I got tired of "steam spots" on thing so I switched to a non-steam or not putting water in it and using a spray bottle of watr

You might consider a more professional iron if you do it every day. I assume you have a laundry or sewing room and have room for a gravity iron. Check out Sapporo, they're affordable and tough as nails.

I am so embarrassed....
The steamer is made by Euro Pro. I was so angry with it I didn't bother to look at the lettering, just assumed, that's scary in itself! that it was a Rowenta!
Sorry.
Any advise is appreciated.

theturtlelady,
I will ck out the Sapporo's, thank you. Can u please give me info about them, how long you've used them etc..??

I used one at work in a tailor shop. The tailor had spent a packet on irons that burned out and finally got the Sapporo brand new for $100 and has had it at least 3 yrs now, on 10 hrs a day, 6 days a week. You do have to have a place to hang the water reservoir, way bigger than a home iron's, and it has a thin hose that can be irritating. The thing is quite heavy, had a teflon sole plate that you could use on anything, and I mean anything, fine silks even, and you could get no steam, a bit of steam, or a sauna. We even used it to steam things on a hanger since - yup, you guessed it - the steamer burned out in no time.

theturtlelady,

I would just set it up in my bedroom and hang the tank on the bathroom door I suppose. SO.... am I reading your post correctly that the steamer burnt out quickly? I don't dry iron so the steam function is very important for my ironing needs. Is a special ironing board needed as well?

I notice on some pics I found that the steam vents are only on the top of the iron, are they sufficient?

Thank you for your help.

No, we had a separate steamer that burned out, so we used the Sapporo held sideways AS a steamer. I don't know about a special ironing board, but I have one here at home that isn't solid, it looks like metal mesh kind of and I have double padding under the cover. Any board will have some holes, but the more it can "breathe", the better if you use a lot of steam.

I don't know what you mean about steam vents. Can you send me a link to what you're looking at? If you mean on the bottom of the iron near the point, then yes, it's fine. The idea is to press in that direction, lead with steam, dry with the rest, though if you have the teflon sole plate, it's vented all over and spreads the steam evenly. And I really do recommend that plate, it won't interfere with your steam in the least bit and will keep you from burning anything.

theturtlelady,

Yes, I meant the vents on the bottom of the iron itself.
Rownenta's have many and I noticed the Sapporo had few.
I thought the added vents meant more steam power.
Is a teflon sole plate better than the stainless steel plates?
Do they get as hot? I've never burned anything yet! =)
So you were able to steam sideways with no problem with water
leakage?
Thank you again for your help.
Have a great day!

The number of vents has nothing to do with steam power, trust me on that. The teflon plate also helps the iron glide, it is a heavy iron, and the plate will get hot, the teflon is a coating, the plate is still metal. Yes, we steamed sideways with no leakage, even kept the sole plate on and the steam blasted right through.

I should point out that there is some difference between pressing and steam pressing, which can leave your garment slightly damp, hence the lack of vents on the back of the iron. This serves to dry it as you pass it over, so you don't lift a damp garment and lose the shape you just steam pressed it into.

theturtlelady,

Again thank you!
If I need to crease slacks/dress shirts etc.. is this easily done?? Can I use my regular board that I put a thick padded cover on?
I went to Costco today and they have a "steamer", but it only has the nozzle and no iron.
It's tough looking at the small pics on the websites. I like to physically touch things and ck. them out before buying. Looks like this might not be possible.
So, the sole plate is a separate piece?
I appreciate your patience with me, you've been of great help! =)

You can crease pretty much anything. The sole plate is detachable and I think it came with it. As far as I can see, you could use your regular board with padding, but might want to look into an iron rest and make sure it's in the right place for balance since the iron is heavy and I can't remember if the rest came with it. Maybe if you e-mail them, they can tell you somewhere in your area you could handle one before making a commitment.

theturtlelady,

Is the sole plate used for regular ironing?
My board doesn't have a rest, but I have glass on my dresser that may work as a sturdy rest.

Thanks again!