Reliable V100 Digital Velocity Steam Iron

I ordered this iron to replace my piece-of-junk Rowenta DX8900. I sew and quilt alot, so I was thrilled that Reliable was offering an iron that had the option to disable the auto-off function. I also love the dual heating element feature that allows for the production of steam at any temperature setting, and the water reservoir is huge. That being said, I have found the iron to have two major design flaws in my opinion.

1. The controls are poorly located and it''s too easy to accidently change the settings while ironing.

2. The steam function has auto-shutoff. After a few seconds of ironing the steam turns off unless the iron is kept in constant, vigorous motion. It isn''t a problem when ironing, but it''s a royal pain when trying to press open a seam and other sewing tasks that use long straight motions of the iron. I have to constantly pick up the iron and shake it as I go. I don''t understand the point of the offering the auto-off disable feature for sewers/crafters and then having the steam shut off automatically. They must not have had sewers test the iron.

Unfortunately, there are very few quality irons on the market designed specifically for sewers who don''t want an auto-off iron. The Reliable V100 comes closer than any other on the market right now. Overall, I like the iron, but I really wish that someone would design one that simply stays on, keeps steaming, and doesn''t assume it knows what I want it to do.

Although the publicity states that this is made by a Canadian company, it is actually made cheaply in China. Although it ironed as well but not better than my Rowenta 8800 I returned it to Amazon because:

1. The sole plate is made in China from cheap Chinese stainless steel, the kind that stained right away and spread the stain on my trial pieces. Stainless steel is not all the same quality; this one is low quality. I don''t know where the stains came from but they were difficult to remove because unlike the Rowenta, it has a satin finish sole instead of a polished stainless sole. I also did not like the filler, awkward to use and cheaply built like the rest of the iron.

2. It is supposed to have a very precise digital control allowing the user to select high steam but low sole temperature so that the iron will not shine or burnish your clothes. It does have those controls, just like on the expensive steam generators but even on the lowest sole temperature setting with high steam selected, it immediately put a shine on my trial silk and linen pieces, even on cotton the temperature was too high when set on the lowest setting.

3. It spits, very impolite.

4. It is one pound heavier than the Rowenta and it is big.

So it would be a nice $55.00 iron but it certainly is not worth the retail price.

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I bought this iron because I liked the idea of being able to get steam at any heat setting. It was way more expensive than most irons but the iron it replaced ran super hot and wound up damaging clothes. I was hoping that by spending more, I would get a better made, more reliable (no pun intended) iron.

This iron turns on automatically when you plug it in. Steam generation though does not turn on automatically and you must turn it on manually. Thats really not a problem for me. There is a digital display that shows temperature setting and steam setting (medium or high are the only two choices) but it does not show whether steam generation is on or off. I found that to be really annoying. The only way you really know is when you start to iron, you can hear the steam generator buzzing. The amount of visible steam is much less than other steam irons I have used so it is hard to tell if it is working otherwise.

There is also a way of turning off the automatic turn off feature. I found it worked sometimes and other times not. In addition, the iron is very slow to heat up.

I am hoping over time I will get used to the lack of a steam on indicator. Ironing was easy enough, the water tank is huge and the iron seemed to work well otherwise. Not sure if it is worth the extra money yet.

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As an avid quilter I use my iron daily. This is hands down the best yet. For ironing fabric yardage just out of the drier it is a dream. The irons weight seems to melt the wrinkles right out. My husband irons his own dress shirts using the steam feature. He said the water well is big enough that the need to refill is cut down. No leaks. He had done the research and selected this make and model. We used Amazon to find the best price. I am very happy.

UPDATE: 2012 and the rubber of the hand grip is Disintegrating? Do I grip to tightly? I think not. The tiny black crumble dust must not be ironed into you clothes. It melts. For the price of this iron, I did not anticipate it to fall apart.

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Got this iron for Chrismas. The thing works great but...the heat and steam controls are placed on the handle directly below where the hand rests when ironing. I found that I was constantly checking to see if I was still at the right setting. The controls are easy to push and I just feel like there is potential for ruining fabric if the temp is inadvertantly switched hotter than the fabric allows. Oops there goes the polyester or silk in the trash. Oh and the iron is super heavy, just shy of 4 pounds. Rather hard to iron for a long time.

I really liked the rubber feet that are on the heel of the iron. I did not drop the iron ever like I have with my rowenta which is top heavy and tips easily. This one stayed upright with out difficulty.