Recommend me a good dry iron or an iron a tailor would use

[jefferyd]

Originally Posted by Despos

Steam iron is convenient. Push the button and you have steam. Sometimes you want a lot of steam and sometimes you want just a little bit of steam. That's when a dry iron, spray bottle and press cloth are best. Gives you some control. What's missing from most irons available to the public is weight. The heavier the iron, the better.

+1

 

[Cary Grant]

Originally Posted by scot

distilled water + heat = a nice solvent for the interior of the iron. It will leach out the inside and gum up everything, eventually staining your clothing.

Most of the rowentas have a softener tablet in the unit as well, distilled water doesn't play nice with that. Normal water is fine and the softener will just keep everything in check unless you have extremely hard water.

I understand the science but from many years of experience I've seen just the opposite. Tap water ruins irons within a year, full of mineral deposits while distilled has kept it clean. I might suspect that distilled deleterious effects don't have time enough to work if you routinely empty the iron... dunno.

 

[AnGeLiCbOrIs]

Originally Posted by garmentmerchant

get a rowenta professional , $150+ they are the best.

there is already a thread out there with this question on it

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=77226

Link is kinda NSFW.

 

[Full Canvas]

Sussman (718) 937-4500, 4320 34th Street, Long Island City, NY 11101

Google "Sussman Iron" and you'll find the various dealers nationwide as well as their prices.

We use a five-pound monster Sussman in addition our Laura Star set-up in the laundry room. As Despos remarked, heavy weight is sometimes what you need. The Sussman can be used dry or as a steam iron.

___

 

[lee_44106]

Is a heavy thing necessary if you can just apply a bit of pressure yourself?

 

[Ringo]

Reviving this thread to ask about vacuum tables, specifically, how good they are. Seems like a few folks in here (mainly those that are tailors themselves) have experience with them. Do they really make ironing easier/better and allow you to achieve a crisp finish at home?

I read on the website of a company called Reliable Corp that the vacuum tables/boards are one of the "secrets" to professional results. That, plus pressurized/dry steam of a professional iron (like the one in the pic Full Canvas posted above), versus the non-pressurized steam from your typical consumer brand, like Rowenta, will supposedly make a huge difference. I read the literature, and it seems to make sense. Just not sure how much of a difference it makes in the real world, at least when it comes to the tables. I have, however, heard great things about the dry steam irons w/boilers, and I wouldn't mind shelling out a little extra dough for those. Not sure about the tables though, as those can be pretty expensive (around $400 and up).

Can anyone share their experience with dry steam irons and vacuum tables and comment on how they compare to consumer irons and regular ironing tables?

 

[scot]

considering it was revived, I'll answer mr grant's inquiry about tap vs distilled.

you are correct that in most cases distilled is right. On the rowentas however, they use a softener. Softened water will not leave deposits in the same way that tap water will. If you have hard water, the constant heating and cooling causes the materials suspended in the water to come out and collect in the iron itself.

Distilled will cause the metal in the iron to leach out and into the water.

By using distilled and emptying the water, you eliminate the chance of rust stains, by using softened you stop the metal from being destroyed. If you use tap you must use some kind of slightly acidic cleaner eventually (think espresso cleaner, vinegar, citric acid or something similar).

This is all the same reason that you should never put distilled water into your radiator. Says right on the bottle of antifreeze to use tap. Filtered is great.

 

[jefferyd]

Originally Posted by Ringo

Reviving this thread to ask about vacuum tables, specifically, how good they are. Seems like a few folks in here (mainly those that are tailors themselves) have experience with them. Do they really make ironing easier/better and allow you to achieve a crisp finish at home?

I found this when going through some old stuff.

Moisture and heat make the fibers malleable, pressure either flattens or creases the fiber in a new position (or just a flat one), the vacuum dries the fibers quickly while the pressure is still being applied. If you move the garment before it is completely dry, your crease will not quite be set (in the case of a crease) and it is susceptible to little impressions as you reposition yourself.

For shirts alone, it is a timesaver and helps a little. For suits I find it indispensable, mainly because I am impatient. I have never used the domestic vacuum tables, and don't have space for a proper one at home so I bring most of my pressing in to the shop.

As for the iron, the main benefit of pressurized steam is consistency. You push a button and steam comes out, always in the same amount. Home irons give little bursts of steam and it is never consistent. There are gravity-fed irons which give similar results to boiler-fed ones but are much cheaper, in the $120 range.

 

[alfredoharrison]

I have been researching and testing with iron,(Our expert talking with me, the German Rowenta Iron product is the best ) almost all the people like this Rowenta steam iron. I have recommended you can buy them. It's the best affordable, lightweight, easy to use iron for anyone.

 

[martin_d]

I have been researching and testing with iron,(Our expert talking with me, the German Rowenta Iron product is the best ) almost all the people like this Rowenta steam iron. I have recommended you can buy them. It's the best affordable, lightweight, easy to use iron for anyone.

So sorry to resurrect this, but opinions needed.
But I'm looking for an iron with a good pressure - for a suit. While I am quite happy with the suit fit and construction, the fabric loves to hold onto wrinkles. Like, I wore it for once and 2 weeks later the elbow area still has wrinkles. I don't own a steamer as none of my other fairly decent suits do this. So maybe you, guys, can help me?
Any recommendations on an iron or steamer to buy? How much do you need to spend on one?