I have been a pretty loyal Rowenta customer for years. I go through irons really fast, due to keeping them on for hours at a time, and steaming the dickens out of things. A good iron lasts me a year, maybe two, and then I need to replace it. My last Rowenta, gosh, I bet I have had it for three years or more now! As were the other four or five Rowentas I have owned, my current iron was made in Germany.
It has been starting to act up, not steaming as it should anymore, and in fact, fairly frequently, the steam button gets stuck in the down position and won't come back up. Lately, I have been complaining to anyone who will listen that it is time for me to buy a new iron. My husband always responds, "A new iron? Already? Didn't you just buy one a few years ago? An iron should last you a life time. Why, my blessed mother used the same iron for 40 years, and it didn't even have a steam feature. She used to sprinkle her ironing and put it in a plastic bag overnight in the refrigerator…." etc, etc, etc.
Well, something must have sunk into his brain, and when he was shopping for new frying pans (don't ask–that is another blog post entirely) at the Macy's in Monterey, he saw they had Rowenta irons on sale. And he bought me one.
I was pretty excited, as I would rather he pay $89 for new iron, than me have to do it. Only this didn't cost $89. It was only $49. And it isn't made in Germany. It is made in CHINA.
And it spits like crazy. I hate it.
Added later: My husband just sent me an order confirmation from Amazon.com. He ordered me the Rowenta made in Germany! Woo Hoo! I take back all the bad things I said about him.
34 responses to “Made in China”
What a sweetheart he is to get you that iron and then to order the “right” one….enjoy!
Gail
What a sweetheart he is to get you that iron and then to order the “right” one….enjoy!
Gail
We sure do go through a lot of irons don’t we! This is the best iron I have used! http://www.reliablecorporation.com/Products/Home-Irons/Velocity-V50
Judy
We sure do go through a lot of irons don’t we! This is the best iron I have used! http://www.reliablecorporation.com/Products/Home-Irons/Velocity-V50
Judy
You can’t beat a good iron or a great husband..good luck with the new iron.
You can’t beat a good iron or a great husband..good luck with the new iron.
I hate my last Rowenta. For the money you pay, it should not spit or leak or refuse to quit steaming. I am in the market for a new one, also. I guess I never thought of where it was made!
I hate my last Rowenta. For the money you pay, it should not spit or leak or refuse to quit steaming. I am in the market for a new one, also. I guess I never thought of where it was made!
Thanks for your post… I would have never thought to check to see where the iron was made.
I’m having a similar problem with tapestry needles. The ‘Fine English’ needles are now being made in China rather than England and the quality has suffered greatly.
Thanks for your post… I would have never thought to check to see where the iron was made.
I’m having a similar problem with tapestry needles. The ‘Fine English’ needles are now being made in China rather than England and the quality has suffered greatly.
You are so funny! I think I had better invest in a new iron. I noticed that the cord on my iron was hot last night and thought I had accidentally set the iron down on top of it somehow. So I was ironing again this morning and paid close attention to NOT setting the iron anywhere it shouldn’t be and the cord got hot again. Freaked me out. I unplugged it and I’m going to get rid of it before it melterizes and burns my house down.
You are so funny! I think I had better invest in a new iron. I noticed that the cord on my iron was hot last night and thought I had accidentally set the iron down on top of it somehow. So I was ironing again this morning and paid close attention to NOT setting the iron anywhere it shouldn’t be and the cord got hot again. Freaked me out. I unplugged it and I’m going to get rid of it before it melterizes and burns my house down.
I hear you! This problem affects all sorts of tools that are made in China. DH refers to them as CCS (cheap Chinese s**t) and it is a sad commentary on the poor quality and poor quality control we’re expected to accept. Measuring tools often are inaccurate and how can that be reasonable or right?? Why don’t we expect an iron to last 40 years these days – even with the overuse we quilters put them thru, they should last 20 years. Why aren’t things made to last like they used to be? Okay, off my soapbox!
Cheers for your sweetie who was a doll for getting you a new iron and a prince for listening and then getting you a better quality iron!!
Hugs!
I hear you! This problem affects all sorts of tools that are made in China. DH refers to them as CCS (cheap Chinese s**t) and it is a sad commentary on the poor quality and poor quality control we’re expected to accept. Measuring tools often are inaccurate and how can that be reasonable or right?? Why don’t we expect an iron to last 40 years these days – even with the overuse we quilters put them thru, they should last 20 years. Why aren’t things made to last like they used to be? Okay, off my soapbox!
Cheers for your sweetie who was a doll for getting you a new iron and a prince for listening and then getting you a better quality iron!!
Hugs!
Irons USED to last forever! But I don’t think those women used them as hard as we do ‘nowadays!’ I had a Black & Decker years ago but when it was time, I bought a Rowenta. Yup, it was ‘Made in China.’ ugh–By the end of a year it was spitting, leaking & sputtering! I’ve been through no less than five irons since then & am currently using a $35. B&D purchased at Walmart. There is far less guilt buying a replacement for a lower priced iron!
Irons USED to last forever! But I don’t think those women used them as hard as we do ‘nowadays!’ I had a Black & Decker years ago but when it was time, I bought a Rowenta. Yup, it was ‘Made in China.’ ugh–By the end of a year it was spitting, leaking & sputtering! I’ve been through no less than five irons since then & am currently using a $35. B&D purchased at Walmart. There is far less guilt buying a replacement for a lower priced iron!
