My personal review with a Rowenta Steam Iron

My personal experience with a Rowenta

I first stumbled upon the Rowenta steam iron around the year of 2000. I was tired of buying iron after iron from the "Mart" stores only to have them let me down at the worst possible time.

Having owned a couple Rowenta steam irons, I feel I can better speak to its superiority over other irons. I will attempt to give an honest review of the feel and performance of the irons in my possession. As with any man made product, nothing is perfect.

But in all honesty, most humans refuse to change their hard core stance of not following instructions for proper use and blame the item when the real problem is user error. I will start with saying that any problems I encountered with the majority of irons I have used was due to my refusal to do it the manufacturer's way and out right neglect.

So I was willing to bite the bullet and pay a tidy some if needed in order to have piece of mind and good, lasting ironing results. I tend to be a frequent viewer of the home shopping channels.

One night they stated that they would be show casing an iron that would be the Cadillac of all irons. Of course I was skeptical, but I needed a good iron and the stores were just not cutting it. So I tuned in. When they presented the Rowenta steam iron, I was amazed at the amount of steam that was coming from the sole plate.

Up until that time, I had never seen that much before. And the steam burst button really produced a frizz inducing amount of steam. At this time I was really interested. And what brought home the prize was the denim pants that were heavily wrinkled that took only one pass to look dazzling.

 So I bit the bullet and purchased it. When the Rowenta arrived, It looked awesome. If it ironed as well as it looked, I was going to be greatly impressed. My spouse was from the old school of ironing and felt it wasn't heavy enough to do a quality job.

But let me tell you, when we started using it, nothing but praise parted those lips. It produced the large volume of steam touted on television. The stainless steel glide plate moved effortlessly across all types of fabric. And the water tank held a fair amount of water, yet I found myself refilling due to the amount of steam it produced. Amazing.

My mother-in-law came by for a visit and happened to see the Rowenta in action. She had to stop her small talk to comment on how little do overs the iron needed to get rid of wrinkles. That was priceless.

Seeing as how the in-laws tend to think they know best. I guess she does in this case, because she recognized a high quality iron when she saw it.

I learned from a Rowenta that the iron should do most of the work for you. There should be no need to force wrinkles out of your garments with arm and body pressure.

 I never used it on curtains, but it worked flawlessly on everything else when I used it at the correct temperature. As with any electrical man made appliance, it finally gave up the ghost. I guess I could have sent it in for repairs, but with the shipping and handling and labor charge, not to mention the time lost in waiting for its return.

 I opted to just buy another one. I wont say I will never use another brand of iron, but if I have my choice. Rowenta will win hands down every time.

Having given a glorious review on the Rowenta steam irons, I would be wrong not to point out some less than glowing points. The other thing that I loved about the Rowenta steam irons is the one thing that decreases its life. And that is the length of its power cord. It seems to be well over six feet.

That is great for convenience. You don't have to stand so close to the ironing board and there's less chance of the cord rubbing against the already ironed parts of your clothing.

However, because of the heat produced due to the wattage, the first thing that will probably go is the cord. It may get a short from the wires fraying inside the cord. That wont cause an electrical or fire hazard. It just wont heat anymore.

I guess on a positive note to that problem is it's very easy to. Well, needless to say, I was hooked. The price was a little more than I expected, but I figured that if the iron lasted longer than the irons I was buying, then I was putting more money in buying multiple irons that cost more than that one Rowenta. .

You can purchase a cord at Lowe's, Home Depot, the Mart stores, etc. Whereas I'm not a qualified electrician, I have to advise you to seek a qualified technician to replace the cord. Though, the do-it-yourself tv programs make it look like anyone can do it. I can and have and I'm not a technician. So, I can't tell you to do that. I'm just saying my Rowenta has out lasted any other iron I've ever purchased.

On other review sites where some say it spits out dark water onto their clothing; in all fairness, most irons will do that if you don't follow the instructions. Most likely, some of those individuals were used to using low wattage irons and never checked to see what care needs to be given to high quality irons.

That brown water is due to having a high mineral content in your water. That's known as hard water. It's not a problem with the Rowenta steam irons. They were made to handle hard water. Though, if your water is excessively hard, it is recommended to mix your regular tap water half in half with spring water. Never use distilled water.

Distilled water has no impurities in it and if it gets too heated and something with impurities come in contact with it, there will be an explosion of steam and water. Needless to say, that would be dangerous. So once again, the problem stems from user error rather than a defect in the product.

You can buy a Rowenta iron with great confidence knowing it will be a winner. If you've never owned a premium steam iron before, I bet this will be a conversation starter for you because of the results you will see. It really is the best steam iron going!

Tim Taylor is a real user of the Rowenta Steam Iron product line and he gives his advice on why you should own one.

by Tim Taylor

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