Replies

1. 
   sheri_post | Feb 04, 1999 04:16am | #1

   *
   Dear Pat
   I went directly to a Naomoto Iron with the
   water bottle and filter beads hanging next
   to it. I liked the fact that it never
   spit and that it was a professional and
   heavy duty item. I have had to replace
   the clicker button to get steam, it cost
   about 25$ to repair. Other than that, its
   a great iron.

   My girlfriend uses a Rowenta..they just
   seem like a normal iron to me, but folks
   buy them for their needs. They have the
   box with water next to them, but I liked
   my water out of the way.

   PS.Industrial irons produce very hot
   very dry steam. And continuously if you
   need it. I had a bridal business and
   they are the best, besides a Jiffy Steamer.
   hope all this helps.
   regards,
   sheri post

1. 
   connie_ward | Feb 04, 1999 07:24am | #2

   *I know this is probably a stupid question, but what is "dry steam"? I hope more people come on with opinions on this subject, because I'd like to know also, Pat.

1. 
   Rosemarie | Feb 04, 1999 11:46am | #3

   *There is a discussion on Sewing World about irons. http://www.sewingworld.com Look under the heading marked Fabric, Notions, Thread.The Rowenta website http://www.rowentausa.com has a lot of good information about ironing, etc.

1. 
   Pat_Moore | Feb 05, 1999 07:40am | #4

   *Yes, I know, I've been perusing Sewing World too. I just wanted some specifics as to why people liked the steam generator irons, and which ones they preferred.Sheri, so you that the Naomoto is better than the Euro Pro or the Rowenta. What kind of price range are we talking? I have an Atlanta Thread Supply Co. catalogue and they have some Naomotos, which model? Do you know of any other sources?Thanks

1. 
   Melanie_Spewock | Feb 10, 1999 11:04am | #5

   *If you're going to buy a Naomoto, you might want to look at Sussman irons as well. I've used both--Naomoto in classes and Sussman at home and I prefer the Sussman. Though the differences are slight, to me the balance and feel of the Sussman is just better--and the iron handle is a nicer fit for my hand. I used to work in a costume shop with irons that were powered from the university steam plant (we're talking MAJOR efficiency here) and the Sussman comes closest to replicating that industrial power. I've had my Sussman since 1985 and the only thing I've had to replace was the tubing from the water bottle, which split over time. I also turned it on to do some ironing one morning and then went to Canada for three days. It neither burned the house down nor failed to continue to perform (though obviously I wouldn't recommend doing that as a regular practice!) I've used the Rowenta but to me, it's just a regular consumer iron and not really worth the price--it doesn't give you the advantages of a professional model iron and it still costs a fair amount.I hang my water bottle from an IV stand which I got from a medical supply house, though hanging it from a hook in the ceiling is even better (I like to be mobile in my current workspace, so I don't use a ceiling hook.) Although the Sussman comes with filtration pebbles so you can use tap water in it, I've always used distilled--just a personal preference which could get pricey if you're sewing at a commercial level.Good luck finding the right iron for you!

2. 
   Sue | Feb 11, 1999 07:54pm | #6

   *I too am looking at irons but not at the true professional level ones. I do sew, but I am mainly interested in one that can handle heavy cotton uniform shirts. Any opinions on Rowenta and Euro-Pro? I've done some reading on Rowenta and I'm not sure about its dependability. What about the Euro-Pro ep-8000? Does anyone know if the hose length on this model is adequate--or if its really better than a lesser-priced iron? Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks Sue

3. 
   sheri_post | Feb 22, 1999 05:46am | #7

   *hi gangI use the term Dry Steam for the method inwhich it comes out as very extremly vapourizednon spitting non staining non blobbing waterspotting. I cannot have any iron mishaps insewing for customers silks and satins..The Naomoto cost me about 250$ I think, ifI remember right. I got it from Atlanta ThreadI replaced the water bottle which fell andbroke (ack!) with a Sussman bottle which was1/2 the price. Mine has the wooden handle. What a little workhorse that buster iron is! I laughed somuch when I read about the I.V. stand holdingthe water bottle....Good Job! Good Idea!I agree the Rowentas are just a household ironwith a pricey name and such. If you are goingto go to the trouble of getting the steam boxwith cords and tubes, why not get somethingcommercial and workhorse but not as big asa giant water box?I have dropped my Naomoto,,,and nothing hashappened..I have dropped Rowentas and thecasing has cracked every time. Make sure youhave some insurance or good guarantees on it.regardssheri post

