Maple Reviews

David Allen

T-Fal Ultraglide Easycord Iron (FV4269003) Review: For An Iron That Stands Securely

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One of the most common problems with an iron is its inability to stand securely. With such an iron, you always have to keep a close eye on it while turning over your garment when ironing to make sure it doesn’t fall. This is because the cord is badly designed that it keeps getting in the way to make the iron stand securely on its heel.

A Problem Solved
The T-Fal Ultraglide Easycord Iron solves this problem well enough with its extra large heel design. It would suit those who are always in a hurry and find it a tad inconvenient spending time pulling at the cord to make the iron stand properly. And for those who have young kids at home, an iron which can stand securely will always be safer to an iron which always looks like it is going to topple over. The cord design itself is also unique in that it is less likely to get in the way while you are ironing.

Performance-wise, this iron has the same soleplate as the T-Fal Ultraglide Diffusion Steam Iron. It glides very well across fabrics and the steam is sufficient to get rid of creases. It doesn’t emit plenty of steam like what you get with some other more expensive models but the slickness of the soleplate design is what makes the iron glides rather than reliance on abundance of steam. There is also a comfort handle that allows a good grip compared to the usual plastic handles of most irons.

Rowenta Effective Iron (DX1700 / DX1900) Review: A Piece Of Junk?

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This is one of the lower priced Rowenta models and like all Rowenta irons, it does a great job as per specifications. The beauty about Rowenta irons is always the steam which is plentiful and evenly distributed to give you the best result. For the Rowenta Effective Iron DX1700, it is no different. Its steam function works beautifully to give you a garment that seems to be straight out of the cleaners.

Good Iron But..
As mentioned, the Rowenta DX1700 is certainly an effective iron to get rid of creases and wrinkles. The heat is sufficiently hot and the steam output is generous to give you the desired result. The soleplate is stainless steel which gives a smooth glide across the material you are ironing.

Naturally, this model feels less solid and doesn’t have the professional look of the Rowenta Focus. It is in the feel of the iron which makes the chore more pleasurable with the latter model which also seems to have a better glide. However, the Focus is of a different price range and thus, it is only fair it feels much more solid and effective for the price that you pay.

For the $50 price range, the Rowenta DX1700 Effective Iron certainly rates highly in terms of performance compared to other brands because of the generous steam output and the slickness of the soleplate. That is if you can get it to last. While I do not have problems with the iron while testing, many consumers have complained of unreliability of this model as it seems to have a short life span. The same complaints are also common for the Rowenta Effective Iron DX1900 model which features a retractable cord.

Complaints usually centers around the auto shut-off feature which turns cranky and leaks from the steamholes which cause spotting on clothes. It is unfortunate because when it works perfectly, the Rowenta Effective Iron does the job very well as it is designed to do.

Black & Decker Digital Evolution Steam Iron (D5500) Review: Let’s Go Digital

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black-and-decker-digital, If you don’t like to fiddle with knobs and dials, then the Black & Decker Digital Evolution Steam Iron would meet your needs. A digital control makes everything more precise and for this model, it is easy to use with the press of a button to choose the desired setting by selecting the type of fabric you will be ironing. It is very common to unknowingly knock the rounded dial setting that appears beneath the handle of most irons and having a digital control instead easily solves this problem.

Good And Bad
This Black & Decker D5500 Digital Evolution Steam Iron is a good iron for its price range. It is not the top best iron but neither it is the worst that I have used. It has a ceramic soleplate which means there is a trade-off between smoothness and being scratch-resistant. You cannot compare it with a good stainless steel iron which would usually give you a smoother glide. This Black & Decker model may drag the material along when ironing that it is imperative that you set the correct temperature for the type of fabric you are pressing. Otherwise, your garment will get bunched up and makes more wrinkles than before. But as mentioned, this is the usual trade-off between the different soleplates and this Black & Decker model glides just as well as most other ceramic irons out there. Otherwise, you can consider the Black & Decker Digital Advantage Iron which carries a stainless steel soleplate.

The steam output can be more for this model but the upside is you don’t have to refill as often compared to some irons which guzzle water to emit abundance of steam. While I belive more steam is better than less, not everyone likes to iron with more steam than necessary to get the job done. As long as the steam is sufficient to give you a smooth material with 2 or 3 passes, it should be acceptable, unless you are really fussy and what something more efficient.

Another great feature of this iron is that it lets you know when it is ready for use. There a beep sound to alert you when it has reached the right temperature and it doesn’t take long for it to heat up. Not all irons have this sound indicator and if you have gotten use to having it, you do tend to miss it if you start using other irons that don’t have this little feature.

To re-fill this iron, you need to put it flat on its base so that you can see when it hits the maximum allowable. It can be a pain to some as it means you need to unplug the iron to avoid the risk of burning your ironing board cover when refilling. However, because this iron doesn’t guzzle water as mentioned, you don’t really need to refill that often as long as you know how to economize on the steam usage.

