Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

There is a "tldr" paragraph at the end of this review! I use my iron a lot more than most people, almost daily, because I make garments and quilts. I've gone through a lot of irons and I know that there are big differences between them. The most expensive ones aren't always the best, and earlier Rowentas I've had haven't lived up to their cost, either in performance or longevity. I was using a Sunbeam when I had the opportunity to try this one. I used it to press seam allowances on quilt blocks and to iron large pieces of cotton fabric. The Rowenta DW9280 is a heavy iron. Whether you like a heavy iron is personal preference. I used to think more weight was better, but I don't think so any more. You still have to bear down on an iron, and so the difference in the actual weight in my opinion is inconsequential to performance. It isn't inconsequential to your wrist, though, and after a long day of using the iron it becomes tiresome. The cord on this iron measures 96" from base of iron to the wall when plugged in, about the same as the Sunbeam. The iron uses plain tap water for steam, and advises against using distilled, demineralized, or rain water, among others. The stainless steel sole-plate glides smoothly over the fabric. The iron heats up quickly. However, after eight minutes of inactivity it shuts off. The directions say that a "gentle shake" will turn it back on. I've found that a shake does nothing. You must lay the iron down on the ironing board with a little thump to get it going again. The auto-off feature is a mixed blessing. It's good for those of us who are absent-minded enough to walk away without unplugging the iron. It's not so good for quilting or garment making when you may be back and forth to the iron at slightly longer intervals. When you have to wait for the iron to heat up every time just to press a seam, it's annoying. Unfortunately most household irons have some variation of auto shut-off. At least this iron doesn't turn itself off while you're using it, like my old Sunbeam does! The dial used to select the fabric (i.e. heat) setting is on the top of the body of the iron under the handle. You rotate it to the setting you want. Just as a matter of interest, there are no definite heat demarcations on the dial. What I mean by this is that I moved the dial just until the "silk" setting lighted up, and then clicked the dial until I got "wool." There were eleven clicks between the two settings. I don't know if there are degrees of heat available (I doubt it) or if "silk" is "silk" and "cotton" is "cotton" no matter whether the dial is on click two or click nine in each setting. The placement of the selection dial on an iron is always a consideration. I had an iron where it was on the handle. It was easy to turn on, but it was too easy to change the setting without even realizing it as you iron. Not a good thing if you unknowingly raise the setting when you are pressing delicate fabric! Putting the dial under the handle reduces this possibility but doesn't eliminate it. This dial is big enough and turns easily, a bit too easily if you happen to nudge it. I apparently did this while using the "silk" setting. I suddenly noticed that the "nylon" light was flashing, so I had inadvertently turned down the heat somehow. A word about the vaunted "Autosteam Electronic Control" function. All irons have settings for various fabrics, arranged in order of temperature from low to high. The booklet for this iron brags that it "automatically adjusts the steam amount and the temperature based on the selected fabric for optimum results." I would much rather decide for myself how much steam to use. Most irons, including my $30 Sunbeam, allow me to decide if I want a little steam, a medium amount, or a whole lot of steam. This Rowenta only lets me decide if I want steam or no steam. I can't use less steam if I want on cotton, or more steam if I want it at a lower temperature setting. This causes billowing of steam in my face when I am lifting and lowering the iron while trying to press cotton quilt blocks, and is a drawback to this iron for me. The documentation says there is a compact steam generator built into the iron that pushes 30% more steam into the fabric, compared to other irons. I have no way of knowing for sure, but I suspect this is hype. I have not noticed any difference in the iron's ability to press out long-term creases from stored cotton fabric. I still use my spray bottle to augment, or even replace the steam function of this iron, just as I did with the Sunbeam. The iron does have the shot of steam function, which you can use either in the horizontal or vertical position. You can also spray water onto your fabric. Both of these are good features, although a separate spray bottle works better than the iron's spray. The iron claims to have an "Anti-Drip" system that prevents water from leaking out of the iron "when the temperature is too low." However, during the second day of use, using the iron on cotton fabric at the appropriate setting with steam, I had a large drip on the fabric. Not fatal, or even really a problem with cotton, but could be a problem with other fabrics. I used the silk setting for a poly knit I was constructing. It worked well. I turned off the steam, but be aware that if you accidentally hit the shot of steam button (which I managed to do) you will get a shot of steam no matter what the setting. There was no damage done, but if you really need a dry iron, you should probably make sure the iron is empty, and not just on the "dry" setting, to be sure there will be no steam or drips. I admit to being a little careless about this. Tldr: The iron is heavy. It uses plain tap water, an advantage. The amount of steam you get depends on what fabric setting you are using. You don't have the option to increase or decrease steam for any one fabric, a disadvantage. It has a spray function. The shot of steam operates whether or not you have the iron set for steam or dry, and no matter what the fabric setting. The iron heats up quickly and glides smoothly. There is an auto shut-off function that turns off the iron after about eight minutes of inactivity (less time if the iron is flat on the board). It takes a pretty good shake or tap on the board to start the iron up again. Overall, I like the iron and will keep using it, but I probably would not buy another one unless the price dropped drastically. Rowentas I've had in the past, despite being pricey, had short life-spans and were prone to leaking. I will update this review after a longer period.