When we went to see Bonnie Hunter in Storm Lake our daughter Kelli and I set up an ironing station. People used her iron and my iron. Time and time again people would ask Kelli where she got her iron. Everyone commented on how hot it was and how light weight it was. After all those comments, I decided to give it a try…..I loved it.
Kelli kept telling people that it was a cheap iron and she wasn’t positive where she had bought the iron at. The line to use Kelli’s iron was always long….the line to my iron..NOT.
My iron was not a real expensive iron…maybe $40. It has auto shut off. It has a retractable cord…or did have a retractable cord. It doesn’t work anymore. The iron is only a year or so old….but I have never liked it. It doesn’t heat up very hot. If I have a truly wrinkled piece of fabric the wrinkles never come completely out.
Kelli has been coming home for sewing days. Because she hates my iron so much, she has started bringing her iron. The last time she was home she came with this….
an iron for ME!! I love it! We tried it out and boy am impressed with it. The wrinkles are gone with just one past of the iron. With my old iron I would almost push the iron down into the fabric and even then they wouldn’t come out. Even though it’s bad manners, I asked Kelli how much the iron cost…she said right around $10. It just amazes me. The iron is super light weight. It heats up super hot and does an amazing job.
I didn’t believe that it was so cheap so after Kelli left I went on Amazon to check to see if she was joking or if it was the real price. It would be just like Kelli to spend more and not tell me. Here’s the iron she bought for me….Continental Electric CE23111 Steam Iron. She was telling the truth…it’s $11.53.
I am hoping to give my new iron a little work out today. I know for sure that from now on…no more turn themselves off irons. No retractable cord irons. No expensive irons…it’s cheap Continental brand from me from now on.
I have to say I have an expensive ($45) iron downstairs, with retractable cord, auto shut-off, etc. that I used to use for quilting – now my hubby uses it to iron his shirts. My upstairs (studio) iron is a $10 special from WalMart that heats up almost as fast as I can turn it on and irons wonderfully! The only thing it doesn’t have is auto shut-off, but I have learned to always check the iron before I leave the table (finally! Really don’t want to burn the house down!!) So sometimes cheaper is better!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for blogging about this iron! I am on the hunt for the perfect iron – I fact I did a whole blog rant, um I mean post, about it – LOL. I’m ordering one of these right away!
LOL, I immediately ordered right away also! It came up only $9.38 for me, but shipping put it over $16. That’s okay, I *NEED* this and have been looking for a good one! Thanks for sharing.~ Kiss your dd for us!
thanks for the iron tip. Several years ago I started purchasing cheaper irons and was very happy. I solved the automatic shut off problem by using a power strip. I dedicate it to my iron and I add a lamp. When I turn on the power strip, it turns on the lamp AND the iron. When I start to leave the studio, th turned on lamp reminds me to turn off my iron. Hope this helps. I am ordering a Continental!
i’ve had a cheap dollar general iron for a while now and it’s done a good job. it heats really fast, which i like. i will say it does have the auto shut off, but that’s after an hour, and i don’t leave it on that long usually anyway. that part doesn’t bother me because it heats up so fast.
thanks for the tip. i’ve needed a new iron for awhile. my friends just bought a new Oliso. way out of my price range. this was right in my price range. ordered it right away!! thanks again.
I am the queen of going through irons, no point mentioning the brand of mine as I’m sure here in New Zealand we will have different to you. But I was wondering if you like Bonnie Hunter has a ‘water free’ iron? I have stayed clear of any water in my irons and I really think it helps the life of the iron.Just my 2cents worth :-)
I was on the hunt too! From your daughter’s recommendation, I found the iron at Dollar General. It is hot. Many thanks!
Good information. I had purchased the R_ _ _ _ _ _ A brand iron for $100 & it didn’t last a year. My $10 iron from Kmart, even though I have dropped it a couple of times, is still going. Will have to see if I can find your brand locally.
Thanks for the info on the iron Jo! I’ve been looking for a new iron and I think this one will work! Such a nice daughter that you have that she bought you one :o) By the way, has anyone ever told you that you and Kelly could pass for twins?
i do the same as Sandi above – that light tells me to turn everything off! Also, I stopped looked for the perfect iron and began using up my “cheap’ irons I’d stashed away that didn’t steam any more. I had 3 of them – each of them work fine, just no steam. I will NEVER purchase an expensive one again – too much $$ for it to quit in always a short time. The “good ones” seemed to quit steaming in less than a year . I’m tired of dealing with them.
Well, I am thinking of taking your advice and trying this iron. I have gone back to sewing after over 10 years and need an iron that can take the starch and finishes new fabric can have. I have a $175 iron but don’t want to ruin it with finishes so this just may be the answer thanks for the advice.