RowentaSteam Force Stainless Steel Soleplate Steam Iron for Clothes 400 Microsteam Holes 1800 Watts Ironing, Fabric Steamer, Garment Steamer, Digital Display, Precision Tip DW9440

Needed a new iron after my 20 year old Rowenta died. I’m very impressed with this new one, although I prefer its predecessor’s continuous steam capabilities. Not withstanding that, this new Steam Force Pro easily removes wrinkles from my 100% linen and cotton clothing, which makes it definitely worth the price in my book.

This review is for the Rowenta DG7626 Compact Steam ProI am a home sewer. I make both garments and the occasional craft project. 15 years ago I bought a Delonghi Steam Generator Iron (a.k.a. Steam System a.k.a. Mini-boiler) and found it to be vastly superior to using an inexpensive iron with a water tank in the handle (which usually drips water on the fabric and doesn't make enough steam.) Also, spritzing the fabric with water while ironing is fine for cottons and may work for quilters but just does not cut it if you are trying to shape seams for a garment or working with fusible interfacing. I stupidly broke my Delonghi and I just can't go back to the old type of iron. Sadly Delonghi doesn't seem to make these anymore. The only brands I found with products in the "low" price range ( $250 to $300) are Rowenta and the Reliable "Maven" model. Over the years on sewing forums I have heard plenty of complaints about Rowenta quality. The Reliable Maven reviews also had a number of complaints and there were a lot fewer reviews. While Reliable's commercial steam systems have a very good reputation, spending over $600 for a professional steam iron doesn't make any sense for a home sewer of only average skill and small output. So after reading a bunch of reviews and shopping all over the internet I decided to try the Rowenta DG7626.The Rowenta iron works differently from the Delonghi. The Delonghi had a big metal water tank with a heavy metal cap that screwed on really tight. It then heated the entire tank of water and once the tank had reached the proper temperature, you had lots of steam and it would only cycle the heat on if the water cooled enough. The Rowenta uses a plastic tank in which the water remains cool, and periodically a pump kicks on to inject some more water into the (much smaller) boiler to generate the steam. The Delonghi (which did not have a pump) produced more steam for a longer period of time, but it took FOREVER to heat up to temperature and produce that first blast of steam. The Rowenta has steam in about 3 minutes. The Rowenta design seems more energy efficient for shorter ironing sessions. The Rowenta is ready much faster but the quantity of steam can drop somewhat as it draws more water to make more steam if you exhaust the smaller boiler. The Rowenta does make a very noticeable humming sound for a few seconds every time the pump kicks on. I think the Rowenta system is fine for my individual needs as I am usually alternating between sewing and pressing steps in my projects, but if you need a LOT of steam in a continuous stream without any variation, this may not be the product for you. The Rowenta did generate enough steam to iron a bed sheet while working continuously. (I did that just as a test, I normally could not care less if my sheets are wrinkled.) The only other downside I can think of for the Rowenta is that this pump is another component that might fail over time.The Rowenta goes into Standby mode (for steam) after 8 minutes of disuse which is not a very long time, and shuts off completely after about 30 minutes. The Delonghi had no auto shut-off -- it would stay on for days if I forgot to shut it off. Some people really don't like auto shut-off but I'm at the age now where I appreciate the safety precaution and I will just work with the 8-minute limit. You need to press a button to get it to come back out of standby and it takes a couple minutes to generate steam again.As with both "steam system" irons, when you first heat up, you want to blast some steam away from your fabric so any condensation sitting in the lines from the previous use can be pushed out. Otherwise you get water dripping on your fabric which may or may not be a problem depending on what fabric you are pressing.The instructions say to use normal tap water for the Rowenta which is good because I am not buying special water for my iron.I have no need for "vertical steaming" so I can't tell you if the Rowenta is sufficient for steaming garments on the hanger. There are other appliances designed specifically for garment steaming that don't have an iron, just a wand that shoots steam -- that might be a better buy.Everything looked good coming out of the box and it is working correctly according to the manual. If the Rowenta starts to have problems I will update this review.

Rowenta is German made and VERY high quality. Heavy enough to press out wrinkles effortlessly. Uses regular tap water and has a self clean feature!

This is my second Rowenta iron. I purchase my first one in 2008 for $47.99 from Bed, Bath and Beyond. It performed well until it developed a leak coming from the retractable electrical cord casing. That first Rowenta lasted longer than any other brand I had, so I stuck with the manufacturer. Both irons have the self-cleaning feature. The new iron weighs 3 pounds 12 ounces empty and 4 pounds 8 ounces with water. My old iron weighed 3 pounds 4 ounces. The heavier weight is noticable. The base is wider promoting stability. The sole plate is not polished. The steam output is enough to steam my glasses. The cord is not retractable. The cord is long enough. The cord is rubber coated and drags pulling the fabric. Very disappointing A slippery-fabric cover on the cord would solve this issue. I tested both auto-shut-off features; horizontal idle turns off after 30 seconds, verticle idle auto-shut-off happens after 8 minutes. The water tank holds ample water. There is a slight vibration as the water pump fills the steam chamber while in the horizontal position. Not a big deal. To summarize: Con: heavy weight with a cord that needs constant attention to prevent dragging on the fabric. Pro: Ample steam with safety features that work. It uses 1,800-1,850 Watts. Make sure you have a GFI on that circuit.

UPDATE: I really blew it on this review, should have given it more time. I HATE this iron!! I have had it barely six months, and right out of the box it worked great. But six months in, I am throwing it in the trash to vow never to buy another Rowenta iron. The iron sits in my linen closet, has never been dropped, and here are the problems. It not only spits water all over the clothes, you can see by the photos. But it literally dumps water on the clothes. If I turn the steam off, the iron cools down and doesn't stay hot enough to iron. So BEWARE, it may work great out of the box, but give it time. I am purchasing a different brand, and won't even donate this one. I don't want anyone else to feel the same frustration, so in the trash it goes.This is my 3rd Rowenta Iron, and I love them. Yes, they are a bit heavier than other irons, but I prefer that. Some have said the water reservoir is small, I haven't noticed that. The iron heats quickly, steams well, and is heavy enough that I don't have to press down to get a nice clean garment. The water reservoir is fine, if I have a lot to iron I may have to refill it. But it isn't leaking, or spitting water, and I am very happy with this Rowenta iron.

Rowenta is worth every dollar! Great quality. My last Rowenta lasted over 30 years!

Big fan of Rowenta irons. After my last one stopped working due to my negligence (dropped too many times), I bought another brand at the big box warehouse. Was ok but struggled to get linen or 100% cotton shirts nice and crisp. I could never really get jeans or canvas pants properly ironed. Finally decided I needed a new Rowenta. Only regret is not buying a replacement when I needed a new one. Heavy iron, big soleplate, tons of steam, gets very hot. This iron makes short work of all of my ironing. Jeans, canvas, linen, cotton are no longer an issue. They come out perfectly pressed . You get what you pay for.