Pressa Bella Iron

[maggie~hamilton]

Y'all may recall I posted a month or so about getting a Pressa Bella iron. (The posting has since expired so I couldn't find it since the off-topic forum is not archived.)

Anyway, I did get one. I loved it at first - especially the BLAST of steam. But then yesterday when I was getting dressed for church I had to press my shirt. I heated the iron up per instructions (it has two heating elements, one for steam one for heat). When it was ready, I picked it up and pressed the BLAST button. Well, that damned thing spit and coughed and then blasted a bit splat of hot water, not steam, all over the shirt. I took the iron over to the sink and pressed the steam button again, same thing.

I don't know what's wrong with it all of a sudden, but AFTER getting the iron (too late, alas), I googled for reviews of it. I'd say 99% of the reviews were unfavorable with most of them calling it overpriced junk. And there were many complaints about it spewing hot water, as I experienced.

So, live and learn. To the trash it goes.

Now .......... recommendations for a good iron that WON'T cost me a hundred bucks?? (Actually I got it on eBay and only paid $40 for it, thank goodness.)

I press mainly 100% cotton dress shirts. Most of my slacks are blends that really don't need pressing, just a good shot of steam to freshen them up. I do like an iron with GREAT steam function -- the shot of steam bit is great and I use it a lot.

I'd love to get one of the old chrome GE irons with the black handle and the orange and turquoise buttons, but don't know how practical one of them would be for day-to-day ironing.

Suggestions?

 

[petek]

Sorry to hear about your pressing problem there mate. I know, not very punny. I can't really advise you. I have a few vintage irons, GE's, Sunbeams, Proctor Silexs etc but I don't use them since I don't iron anymore other than once a month one item maybe.
However a few years back when I did have to iron my dress shirts for work I splurged and bought the TOL Philips Azur something or other, feature laden, cord rewind etc. and I must say it was and still is a great iron. If I were you I'd just go haunt Value Village etc. they always seem to have a cornucopia of irons for cheap, some still looking like new, and get yourself a trust old Sunbeam, GE or Silex.
BTW where was the Press Nonso Bella manufactured?

 

[hooverwheelaway]

Irons.

Heya Charles Richard...

I've actually had luck with Sunbeam irons... Last time I bought an iron, I went to Target, and vowed not to spend more than $20. I found one for maybe $15 or so, and have been pleased as punch with it! I only use distilled water in it, and empty the water after using the iron.

I figured (as with so much in today's world) that whatever I bought wasn't going to last like an iron of yesteryear. So, if I needed to break down and buy one every few years, I may as well go with something cheap enough to justify re-purchasing as necessary.

I have had bad luck with the steam function as you mentioned above, and usually prefer to mist water out of a spray bottle, and go over whatever I'm ironing. I love hearing that "sizzle" noise.

I've also heard great things about Rowenta irons. You'll pay a bit more (not more than $100 unless you want to).

Here's the iron I got, and it does have the shot of steam button you like:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...5/601-6976084-6756102?ie=UTF8&asin=B000BH7QGS

 

[hooverwheelaway]

This one has always caught my eye, too...

http://www.blackanddeckerappliances.com/product-106.html

 

[brettsomers]

i used to have a mid 90s Sunbeam Steam Master iron without auto-off and a plain soleplate. i LOVED that iron, but i dropped it a few times and i had to buy another. i bought a black and brushed-steel Sunbeam that i now hate. the steam output (on low steam) is inconsistent and the water inlet is too small. i also hate how it shuts off if not vigorously handled.

if anyone has a NIB mid 1990s white Steam Master iron WITHOUT auto-off and a plain soleplate and NO cordreel and WITH variable steam i will love you forever. i search ebay now and then for this model, but its hard to find.

 

[cehalstead]

a good iron

I use a Black and Decker (GE) Classic iron for all of my ironing. I iron approx. 14 shirts a week, and it works for me...They are usually sold for under $30.00, so even if it doesn't work for you, you won't be out a fortune.

 

[ironrite]

Though it will run about $150.00 or so on sale, I'm still liking my Rowenta steam generator iron. You'll want one of those mesh type ironing boards as well, because it can generate a ton of steam. It also steams vertically as well as horizontally. I found if I give a couple of quick blasts of steam, it clears out its lines, so I don't get any spitting of water.

I saw at Target that Shark makes something similiar. I don't know the quality of their steam generator, but the price was around $99.00. It may be worth a try and if it doesn't work, you could return it.

I iron a lot and tend to go through the regular irons pretty quickly, they just don't generate the amount of steam this one does.

 

[neptunebob]

Thanks to KDKA TV and Yvonne Zanos I saved having to be steamed by the Pressa Bella, as I had almost ordered one. Isn't it amazing how informercials can get people who should know better to buy what doesn't work?

