I was getting ready to pack for a trip, and pulled some cotton and linen pants out of the closet, only to realize that I’d put them away without ironing them. Big mistake! If you let really bad wrinkles, set, they are truly resistant to smoothing out again. My regular iron barely made a dent in these wrinkles, even though I used the highest heat setting, and lots of steam.
But, as luck would have it, a box arrived with one of Rowenta’s two newest wrinkles wrestlers: The Rowenta Steamium, $175.00: and the Rowenta Pro Master Iron, $125.00. Both of these irons are made for pros, but you can get them for home use.
As I pulled the Rowenta Steamium iron out of the box, I noticed that it was built like a tank, and was quite hefty. In fact, this iron is touted as: “the most powerful iron on the market.” It’s not an idle claim. The Steamium is the Escalade of irons. It’s flashy and impressive, and it’s BIG. It’s also take more effort to lift than an ordinary iron, but that additional heft makes make ironing faster and more efficient. I also noticed that instead of a little water reservoir, this Rowenta iron has a more generously sized one. That’s nice, because most of the water in a regular iron is used up within a short period of time, and you have to stop mid-task, and refill it. The Steamium also has a new, “Steam Force” built in pump injection system that combines steam and power to deliver 30% more steam on all types of fabrics (you can use a trigger spray, or coax out stubborn wrinkles with a power-shot of steam). I was a bit confused about whether or not , although you can use regular tap water, you should check to see if yours is “hard.” The anti-drip feature is helpful, as is the specialized water “cup” to make filling it with water, easier.
While it might be a stretch to call an iron, beautiful, this one is attractive. It was created by the design house Faltazi of France (the iron itself is made in Germany), It has a raised back and a pointed, streamlined front. Large buttons and a light up display to show what fabric type has been chosen, makes it easy to select the right settings. In fact, once you choose the fabric type, the steam and temperature adjusts automatically to compliment that setting. The iron handle is padded and rubberized for a secure and comfortable grip. There is an auto shutoff for safety, and a self cleaning system.
I wasn’t sure whether a larger, more luxe iron would make a huge difference, but after using it for a while now, I have come to appreciate the fact that newer, bigger, and well designed, really is better. When you’re ironing resistant wrinkles (like those pants I mentioned earlier), you will get nearly dry-cleaner pressing results with a little attention to detail. And, if you’re going to be ironing for a family, a good iron will be faster and more efficient, for sure. These days, a lot of people (myself included) are doing more hand washing instead of dry cleaning. The Rowenta irons will make the final step, pressing, much better. There might be an initial investment for an “iron upgrade,” but with a little care, your new iron will be paying dividends, for years.
Visit the Rowenta web site to learn more, and purchase your new iron!
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