Shopping for an iron was an all day affair for me. It's not the purchasing that takes time but the travelling from one store to another, hoping to find different models. I was wrong, stores around my area all carry the same models and not much of a selection. sigh! The only difference were the prices.
What I look for in an iron is weight, no auto shut off, which is non existent and cost.
Meet my new POS - Shark Intelligent Electronic Iron model GI405Z!
I love the blue color!The fake chrome handle is a tad tacky in real life, looks good in pictures though!
An attractive feature of this iron is the enclosed sole plate. My old iron had a space between the sole plate and the body of the iron; dust would often collect and sometimes fall off , dirtying my fabric.
As I typed the product detail "intelligent Electronic Iron" it dawned on me that a bell should have gone off .... but I digress.
According to the instructions, the auto shut off turns off between 7 - 10 minutes. To me, it feels more like 3 - 5 minutes. Not only that, but to turn it back on I've got to shake it to death! lol I mean, I can't just press the ON button but I've got to do this dance.... and if it's full of water..........
It's driving me nuts! I'm now stressing to make sure my iron doesn't auto turn off! It's such a chore to turn it back on. If it's so intelligent, it should know that I don't want it to turn off! lol
My old iron, may it rest in piece, I would just press the ON/setting buttons to turn it back on. This supposedly "intelligent" one doesn't work that way. I must shake it before I can play with any buttons. I can't even turn it off with it's own button for crying out LOUD! Even if I turn my power bar off and turn it back on a couple of days later, I've got to shake the darn thing!!!!!! Merely plugging it in activates the auto shut off feature!
I just cannot stand an appliance that thinks it knows what's best for me! Oh and we won't even talk about computers and Microsoft! lol
Don't even bother checking Shark's web site for information. It offers no information that I'm looking for! lol
In all fairness, this iron would be good for people who only iron clothes with it. It's definitely not a quilter's iron.
Stephen inherits my old irons when they start to leak. I just cannot wait to pass on my "intelligent" iron to him.
Next time, I'm looking for a dumb iron! ;o)
21 comments:
I'm really surprised that some enterprising quilter has not taken to the design board to create an iron that fits the specific needs of quilters . . . . hmmmmm - anyone out there *s*
This is very funny! I have a Rowenta that I love - it does shut off but it heats up fast so all is forgiven. They are pricey though but worth it.
I can so relate to this problem. I now pick up the "old" irons at the thrift stores and they are wonderful-weighty, hot and dumb. Try to check out a few of those and see what you think. They are also CHEAP! Good luck.
The last iron I bought (actually the only one because until recently I was using my grandmother's OLD iron) was the cheapest one they had at Wal-Mart. It's a Hamilton Beach Steam Storm and I love it! I actually bought it because the sides are purple! LOL
I'm a Rowenta gal myself. Can't beat them. But my new one has that auto shut off, and I HATE that! I like to leave it on, and have it hot when I need it. GRRRR
Guess what iron I just purchased That's right....Shark Intelligent Iron! I hear what you are saying about the automatic shut off and the shaking it to death and then you have to press the button to reset the temperature. I forget this step and start ironing away with a cold iron.
I cleaned the iron, as instructed, before using. My old iron had a self-clean button that you press as you moved the iron back and forth. All water and impurities left the iron with a blink of the eye. With this iron, you set the dial to self-clean and move back and forth. It makes lots of noise, but not much activity. It would take half an hour (or more) of moving the iron back and forth to remove all the water.
On the third day of ironing (great after Christmas fabric sales), and filling the water tank many times, a dirty brown mark appeared on my fabric. I looked at my iron and coming out the holes was this rust brown water. I cleaned the soleplate and finished my ironing, then did the self-cleaning over again. I little rusty brown water came out.
I have never had this happen with an iron, new or old before. I'm not looking forward to next ironing day.
I'm with you...here's to dumb irons!
Thanks for the iron review...I'll sure make a note not to ever think about that one....I have a T-Fal that I got at Target and I love it...gets nice and hot...great steam...it does have auto shut off but al you have to do is put it down like you're going to iron and in a few seconds it's HOT again. Price was great!
Hmmm... I have a Sharp iron and its the best I have ever had - and that include Rowenta and Oreck irons that I never did like because they both leaked. Mine has a dark grey water reservoir though, and that is a real pain in that I can not tell if there is any water in there. Why don't they make those things clear or a very light color at the least. Mine does have the auto shutoff, but all I have to do is set it down and back up again, like I am going to iron and it comes right back on...I do have to reset the temp, but it heats up real fast. Mine must not be as intelligent as yours, LOL.
