My steam irons are trying to convince me I'm crazy

I've had ongoing problems finding a good steam iron.  I had a much-beloved T-fal that stopped heating up about a year and a half ago.  I replaced it with a Rowenta that started leaking out of the handle after about a year.  I liked the amount of steam the Rowenta produced so I bought another one to replace it.  Well, that replacement is also leaking and keeps shutting itself off.  It is supposed to have an auto-shutoff, but it will only run about 3 or 4 minutes without being used before it turns off, which is a total pain.  I can hardly sew a seam and turn around to press it before the iron is off again.  Then I have to get up and reset the power strip to turn it on.  Also, it started dribbling water around the "shot of steam/spray" switch on the handle.  The same place the other was leaking.

Fed up, I got on Amazon this morning and ordered another T-fal.  I don't know if they're still as good as my old one was, which lasted for, what, seventeen years?  But I figured they were worth a try.  I ordered a cheaper one since I was through spending good money on irons with no lifespan.

However, I hadn't thrown the old malfunctioning irons away.  I just shoved them in the linen closet.  I was going to clean out the closet this morning and throw them away, but before I did I thought "Let's give them one more shot."

And darned if the T-fal didn't heat right up and start steaming and working!  I put it on the ironing board and I've been using it for several hours.  Perfect.  And it has an auto off, but it doesn't turn off very quickly and if you've left it sitting for quite a while to restart it you don't have to unplug and replug it, just tip it down to horizontal and it clicks on again.  It heats up so fast that it's not an issue anyway.

I filled the old leaky Rowenta, plugged it in and set it on a towel to check for leakage.  And after two hours, not a drop.  NOT A DROP.  This was the iron that if I turned it off and went out of the sewing room for an hour or two to do something, when I returned there was a wet spot on the ironing board cover the size of a dinner plate.  And it wasn't shutting itself off after four minutes like the newer Rowenta.

Speaking of the newest iron, it failed its' test this morning utterly.  It was leaking like a sieve and wouldn't run more than three minutes undisturbed before shutting off.  So it's history.

But what to do about the one I ordered?  I talked to husband who thinks the problem with the old T-fal was that the auto-switch had hung up and wouldn't let the iron turn on .  Why sitting in a closet for 18 months fixed it, no one knows but he assumed that it will mess up again and it's probably a good idea to just replace it now.  It was making some disturbing clicking noises when I first plugged it in this morning;  that was probably the relay on the circuit that had the problem.

Until the day my old faithful T-fal goes to the Big Scrap Heap in the Sky, I will continue to use it, though, and keep the new one in reserve when it arrives.  The leaky, pesky Rowenta is history.  The older one that redeemed itself is on probation.  It makes a lot of steam and is good for pressing backings and steam-shrinking fat quarters and charm packs.  But I've got my eye on it.  Hasn't re-earned my trust yet.

Things just aren't made like they used to be

In the mid 1990's, I bought a T-fal steam iron.  I loved that iron.  It was cheap, it steamed like a demon and was nice and light and maneuverable.  Alas, last fall it quit heating up.  I assume that the thermostat burned out.  However, I had gotten over 15 years from it, a nice long run, and used it every single day, so I consigned it to the trash with thanks and went out in search of a new iron.

Rowenta irons seemed to be the best made (and, gulp, the most expensive) that I found in town.  I didn't want to order an iron because I wanted to pick it up and assess the grip and the weight.  I decided on a Rowenta Focus that I bought at the local Bed Bath and Beyond.  I brought it home, started using it and loved it.

However ------- a couple of days ago it started spitting water droplets when you turned it from vertical to horizontal.  It had never done that before.  The droplets came out of the holes in the sole plate so I was at a loss to fix the problem.  I had had a lot of cheap irons in the past which did this, but the Rowenta never did.  Then, I picked it up two days ago and found a soggy spot on the ironing board cover.  I couldn't figure out where the water was seeping out so I put a wash cloth under it to absorb the water while I pondered the problem. 

Yesterday I went over to press some quilt blocks and when I picked up the iron, water poured out of the base around the electric cord.  EEEEEK!  I quickly unplugged the iron.  I found that when you tipped the iron just a little past vertical with the sole plate pointing upward instead of downward the water in the tank all ran out.  Evidently the water tank cracked and finally let go completely.  Rats.  I was back in the iron shopping business.  After only one year.

I knew that the selection in town was poor, so I went back to Bed Bath and Beyond to look at the Rowentas.  I know, I know - once burned twice shy.  But really, there wasn't a lot to choose from.  I ended up buying another Focus.  This was as much as I was willing to pay for an iron, but I wanted one that really steamed and heated up quickly, so Rowenta was the best choice.  Maybe I just got a lemon before;  Let's see if this one lasts longer.

I did love the model names for the Rowenta irons, though.  I could have bought a "Steamium".  Isn't that a great name for an iron?