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Here is my new Reliable i500 iron.

This is a boiler type iron, and you can get steam on demand.

As for the water required, the manual says that you can use tap water, or a 50/50 mixture of tap water and distilled water.

Here is my new Reliable i500 iron.

I really take pressing tools, especially irons, very seriously. Ask me my opinion about the different irons on the market, and you'll get an earful. You can make do with a middle-of-the-line sewing machine, but for really good results with all of your sewing, a really good iron is key.

So, when I decided to retire my Naomoto (which I've loved), I took a recommendation from my boyfriend, who is a costume designer. He was working on a production of Private Lives, at the Pittsburgh Public Theater last year. In the workroom there, they had the Reliable i500 series iron. He was quite impressed with this iron, and told me about it. So I took a test drive and fell in love.

Here's the iron. It comes in two different models, the i300 being the one recommended for home sewing, and the i500, which is the professional version. I bought the i500 because I really work an iron.

You can read about the i300 here.

You can read about the i500 here.

Full disclosure – I paid for this iron. Retail. No discount. It isn't a demonstrator, nor a gift from Reliable.

This is a boiler type iron, and you can get steam on demand. There's a valve on the i500 model, that regulates the pressure of the steam. (I'm pointing to the valve with the pencil.) This makes it so you won't flatten the nap on velvet, but get a gentle steam, but when you're pressing a really thick wool, you have enough pressure to penetrate all the layers. Very cool – something my old iron didn't have.

Kenneth King, contributor
Posted on Feb 28th, 2013 in tools & supplies, iron

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KennethDKing writes: My apologies to our readers who are being assaulted by these spammers. I've asked that these posts be taken down, and the posters banned from doing it again....
Posted: 9:49 am on March 2nd

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