I agree with Stephanie! I have a total of 6 irons in my quest to find "Ms. Right"!!!! Two of them shut off automatically, but too soon and they take too long to heat back up - they are great irons, but this drives me crazy! Good luck in finding one that makes you happy - if you do, please let me know - LOL!
Cheers!
Oh the quest for a good iron, what a frustrating quest it is!!!! I agree with Libby, why won't someone address the needs of quilters. They would sell like a million of them.
Hello out there, we quilters are crying for help!!! Can anyone hear us? Please! *sigh*
I would like to see you dancing the iron dance :)
Hahaha, I'm sorry to laugh but you put the nail in the coffin with that dumb iron crack! I think it's almost impossible to get a good iron these days. I have a 15 year old Rowenta that I adore and hasn't given me a speck of trouble. But over the holidays my mom was ironing with it and said the cord was really hot. Which is true, I've noticed that, but what of it??? She and hubby think it's a problem and I really need a new iron. I'm fighting not to do it -- it's the best iron I've ever had and based on so many horror stories, I just don't have any confidence that a good, long-lasting one can be found! Aka, they don't make 'em like they used to!
So sorry about your trauma!
I have that Shark iron too and am not in love with it. I thought it was odd I had to give it a shake but it isn't a hard shake just a lay the iron down and back up again movement and it turns back on. What I did discover is DO NOT have the steam button on before the iron gets good and hot or it leaks. I'm guessing this is the problem with most irons....you HAVE to have the iron nice and hot before even considering steam or you'll just make a leaking ugly mess on your fabrics. I've had friends go through Rowentas. It is a love & hate relationship with them as well. I do like an iron with steam....some projects I do use a burst of steam.
I've watched friends get great deals on good heavy irons at Thrift shops...however, I wouldn't want to purchase one that was able to use a steam function because I'm guessing it landed itself in the Thrift shop for leaking.
Hello,
I got the exact same iron 2 weeks ago, because my 1 year old iron suddenly died.
I am facing the same frustrations as you with the auto shut off feature. I've found that if I just tilt the iron down (like you're going to iron with it) and then turn it back on, it works... without having to shake the crap out of it.
Another annoyance about this iron is the steam & spray buttons are really stiff and difficult to push.
Plus the first time I used it I got it covered in goo (Steam 2 Seam)... but that's totally user error. LOL
Cindy
It's a chronic quilter's problem!
I go for the cheapest irons since my irons always break on me..something to do with being repeatedly dropped on the floor?!?!?
You just cant beat a good old dumb iron now can you?? But your new smart one does look very nice.
Mine is a Rowenta and like Carol, just lay it down and it speeds right back to hot. I loved my old one and I'm sad too that it died. Why do they change models so often?
My Rowenta died this summer, and I too bought a Shark Euro-Pro(slightly different from yours). It was fairly expensive (in my opinion - $65.00. I like the fact that it is heavy and has great steam, but I hate the water tank - it's a dark grey and you can barely see where your water level mark is. Also, I should warn you that the silver "chrome like" paint wears off. My iron is only six months old and where my hot, little, sweaty hand holds it the chrome paint has worn away and the white plastic now shows through. Mine shuts off pretty quickly too, but I don't have to shake it, I just push the buttons and cycle through to the appropriate setting. I hope this iron lasts awhile given its price tag, but I have read (on epinions, I think, that Sharks have a tendency to short out and even catch fire, so they should never be left unattended for very long.
Linda
Oh bummer...mine takes about 10-15 minutes to shut off and then I barely touch it and it clicks back on...I've had it for about 14 years and I know it can't have too much longer...I dread shopping for a new one. It seems like all the new ones are giving people trouble :(
I bought that same iron. Had to unplug and plug it back in to get it to turn on. Though I didn't do a dance with it. I thought it was a bad iron and exchanged it for another on. It did the same thing. Took it back and bought a sunbeam, don't like that one either. Like you said they all have the same ones, different price. A quilter needs to invent an iron that is not overpriced.
I got a new iron recently, and I have to put it flat and shke it for it to come back on. It is a walmart cheapie, I just need hot and non-stick, and those are my criteria. 'Cause I drop them frequently!
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