The Best Steam Iron for Sewing and Quilting

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The Rowenta DW9280 Steamforce Steam Iron just might be the very best steam iron for sewing and quilting, as well as everyday ironing needs!

An honest review of the Rowenta DW9280 Steamforce Steam Iron

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Hello, Kenarry readers! I’m Pam from The Birch Cottage, and I’m back again this month sharing something totally out of the ordinary for me. Typically, I share my latest DIY, craft, sewing or even recipe idea, but today is a different day!

Today, I’d like to introduce you to my nomination for the very best steam iron for sewing and quilting – the Rowenta DW9280 Steamforce Steam Iron.

I don’t do product reviews very often (and I’ve never done one here on Kenarry), but I believe that when I find a product that just blows my expectations out of the water, I just have to share my honest opinion with you. (I was not asked or compensated in any way to share this product review and recommendation. All opinions are 100% my own.)

Whether you strictly only iron when you have to, iron all your clothes, are looking for a vertical steam iron for your drapes or maybe, like me, you do a lot of sewing or quilting, I think you owe it to yourself to read my review and consider my recommendation of the Rowenta DW9280 Steamforce Steam Iron. It just might be the perfect steam iron for you!

My Sad steam iron story

I have made do with budget-friendly (aka cheap) steam irons my whole adult life. But, it’s nobody’s fault but my own. When my cheap budget-friendly iron would fail, I’d simply go buy another budget-friendly iron. This new one would certainly work better, last longer and not frustrate me like the last one, right? Can you relate?

I feel like at this point, I should be saying, “Hi, my name is Pam and I was steam iron stupid my whole life.”

Do you think there’s a support group for people who literally live their wholes lives frustrated my inexpensive (cheap) steam irons? Seriously!

I knew there were “better” (interpreted “expensive”) steam irons on the market, but why on earth would I pay more for an iron than I had to? I mean, you just need heat and steam, right?

Boy, was I wrong!

The steam Iron of my dreams

Meet your next Steam Iron the Rowenta Steamforce

One day, I told my husband, “I’d like to have a nice steam iron.” I was doing a lot of sewing and feeling quite frustrated with the results I was getting from my bargain iron. Even though I had the heat on high and the reservoir full of water, it was taking a lot of effort to get my fabric pressed as well as I liked or as easily as I had hoped. (I know you know what I’m talking about!) In fact, I was pressing so hard with the iron trying to press my seams open that I just about collapsed my poor ironing board.

Then a few days later, my husband comes home with this Rowenta DW9280 Steamforce Steam Iron. It was so beautiful and blue! And when I unboxed it and looked at the soleplate, all those steam holes just sang to me like a brilliant ray of sunshine. I’m not kidding.

Then as I held my new steam iron in my hand, I couldn’t help but notice how solid, hefty and heavy it felt. Heavy. Oh, no, not a heavy iron! Did I make mistake? (Activate buyer’s remorse here).

But, then I took the iron to my sewing room, filled it with water, plugged it in, turned the temperature setting all the way up and set the steam knob to the Steam position and waited for the iron to heat up. (It actually heats up really quickly!) I picked up the iron and slid it across some wrinkled and creased fabric. The Rowenta Steamforce slid across the fabric like butter on a hot skillet. The iron didn’t feel heavy at all! It just seemed to work so effortlessly. My hand just sort of guided it along and the iron did all the work!

“The Rowenta Steamforce slid across the fabric like butter on a hot skillet.”

The Rowenta DW9280 Steamforce Iron

Improve your sewing with this steam iron! Rowenta Steamforce

I do a lot of ironing! I not only like to iron some of our clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer, but I also iron a lot with my sewing. So, having an iron that works effortlessly, presses fabric easily and steams without leaking is really a BIG deal.

I honestly don’t know why I didn’t purchase a better quality iron years ago. And I don’t know how I ever got along without my Rowenta iron.

If my iron sob story (with a happy ending) hasn’t convinced you to invest in a good quality iron, maybe sharing some of my favorite features with you will.

Features of the Rowenta steamforce steam iron

These are my favorite features of the iron. There are actually quite a few things that blew me away! After I list the features, I’ll also share some of the drawbacks of it.

#1 – 1800 Watts of Power

With 1800 watts of power, I’d say that makes this iron a “powerhouse”, for sure!