I too have used Rowenta irons for years and usually have to replace them every one to two years. And years ago I bought one that was made in China that worked poorly from day one and have since made sure I was buying one made in Germany. But, my last three irons have sprung a leak in the seal and the water I put in for steam ends up slowly leaking out all over the ironing board. Three in a row. All made in Germany. Paid lots of money. I now have a cheap Black and Decker until I decide whether or not I want to spend money on another Rowenta or maybe another brand. It seems like irons should last longer than they do!
I too have used Rowenta irons for years and usually have to replace them every one to two years. And years ago I bought one that was made in China that worked poorly from day one and have since made sure I was buying one made in Germany. But, my last three irons have sprung a leak in the seal and the water I put in for steam ends up slowly leaking out all over the ironing board. Three in a row. All made in Germany. Paid lots of money. I now have a cheap Black and Decker until I decide whether or not I want to spend money on another Rowenta or maybe another brand. It seems like irons should last longer than they do!
I’ve had my Rowenta since 1997!! Yep, it still is working great. And it’s made in Germany. BUT I never put water in my iron. I do use a spritz bottle when I need steam. I had a run in with a MIC CD/Radio years ago. I had it less then a month when it died. Of course Wally world would not take it back because I had bought it 32 days before!! Okay, learned my lesson!!
I’ve had my Rowenta since 1997!! Yep, it still is working great. And it’s made in Germany. BUT I never put water in my iron. I do use a spritz bottle when I need steam. I had a run in with a MIC CD/Radio years ago. I had it less then a month when it died. Of course Wally world would not take it back because I had bought it 32 days before!! Okay, learned my lesson!!
I bought a Rowenta years ago and loved it but it leaked like crazy. It was expensive too, but I never thought to check to see where it was made. Thanks for the tip. Enjoy your new iron, nothing like a new iron, and now they come in pretty colors. HA!, how crazy are we quilters to get excited about an iron??!!
I bought a Rowenta years ago and loved it but it leaked like crazy. It was expensive too, but I never thought to check to see where it was made. Thanks for the tip. Enjoy your new iron, nothing like a new iron, and now they come in pretty colors. HA!, how crazy are we quilters to get excited about an iron??!!
I do think the use of steam breaks down the iron much faster. Funny, I was cleaning out at my Dad’s and found the box his iron came in. I bought it for him at the same time as I got mine, I’ve moved on to a new iron about a year ago, and he still has his original box!!!! Yes, his iron works like a charm, I don’t think it’s used more than 2 -3 x’s a month!
I do think the use of steam breaks down the iron much faster. Funny, I was cleaning out at my Dad’s and found the box his iron came in. I bought it for him at the same time as I got mine, I’ve moved on to a new iron about a year ago, and he still has his original box!!!! Yes, his iron works like a charm, I don’t think it’s used more than 2 -3 x’s a month!
I can’t get a grip on irons. It seems so dang important to me and I am never completely happy with the brand I have to use. I have a Reliable now and I swear it is going to take off one of these days. It’s close to being dangerous! Hope the new one works. Let us know.
mary
I can’t get a grip on irons. It seems so dang important to me and I am never completely happy with the brand I have to use. I have a Reliable now and I swear it is going to take off one of these days. It’s close to being dangerous! Hope the new one works. Let us know.
mary
I have a T-Fal iron that I probably got at WalMart years ago. It still works fine and produces good steam. It has a small reservoir though. I don’t know where it was made though.
I have a T-Fal iron that I probably got at WalMart years ago. It still works fine and produces good steam. It has a small reservoir though. I don’t know where it was made though.
My iron has just started spitting and leaving brown marks everywhere. I would pay £100 to have a 100% guaranteed lovely non-spitting non-marking iron. Unfortunately all of them claim to be this super iron but none of them ever are…
My iron has just started spitting and leaving brown marks everywhere. I would pay £100 to have a 100% guaranteed lovely non-spitting non-marking iron. Unfortunately all of them claim to be this super iron but none of them ever are…
I was wondering why my $10.00 P. S. iron only lasted 2 years! Now I know it’s because I leave it on all the time too! I want a R. iron, but have heard about that problem and will not pay the price when I can get something that works great for less. L
I was wondering why my $10.00 P. S. iron only lasted 2 years! Now I know it’s because I leave it on all the time too! I want a R. iron, but have heard about that problem and will not pay the price when I can get something that works great for less. L
I enjoyed your post about the Rowenta irons. I, too, go through irons about every two years. I think it has something to do with my intense steaming too. The last two irons I bought only lasted a year. It gets so frustrating. I’ve changed brands from Rowenta because of the spitting and dribbling. But I appreciate the “heads up” about being made in Germany. I recently bought a Shark and I have to restrain myself from throwing it against the wall every time I use it. It steams fine, it just turns off every 1 1/2 minutes whether I am using it or not. That’s right, it even turns off while I am using it.
I enjoyed your post about the Rowenta irons. I, too, go through irons about every two years. I think it has something to do with my intense steaming too. The last two irons I bought only lasted a year. It gets so frustrating. I’ve changed brands from Rowenta because of the spitting and dribbling. But I appreciate the “heads up” about being made in Germany. I recently bought a Shark and I have to restrain myself from throwing it against the wall every time I use it. It steams fine, it just turns off every 1 1/2 minutes whether I am using it or not. That’s right, it even turns off while I am using it.