All my friends practically disowned my husband when he told them he bought me an iron for my birthday. How sexist! How could he possibly expect me to like a gift like that? It’s like getting him a lawnmower on Father’s Day. “Here honey, now get to work!” Of course, what they didn’t know was he got me an amazing gravity feed professional iron which would probably never touch a piece of store-bought clothing, ever. This baby is kept up in my sewing room and only works on fabric in the process of becoming something else.
Naomoto is the Cadillac of gravity feed irons
Naomoto irons are made in Japan for use in garment factories, laundry and dry cleaners, boutiques, hospitals, hotels–basically any place that needs to do lots and lots of ironing and wants to get it done quickly. Now, you may not have thought of using a gravity feed iron in your everyday sewing, but once you try one, you’ll never turn back. Tailors and dry cleaners know the secret to fast pressing–steam, and lots of it! This type of setup involves a separate water tank which holds up to a gallon of water. The reservoir is suspended above the iron and connected by a long tube. When you press the steam button, gravity sucks the water from the tank, through the hose and directly to the hot iron where it instantly turns into steam.
The iron is stored flat on a heat-resistant pad until you need it. And because these are professional irons, they are designed to be left on for long periods of time. One thing that makes the Naomoto brand stand out from other gravity feed irons is the use of a heat shield. Heat rises, obviously, and the handle can heat up dramatically if you don’t have a heat shield over underneath. You can burn yourself easily if all that heat and steam is funneled directly to your hand. Naomoto irons feature a Conex heat canopy to keep that handle cool, no matter how long you keep the unit turned on.
Some gravity feed irons have temperature control thermostats and some don’t. You’ll need to decide what types of fabric you’ll be ironing and whether you’ll need to adjust the heat setting. I sew such a wide variety of fabric, a thermostat is an absolute necessity. Naomoto irons come with easy-touch temperature controls.
Naomoto HYS 520 iron professional features
- Generates steam in less than 3 minutes. Who has time to wait around for steam?
- Gravity feed system uses ordinary tap water. You’ll want to add their filter resin mix if you have hard water with high mineral content.
- Uses 880 Watts of electricity and works on 110 or 220 volt power.
- Offers electronic temperature control and electric micro-switch operation.
- Comes with water bottle and steam feed tubing.
- Weighs about 5 pounds.
Caring for your Naomoto professional iron
- Use distilled water, if you can, to prevent any mineral build up in your reservoir. Naomoto irons come with a filter resin you can just mix in with your tap water to achieve the same effect.
- Never leave water in the iron. It’s best to clear the water tube completely when you’re finished using it for the day. That way the iron gets a chance to dry completely.
- Clean the sole plate and steam vents regularly. This ensures your iron will give you professional results for a long long time.
Where to buy the Naomoto HYS 520
Unless you have an industrial appliance store in your neighborhood, you’re going to have to order your iron online. That’s not a problem, though, because Amazon.com has the best price I’ve found on Naomoto irons and they’re the most trusted online shopping site anywhere.(See below for an important update!) They frequently run sales and special free shipping offers, too. Best of all, you can trust their secure shopping cart and privacy policy to keep your private information safe.
I was so sick of burning through iron after cheap iron, ruining my fabric with drip stains, and waiting forever for enough steam to get rid of that stubborn crease. Investing in a professional iron is almost as important to your sewing bliss as investing in a professional sewing machine. (Except an iron of this quality is a fraction of the cost of a high quality sewing machine.) Check out the prices on Amazon right now. You’ll be glad you did.