Sunbeam Classic Iron (3965) Review: Cheap But Workable

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sunbeam-classic, Not everyone sees an iron as a priority. Neither does everyone can afford a $100 iron. Some have bought top range irons in the past just to have it unusable after a short period of time and would rather settle for a cheaper iron that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. If you are in any of these situations, then let’s take a look at a cheap iron which happens to be the Sunbeam Classic Iron.

Pros
The Sunbeam 3965 Classic Iron comes in the $20 range and for this price, it is a nice surprise to have quite a few features that include shot of steam, spray mist and motion sensor shut-off. Once you have gotten used to a shot of steam feature to get rid of wrinkles, you can’t really go back and live without it while ironing. So, having this feature packed into a $20 iron is indeed a good bargain.

In terms of performance, just don’t set your expectations too high and you should be happy with this iron. In other words, you need a few more strokes to get rid of wrinkles and creases, especially the stubborn ones. It is also not a super glide iron that works effortlessly but it is slick enough that it doesn’t stick to whatever you are ironing. In that sense, it is a cheap iron that works and gets the job done, if you are not particularly fussy.

Cons
The steam function can certainly be improved. It is not highly efficient because you need to have it on at least the second highest setting before you can get some steam going. There may be a slight defect in the iron that I was using, but on the practical side, the highest and second highest setting are probably where the hotness is just sufficient to get a good press when using this iron, which coincides with having the steam feature functioning.

Rowenta Focus Stainless Steel Iron (DZ5080) Review: More Expensive But More Effective

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The last thing you want for an iron is it feels light and ineffective that you have to go over a wrinkled patch umpteen times for it to come out smooth and neat. Well, for the Rowenta Focus, you can be assured that it feels solid and professional-looking, given the price that you pay.

The Nice Things About The Rowenta Focus
This Rowenta iron gives you lots of steam that is evenly distributed, much more than any other steam iron that I have used. It may not be necessary but as with all irons, more is better than less. Otherwise, you might just end up complaining of not enough steam each time you plug in your iron. From a purely steam production aspect, I would rate this as the best iron in that category.

Since the Rowenta Focus Iron has a stainless steel soleplate, it also means it glides very well and for a 1,700-watt iron, you won’t have a doubt if it is ever going to be hot enough for all the stuff that you have to press.

The design of this steam iron also well-thought out as it has a high-precision tip, which means it makes it easier to iron around buttons, pockets and such. I, for one, have been guilty of leaving hard to reach areas all wrinkled because the tip of the iron that I was using just wasn’t narrow enough to get to the places that need smoothening out. With the Rowenta Focus, the high precision tip is a great feature to have to overcome this problem.
Rowenta Iron

The Not So Nice Things
This Rowenta iron feels solid and it has to be since it doesn’t come cheap. On its own, it doesn’t feel that heavy but once it is filled with water, your hand can get rather tired moving it around if you have a big pile of clothes to iron. If you don’t have strong hands and arms, this might not be the best iron for you. While other irons may even be heavier, perhaps the large water tank for this model makes all the difference once it is filled up.

The tendency is for you to fill it up to the maximum to avoid having to refill so often. As a result, it lends weight to the iron. Personally, I prefer it to be half-full which feels just right in terms of weight for me. But given the generous steam output, it would mean more refilling needs to be done if you don’t fill the tank up to the maximum. As it is, I can iron about 3 cotton items before refilling. Therefore, a half-full water tank would probably mean I have to re-fill after every 1 shirt or so. Pretty inconvenient but on the upside, re-filling this iron is easy and does not require pinpoint accuracy like some other steam irons.

Black & Decker F63D Classic Metal Iron Review: The Solid Feel Iron

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If you are a sentimental person who scorns upon those modern plastic irons, then the Black & Decker Classic Metal Iron may be for you. Since it is a basic iron without all the bells and whistles, the reason you would want to get this model is for the look that brings back those good old days of simplicity.

The Simple Iron
One warning before you buy the Black & Decker F63D The Classic Metal IronBlack & Decker F63D is that you have to be aware that it doesn’t have all the fancy features like auto-cleaning and vertical steam that are popular with its modern counterparts. It has a dry and steam function with a button to alternate between the two features.

In terms of heat, it is certainly hot enough to get rid of wrinkles. If you bump it up to the higher settings for an extended ironing session, you can even feel the heat through the handle. The steam works fine but it is not as plentiful as most other popular steam irons out in the market. Basically, this iron relies on heat to get the wrinkles and creases off with steam merely complimenting the whole process.

If you like the feel of metal compared to plastics, then this is another reason to settle for this Black & Decker iron. It lends weight to the iron and metal always feels more solid to grip and hold compared to a plastic iron which is usually more flimsy.

Disadvantages
While a classic design is the selling point of this iron, it is also its main problem. This means you can’t see the water level at all for this iron and as a result, refilling can be a real pain. However, you can always rely on a measuring cup to get around this problem which is what I tend to do for irons that don’t have a water window.

The other problem with this iron is the slickness of the soleplate. It is not very smooth and at times, you can be left wondering why you put up with a classic iron when you can settle for the more contemporary super glide types. But on the other side of the coin, although it may not be super smooth, it is hot and heavy that it gets the job done just as well with a little practice