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| Inside of my toasted iron. Rather graphic. |
My cordless iron had a meltdown when I was finishing up my Brocante for LePetite last week. I left the room for a moment with the iron on the base and when I came back, I could smell melted plastic. Thinking that I had possibly put it down on a pattern bag or something before I put it on the base, I lifted it up to have the sole plate drop off like this!! Yikes! It was definitely toast! I couldn't even tell exactly how this could have happened! It smelled so bad that I took it outside to cool down and got out my trusty old older backup iron and kept on piecing. It was Friday, the day before my LePetite had to be finished for the parade and I couldn't stop! I wonder if it just got tired of working so much and gave up? I have been thinking I should get a new one for awhile. The bottom coating was wearing off and catching on the fabric sometimes, but I really liked this one and didn't want to give it up. Now I don't have a choice! I tend to use things until they wear out. This one sure did!
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| Do you think it's time for a new one? |
A few days later when my DH and I opened it up again just to take a look, my 11 year old son said, "Now there's your problem!" He went on to explain that the soleplate must have gotten so hot that the screw that held the soleplate on melted the plastic above, causing the soleplate to come off. I suppose the blue sparks that I thought I saw the night before between the base and the iron, should have tipped me off that something was wrong. I dismissed it because I only thought I saw them. It was late, I was in a hurry to get the project done, and the sparks didn't appear again so I forgot about it until the final meltdown!
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| Saying goodbye to a trusted friend. |
Anyway, here's how you can help me. I'm obviously shopping for a new iron now. What kind of iron do you use and why do you like it or not like it? I'm pretty sure I want a cordless, so I'm not wrestling with the cord like an alligator (I'm in Florida and there are lots of alligators around, although I really haven't wrestled any). If you could leave a comment for me about the iron you use I'd really appreciate it! Cordless or not I'm interested in what you are using. Thanks so much for you help. It's time to buy a new iron!
18 comments:
I really wish they would make irons that last longer than one year or so. Drives me crazy. I have only used "corded" irons so I don't know about cordless. And I like a heavy iron with some weight to it. Anyway, I quit buying the very expensive Rowentas after going through 2 of them because they kept leaking and spitting water. I now have a Black & Decker Digital Advantage that I like but has electrical tape and twist ties holding the cord in a certain way so the power doesn't shut off. Ack! Hope you can find a good iron!
I don't know about cordless but I have a Rowenta big boy. It's the steamer one with the big water base. I like it but the only thing I DON'T like about it is that there is no automatic shut off. I'm always paranoid that the iron on when I leave the house. Good luck finding a new one!
I had an amazing Rowenta for 9 hrs and it died. I replaced it with a Rowenta Focus because it has awesome steam. I love that for fusible web in appliqué. I loved it at first, but now it spits water now and again. Not too big of a deal, but semi annoying. It also does not have auto shutoff, but I really like that. Whenever, I take it to the quilt shop, everyone uses it and not the shop Olisso. Would I buy one again??.....yes. It's the best iron I've used, even with the quirks.
I've never had a cordless, but I can sure understand the benefits for quilting.
I've used everything from Rowenta to my now cheep Black and Decker from Walmart and have not found anyone that I love - just tolerate them. Hope you get some great recommendations.
Have a Happy Mother's Day! :-)
Never had a cordless but now I am interested! I am tired of fighting with the cord too. Glad those sparks didn't turn into a fire!
This happened to my Morphy Richards iron. I contacted the manufacturer with photos and the date I bought it, and they sent a new one in the post for me. I think manufacturers know this can happen but aren't doing something about it.
Irons are a touchy subject amongst quilters! I've done several posts on different brands...pricey, mid-range and cheap--even had one smoke on me. Splurged on the perfect iron, an Oliso, 9 months into our perfect relationship it soaked my ironing board. Company replaced it and I haven't plugged it in since. I'm happily using my Black and Decker 14.99 iron.
Good luck finding a new one. I didn't even realize they made cordless irons and now I want one. I hate getting caught up in the cord especially when I'm ironing something large.
So far I've had the best luck with the cheapest models. For whatever reason they seem to last longer.
I have a Maytag cordless (don't know if they make them anymore). I don't use it that much at this time due to the restrictions of my sewing room. I like it fine though, although your pictures are scary, was that a Maytag. What I'm using now is a dry iron that I got from the Vermont Country store. So far so good, I've had it about 4 or 5 months now, and I use it with a spray bottle of the make it yourself spray with Vodka and essential oils in it. Good luck in your search for a good replacement iron.
Like everyone else, I have used the expensive ones as well as the cheap ones. They all seem to last about a year so I use the cheaper brands now. I like to buy mine at Big*Lots. They tend to last the longest without too much spitting.
You are really lucky that it didn't turn into a major fire. Wow!
Wow, that is a real iron meltdown! I just had an iron "fizzle-down" not too long ago. One minute it would work, the next ten it wouldn't. After doing some research (even on consumer reports - wowza) I ended up with a Panasonic Steam Iron. I like it so far (the steam setting takes a little getting use to). It does have a cord but there is a cordless version available. Hope this helps! I liked reading the reviews on Amazon to help me decide.
Yes, you will need a new iron LOL. I can't help you with advise, since I have a very simple one with a cord.
Happy Mother's Day (o:
This post is to cute, because I too just cooked my own iron. My new one is due to arrive from amazon tomorrow! I'm in Florida too, so that's neat as well.
For an iron I looked for one with a stainless steel sole plate and you already touched on why in your post, my old iron had started leaving non-stick marks on my fabric from time to time and I was not going through that again, so that was a really big factor for me. The second was that it had to steam. In my time quilting I've discovered when something has a hard wrinkle it's easier to just hit it with the steam than keep going over and over it.
Happy Mother's Day and Thanks for Stopping By!
To be honest, I never really paid much attention to the iron I use... it gets hot and doesn't melt anything so I'm happy! :-) The cordless thingy sounds really interesting though... I can't tell you how often I get tangled up in that thing! Also, an automatic shut-off would be good. I'm always worried about leaving that thing on when I leave the cottage to go back to the city every Sunday night.
I do iron damage, but not like this - yowza!
I have a Rowenta and also a Black and Decker... that turns itself off. Not as extremely thrilled with the Rowents as I thought I would be. I'm going to get a Oriso next time.
Ooo cordless iron, that sounds soo much easier than tangling myself up all the time! I must admit I've never paid much attention to my iron, it's corded and white and turquoise in colour... not very helpful I'm afraid! I'm glad yours didn't set your house on fire though, think I will keep a close eye on mine!
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