As for irons, Black and Decker still makes the "Classic" chrome and black handle iron that is like an older GE. I don't know good it is but it's not more than 30 dollars so you're not out too much. I have a Rowenta iron that is more expensive but it puts out so much steam it is almost a sauna (you will have to fill it up often). It works well, but I heard they don't last long. Consumer reports tested a black and decker iron that was about 20 dollars at Wal Mart, though I don't know how hot it gets. Meanwhile, there is another informercial for the "Tobi" a steamer that is "used by the dry cleaners and the fashion industry!" I don't know how long it will hold up.

When you think about it, we should not believe the Pressa Bella. The host, when he is at the dry cleaner, says that their boiler is "40 horsepower and costs 10 grand!". Usually, there is a vacuum like a shop vac but more powerful underneath the presser, so how could an iron compete with a dry cleaner?

http://kdka.com/consumer/local_story_197131609.html

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Yes, informercials can be very persuasive. I generally don't fall for them and in fact hardly ever see any since I rarely watch TV. I just happened to have it on late one night and the Pressa Bella infomercial came on. It was just too 'sexy' to resist. Made in Italy btw. It is the first shot of steam iron I have ever had that spit out water like that.

I **love** the black and chrome Black & Decker Iron. I may just go and get one although I would miss the shot of steam feature. But it's so cool looking, really a knockoff of the old GE my Mama had.

 

[dynaflow]

old iron

Cahrlie,
my partner and i iron EVERYTHING. I gave hime a Rowenta that i got at a thrift store for 3 bucks and repaired just a short in the cord. But the one i like the most other than my vintage ones is a Sunbeam Heritage I got from ebay to me its the Cadillac of irons a lot like Rowentas good luck let me know what u decide
only drawback with the vintage GE or Black and Decker is it doesnt have Vertical steam

 

[tomturbomatic]

Are you sure that the steam element had to time to fully heat up and that you were not rushing things to get to the church on time? Was it steaming normally before you hit the blast button? Have you tried it since Sunday? Maybe it does not work on Sundays. With such a "beautiful" Italian name, it might be a quite devout iron. Does the iron have any cleaning instructions and/or answers for when it pulls stunts like that? Do you use demineralized water? I know that they say that it is not necessary, but it makes irons perform better longer. I hope that your iron is not mortally wounded. I think that the best irons available are found at estate sales. In addition to my avocado GE which I bought new more than 30 years ago, I have a beautiful 1957 Westinghouse dry iron with the heat selector pointer under the handle. I love that iron and have probably had it for close to 20 years; of course any iron in my possession feels like it has gone to a rest home. John said that the 1957 WH steam/dry model was trouble in a box, but this one is great. I use a recycled Lysol Cleaner sprayer to re-moisten if something dries out and still needs pressing. I also use the sprayer as eraser for when I iron in a mistake, even with the steam iron (lots of those). Best wishes on your quest for a good iron. Tom

 

[maggie~hamilton]

I do have instructions, and they state to let the boiler element heat up for 5 minutes before use. Other sites, and the tv show, say 10 minutes. Either way, it was heating for longer than that as I turned it on before I got in the shower. When I got out and got dried off, I went to iron my shirt. SPLAT. I have not tried to use it since.

 

[neptunebob]

Actually, I'm not perfect...

I got burned by an informercial for the Estaban (Estabad) guitar because I wanted to learn and didn't want to spend a lot of month. Impossible to tune and many sharp edges (Esteban designed this instrument so that a child could use but it really must be kept away from children unless you want to make a trip to the pediatric emergency room) Ended up buying a guitar from a music store for not much more money that works very well. The latest product craze for informercials is colon cleansing products that are supposed to make you feel wonderful. Dr. Ho, the oriental man who brought you his muscle stimulator now has his Ab-Trimmer kit.
He says whole families should "cleanse together" and gets excited when talks all about bodily functions. I wonder how Yvonne Zanos would find out Does It Really Do That?

Could you imagine what would happen to all the sewers and sewage treatment plants in the nation if everybody "Cleansed Across America"?

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Actually, occasional colon cleansing is a good idea, but you don't have to go through all that.

You can go to any health food store and purchase a can of "Colon Cleanse" that, when used as directed, will do the trick quite nicely.

There is also a "Super Colon Cleanse" which I would not recommend for the faint-of-heart or those with low-flow "facilities".......... The web site states it is a "is a powerful colon cleansing combination" and they aren't fooling around!!!

http://www.healthplusinc.com/

 

[whirlcool]

We use a Euro-Pro Xtended Steam Iron we bought about 4 years ago. I believe they still sell the model. See the link below.

It can shoot steam almost 6 feet away once it gets going. It only has an internal tank, but will flatten the worst wrinkles right out. It gets very hot too and it has a 10 minute automatic cut off for safety. We have been very happy with it.

It seems back in the late 80's and thereafter that irons don't get as hot as earlier models do. We had a newer Sunbeam light weight then a GE and they were terrible. They just didn't get hot enough. The Euro-Pro iron does.

My work shirts have to be starched and ironed, and this iron makes quick work out of them.

http://www.sharkcompany.com/shark/p...450a-90b1-8607961eff8a(Euro-Pro+Base+Catalog)