RIP Iron

A moment of silence, please.

In December, I splurged and replaced my iron. I had a coupon for a good deal at Joanns, so I picked up the Rowenta DX 1930. (Essentially this iron.) It was love at first steam. I was replacing a $20 black and decker job I received for Christmas when I was 18 and first living on my own. How I made do with that iron for as long as I did is a true testament to the concept that you don't know what you're missing out on until you've tried it.

The Rowenta had So. Much. Steam.

Made in China!

It wasn't meant to be.

I loved the cord reel function. I loved the heft, the steam, the 90 seconds to heat and the smooth sole plate. When my lovely Rowenta started leaking into the cord reel base, I learned that I do not love Rowenta's website. Their website is absolutely awful and it was nearly impossible to locate any information about their warranty and service centers.

Obviously I need to dust. Pay attention to the cord reel base and it's LEAK OF DOOM.

It's a slow leak, but a leak none the less. I started to research new irons and have found positive feedback on this model. I was able to find another good deal, so my new iron should arrive on Thursday. I'm going to try to get this model set up for some warranty service, but we'll see what happens.

When this all happened, I went downstairs to ask my 84 year old landlord what he thought about plugging it in and giving it a go. I didn't want to set the house on fire. I lament that I'm in the middle of a project (the Wiksten tank, which I love, love, love! I will be posting my progress tomorrow.) and assure him I won't plug in the water filled iron and set the house on fire. He offers me a replacement iron which I accept.

I get upstairs and upon closer inspection realize it is a cloth cord non-steam iron. It looks to be circa 1910's, perhaps worthy of being heated not by the electrical cord jutting out of it but the coals of a hot fire. Observe:

Flat Iron!

Off, Low, Ray, Wool, Cot, Lin. An array of heat options!

A few minutes later there is a knock on my door. He is offering me not one, but two more irons, for a total of THREE replacement irons to use. He insists I take them. The other two are cheap steam irons probably from the 80's or early 90's.

My mom made the joke that I would need to rent a storage unit for all the irons.

Sneak peak of the Wiksten Tank:

The iron crapped out just before finishing the bias tape on the armscyes.

EDIT! (8/9/2012)

My new iron has arrived, and it has about a billion steam holes. I can't wait to use it!