4. 
   Heather_Brooker | Feb 25, 1999 03:54pm | #8

   *Greetings from Zimbabwe:1) Christmas 1997 one of my presents was a Sussman, with the hanging bottle, etc. - you can't beat it. I had a Rowenta and I agree, the case is cracked and the iron is not all its 'cracked up' to be. It does a wonderful job for household stuff but so does the Phillips Mistral.2) Recently at a sewing show I purchased the Teflon Iron Shoe and it works like a charm, no burning anything although I leave the iron on the board face down. Ironing is very important, I am going to get one of those presses now that I have my Sussman. But, if I were looking for something decent that the 'rest' of the family were allowed to use, I would buy a Phillips Mistral again.Cheers, Heather

5. 
   Pat_Moore | Feb 25, 1999 09:32pm | #9

   *Well I went with the Euro-Pro (EP8010) steam generating iron. It has a steam box like the Rowenta. The 8010 is suppose to be more like the professional iron than the 8000, it was $20 more so what the heck. As I understand it the differences are: a heavier stainless steel for the steam reservoir/box, and a button that locks down the steam button for continuous steam. I chose this over the Rowenta because you could have steam at lower settings whereas the Rowenta people told me you would only have steam at the cotton setting. At lower iron settings you would use a dry iron.So far I really like the EuroPro. It puts out STEAM. If you are pressing under 1/4" of fabric along an edge and decide you want to change it press it and it goes flat. Seems like with regular irons, it's never pressed that well but if you decide to "unpress" it you are always fighting it. No drip, no spills. I haven't really put it to the test but so far so good.If anyone has any particular questions about the EuroPro let me know and I will try to test it out for you.Thanks to everyone for they're input.Pat

6. 
   petex_2000 | Mar 03, 1999 07:50am | #10

   *>The benefit of ai gravity feed ironis reliability. There are no moving parts to break. The tecnology is very simple. I purchased a used Naomoto HY5 hi-steam. I am very happy with it. b There are many things that distinguish these commercial irons from consumer types.1. no auto off2. heavier soleplate3. greater generation of steam 4. water for steam will last all day5. smaller soleplate

7. 
   Victoria_Miesle | Mar 27, 1999 04:57pm | #11

   *I am so glad I found this discussion group! I have been searching for info on these irons and have had no luck in finding anyone who had one. Thanks for all your information. Now I have an additional question, Does anyone use a vacuum board with their steam generated or gravity feed iron? And is it worth its' pricy tag?

8. 
   brenda | Mar 28, 1999 10:39am | #12

   *I've used a Sussman gravity iron for well over ten years and love it. I hang my bottle with a heavy hook for hanging big plants. I used to be able to "kill" the steamer in a standard iron within a year - this is so much better. I've used both the Sussman and Naomoto and it's really a toss-up between the two - if I had to purchase a new iron tomorrow I would get a heavier iron instead of the pro-lite, maybe a 4lb. As for the vacuum boards - I've used a large commercial vac table at an alterations shop and those were nice - area was about 2 1/2 by 4 feet - good size for most anything you'd want to iron but getting something like that in a home could present a problem providing you could afford it! As for the "home" systems - I think they are very overpriced. The Sussman (and Naomoto) along with producing a powerful steam also pushes it through the fabric at the same time. The results are a better press and when you hang up your garment it is much drier than if you used a smaller home-type iron. Most of the presses produce around 100 lb pressure on the garment resulting in an even drier garment than if you were using the Sussman. I have an Elnapress and I don't use the spray attachment - just a fine mist hand sprayer and for delicate garments a slightly damp pressing cloth for protection. If you needed to push the steam when using the gravity irons - try using a clapper - it is a solid piece of hardwood that you push down over the area you have just pressed. They run maybe $10-$15. My husband made mine from a piece of thick maple wood he had laying around. I'd try that before I'd pay the money for such a small vacuum board. It is the dampness left in the garment that will produce wrinkles after you've ironed them and put them on a hanger. When I press out my husbands flannel and Worsterlon shirts using the elnapress they can usually go through a couple washes (with softener) without needing to be ironed. The Worsterlon is really great for this. The only drawback with the gravity iron is that I wore out one ironing board from generating too much steam! Small inconvenience for such good quality.

9. 
   vera_w | Mar 28, 1999 06:45pm | #13

   *I have a Euro Pro with a vacuum board and I think the vacuum board makes all the difference.Without this turned on I dont see a lot of difference between the steam iron performance and my previous iron,but with it turned on difficult wrinkles come out easily and as a previous writer said, the concern of putting new wrinkles into a damp fabric is eliminated. I would not buy a steam ironing system without the vacuuum board.