#2 – 400 Steamholes

The soleplate on the Rowenta DW9280 is constructed of stainless steel and has 400 steamholes. 400! This makes for a really even steam distribution and helps the iron to just glide across fabric effortlessly (like butter in a hot skillet).

A collage of different angles and views of the Rowenta Steamforce iron

#3 – Anti-Calcium System

This steam iron uses regular tap water thanks to the built-in anti-calcium system. No need to purchase distilled water. Just fill the reservoir with tap water. The iron comes with a pretty large water reservoir, but it uses a lot of water!

TIP:  I actually keep a couple of bottles filled with tap water on hand all the time. As you can imagine, with 400 steamholes and an integrated steam pump, this steam iron goes through a lot of water if you’re using the steam function for very long.

The back of the blue steamforce iron

#4 – LED Digital Display

Although the knob under the handle can be a little awkward, there is also an LED digital display on the top of the iron that shows you what fabric setting you have chosen. But, seriously though, you simply plug it in, turn it on, adjust the temperature and it’s ready to start using in just a couple of minutes

The top of the Steamforce Iron

#5 – Automatic Shut-Off

This iron comes with a 3-way automatic shut-off system. It will automatically shut-off after being left untouched for 8 minutes vertically, 30 seconds face down or on its side.

#6 – Steam Vertically

With the powerful vertical steam functionality, you can easily use it to steam clothes and curtains.

The bottom of the Rowenta Iron

#7 – Anti-Drip System

I don’t know how it does it exactly. But the iron senses when the temperature is too low for steam and turns off the steam automatically. This also prevents the iron from spitting and leaking water.

#8 – Precision Tip

The iron has a pointed tip that Rowenta calls a “precision tip”. It works great for pressing seams open, maneuvering over collars and in between buttons.

The front of the Rowenta iron with a precision tip

#9 – Cool Spray Mist

I almost forgot to mention that the iron also includes a cool spray mist button near the handle. Just press it and the iron sprays a cool mist to help you iron out those stubborn wrinkles.

A close-up of the different settings on the Rowenta Iron

#10 – Integrated Steam Pump

There’s even an integrated electronic steam pump that allows you to deliver pretty substantial bursts of vertical steam and push out up to 30% more steam into the material (compared to irons with no pump).

#11 – Self-Cleaning

The Rowenta is even equipped with a self-cleaning feature that works really well. You do not want to use vinegar or any other type of descaling agent in the iron since it has a built-in anti-calcium system. Just use the self-cleaning feature and wipe off the soleplate with a damp cloth.

The self clean button on the Rowenta iron.

cons – My least Favorite Things About it

I don’t really have any cons about the Rowenta DW9280. However, after reading some of the reviews online and taking into consideration my initial observation about the steam iron being “heavy”, I thought I should address that as a con.

#1 – Weight

According to the manufacturer, the iron weighs 3.85 pounds. That is substantially heavier than my budget-friendly iron. It’s definitely not a lightweight iron.

Having said that, it’s only fair to say that other than initially noticing the weight difference, I don’t notice the extra weight at all while using the iron. In fact, I think the weight of the iron adds to the efficiency and actually makes my ironing jobs easier.

#2 – Cord

I’m really being picky here when I mention the cord as a con or negative for the Rowenta DW9280. However, I do wish the cord was just slightly longer. The cord is a decent length, it’s just not what I would consider being a “long” cord.

conclusion

The Rowenta Steamforce iron sitting up

The Rowenta DW9280 Steamforce Steam Iron truly has made a big difference in my ironing and my sewing. It not only makes ironing effortless, but it’s also super fast and has taken all the frustration out of my ironing tasks.

Whether I’m ironing a button-up shirt for my husband or pressing open seams while I’m sewing, this steam iron works amazingly well. I can’t imagine being more pleased with a steam iron.

In fact, just this week I was working on a small quilting piece and this iron just flattened those seams like it was made to do exactly that! And effortlessly!

If you do a lot of ironing, sewing, quilting, fabric crafting or even drapery making, I think you’d absolutely love the Rowenta DW9280 Steamforce Steam Iron.

If you have questions about the iron, please leave them in the comment section below and I’ll be glad to answer your questions.

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If you enjoyed this Rowenta DW9280 Steamforce Steam Iron product review and recommendation, you might also like these other ideas from The Birch Cottage:

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