New Iron...Yes, AGAIN!!

It's true....I bought ANOTHER iron!  My irons get used sooooooo much, I go through about one a year.  Crazy right?  Most people think it's crazy, but when you sew for a living and your iron is in use or on 20-30 hours a week, well....it is what it is.

Let me give you my iron history.....for years I relied on Rowentas, but most of them eventually leaked or spit which was very annoying.  I then purchased my Singer Iron Press, which I still have and love, but it has specific uses....you can't use this for creating bias tape, seam presses, or detail ironing.  This is the go-to when I have serious ironing to do (bolts of fabric, yardage, etc).

Then I traded in my Rowenta for a Reliable Velocity.  This iron out-performed all of my previous Rowentas and is still kicking.  I will continue to use it for quick ironing jobs....but my new iron has arrived, and this one is one serious machine.....

Introducing the Reliable J420 IronMaven....

This iron is not an ordinary iron - it is a steam machine.  The one thing that always drove me crazy with all my irons is the amount of times I had to stop working to fill up the water reservoir.  I use steam constantly.  It's so annoying to run out of water 10 times a day.....it just interrupts the workflow.

This machine is professional iron and made to be a workhorse.  Instead of the water being stored in the iron, it is stored in a boiler which the iron stands on.  This not only allows for a huge water tank (5 cups), but makes the iron itself lighter to lift.

Another benefit is that you can move the plate that the iron rests on to your ironing board, so you don't have to place this large tank on your ironing board.

What I really love is that this boiler creates DRY, PRESSURIZED steam which you control with the touch of a button.  Let go of the button and the steam immediately stops (very nice for avoiding burnt fingers when working on seams and bias tape).  You can even lock the steam button in place for when you are working on a large piece of fabric.

And as for wrinkles.....Can I tell you how amazing it is at ridding fabric of those pesky things?  Take a look at this....

Before

One pass and all the wrinkles are gone.  And the steam is amazing.  It takes some getting used to, because the pressure is so great it changes the way you iron.

Now I can get through 1/2 -3/4 day work without having to fill the iron up!

OK, now that I'm done gushing, let me tell you the few things I'm not too crazy about....

The Cord:
The steam cord takes some getting used to.  It's a bit awkward at first, but I'm learning to work with it.

Initial Warm Up:
The iron takes about 10 minutes to heat up.  Really, not too big of a deal - I just put it on when I start my day and leave it alone....but if you are just needing to iron one thing, you are better off using your regular iron.

Small Footprint
This iron is definitely smaller than what I am used to.  It's not bad, just different....


So there you have it.  Between this, my Singer Iron Press and my reliable "Reliable Velocity" I'm pretty set in the iron department.

Who would've guessed that a girl who absolutely hates ironing would be the owner of three!