Rowenta DG5030 and DG980 vs. Euro Steam
DianeRyan
| Posted in Equipment and Supplies on
I would love to get some input from anyone who has purchased the new Rowenta 1530 steamer. I currently own a Euro Steam and am rather frustrated with the
need to refill the chamber with distilled water very frequently – as in
after every shirt I iron. Then you have to wait 2 minutes for the steam
to build up again. Having said that, the iron does not scorch and the
soleplate is as clean as the day I bought it 2 years ago. The enticing
feature about the Rowenta is the 33oz. water chamber. I am wondering
though if the non scorch feature is also a part of the Rowenta
technology. Also if anyone has experience with the earlier released Rowenta DG980 (Expert) I would love to know how it compares to the new Rowenta DG5030
Replies
I bought this steamer myself about a month ago, and have used it everday. I do, for the most part, like it. You can go quite awhile between filling and the steam generation is fantastic. I've used it on silk and cotton and had great results.
My only concern is that I live with really hard water. I think this is causing the steamer/iron to spit ...in the instructions it says to rinse the tank more often, which I have done, but i still get spitting. I really would like to avoid having to buy bottled water. I'm going to play with it some more to see if I can get this issue rectified...any feedback would be welcome
Many thanks for taking the time to reply. I live in a hard water area as well so your issue could well become my issue with this iron. Does the manual address spitting? I seem to remember reading once that steam irons spit if they are used before they have heated up sufficiently.
Yes, that is in the manual...my issue is well after it has heated up. I even clear the valve by pressing the steam button to release any built up steam, before I try to use it on fabric.
The manual also suggests rinsing the unit more often, which I have been doing. All said and done I still like it better than the professional iron, which I seem to burn out within 2 months. I'll have to double check; but I think I read in the manual to use a specific type of bottled water. I may try that, although it irks me to have to do that.
How are you enjoying yours?
I saw one of these at Tuesday Morning for $80 and resisted the impulse to buy it because I've never had a Rowenta iron that lasted very long. Usually there are problems with it like the spitting, and the auto-shut off drives me crazy. I figured the steamer would be more of the same. I've had betterr luck with cheapo irons and even vintage irons that don't have steam.
DG980 and DG580 discontinuted, replaced by DG5030
I bought the Rowenta DG980 in late October 2006 and it quit working properly after 3 months. Although the pump was still working, I had to wait a couple of minutes between steam blasts for pressure to build up again. I've read several reviews on other sites about pump failure usually within 1 year, and one person received a replacement from Rowenta which also failed. I followed the instructions to the letter, using filtered but not distilled water and rinsed it regularly as instructed, but don't know why it couldn't keep pressure after one blast of steam.
I returned it last weekend and found out that the DG980 and DG580 have both been discontinued and replaced by the DG5030, which I accepted. After getting it home and setting it up, I've decided I won't keep it. It lacks the features that the DG980 had such as a visible water level and removable tank, which allows you to refill while ironing. Without a removable tank, you have to let the unit cool so that you can open the pressurized water chamber to refill, which takes more than a few minutes.
I stopped buying Rowenta irons because they didn't last and also because they spit water spotting the fabric. I was willing to buy the Rowenta DG980 because the premise of a steam generator means that there's no water in the iron to leak, all steam is pressurized and fed thru the cord from the base. The instructions say that there can be some water spotting from residual water in the hose but I found that the DG980 never spit water even when heating up. So far I've found that the 5030 spits water initially when you first use it no matter how long you preheat it, but a couple of steam blasts clears it. It takes the DG980 2 minutes to pressurize and 8 minutes for the 5030, and although you can use the iron without steam as soon as it's hot - that means risking water spots with the 5030 until you can clear the residual water with steam after it's pressurized. Eight minutes is a long time when you're trying to head out for work and need something touched up in a hurry.
I'm going to look at a commercial model as the pressurized steam is great and makes ironing a snap - my husband raved and didn't mind ironing his shirts. Assuming that the DG5030 lasts and has no problems, I still need the features that allow you to refill the water while using and see the water level. I'll be looking at the Reliable steam generators with the CCS feature and gravity feed irons.
Many thanks for taking the time to write a very thorough critique. I would love to know whether you find the Reliable brand to be better and if it has the features that are important to you.
Another reader responded to a different thread of messages - I'm not good at navigating these postings, so I can't direct you - and said that's she's very happy with her Reliable steam generator system.
I checked out the Reliable website and I would like to buy the J490A model which has an anti-calc feature for hard water and the iron is part chrome vs all plastic. It's $299 vs $250 for the J450A.
Good luck at finding a unit you like.
Thank you for the tip on Reliable. I tried to find the website but was able to bring up only sites that sold that product. Please be so kind as to give me the website address for Reliable.
Here's the website for Reliable: http://www.reliablecorporation.com/home.asp. They don't sell the products directly but do list retailers. I checked all the listed retailers and many charge more than the suggested list price and they don't carry all the models. I would love to get the newest model - J490A which is metal and has a built in anti-calc system for $299 but I can't find it anywhere.
I did a google search and found http://www.kitchensource.com which carries model RL-KLA 1801 for $199 - no tax and free shipping. The model name is different than the Reliable website but from the picture and description it appears to be model J450A which lists for $249 and is the next model down the the J490A. At $100 less it's a great deal.
Needless to say I've already placed my order and got a confirmation email from kitchensource!
Good luck!
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