, etc. It turns out they make a steam iron priced $60-$100, depending on the model. She loves hers. Great steam, no leaking, and a 30-minute auto-shutoff. In a weak moment, I ordered one, which arrived this weekend.

And I think I love it. It is quite heavy and has 400 steam vent holes, similar to the Rowenta. The steam it puts out is impressive. It also holds a lot more water than my previous irons. I also love the fact that I don't have to "wake it up" every 8 minutes due to the annoying shut-off feature. I will keep you posted, but so far, this seems to be a great iron.

I remade my Moda Blockheads block from last week. The seams on the center area on my block were kind of puckery, and would not lie flat. I don't know if it was better sewing on my part or the new iron, but the center of this second block is behaving much better. I made the bonus block as well, which has a similar construction and that center section came out great too.

Hope you all had a great weekend. Happy sewing this week!

Comments

[Dona Zarosinski]

I love this color combo…very fun.

[Wendy]

What is the model number of the Chi iron?

[Wendy]

What is the model number of the Chi iron?

[Jan]

I'm glad you found a new iron! Cheers to years of service without any water 'spitting'! Your blocks look really nice!

[Ina]

oh, I hope the iron works out. I need a new one. mine is spitting muck. I'm going to try the technique of emptying the water after I sew. I thought that was a practical tip. ;p

[Shelley Bourne]

I have just replaced my Chi iron, which I did really like, but it began to leak out the bottom after 2 years.

[Jeanie]

I bought two Rowenta irons back in the day they were made in Germany still. They are the best. Never an issue with water sputtering or dripping. I used my first one to death for about ten years. One day it decided it had enough and would not heat up-sad day. Now, I'm on number two. So far, so good. Let us know about your new iron for future reference!

[Robin B]

I love my CHI iron! It’s the best one I’ve had yet
Enjoy

[Cheree Hull]

I went through a similar thing with Rowenta. I loved it but I got tired of spending so much--though now I'm resigned to thinking that irons only last a year or two for quilters. Mine is on almost daily for 6+ hours so I guess that's just what happens. I moved to the CHI a few years ago--$65 at Target. Plenty of steam holes and a 30 min auto-off (I can NOT have the thing shutting off after 5 or 10 mins!), I think it's totally great and if it breaks (and one already has), it doesn't break ME to buy a new one! I'd still get a Rowenta if they still had one that didn't have the auto shut-off (stopped making them) but I guess the CHI just makes more sense.

[Liz A.]

I’m on my 2nd Chi iron in 8 years. The one thing I’ve found with any iron — I use 1/2 distilled/1/2 tap water. I’ve found this stops the brown gunk from spitting out that I’ve had with every other iron I’ve used. I’ve stained far too many items — once I started the 1/2 & 1/2 mixture no more brown spitting.