Customer Reviews

Rowenta DM-991 Ultra Professional Iron

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is a darn good iron. It does everything an iron is supposed to do and does it well. The only reasons I didn't give it five stars are 1) the price, and 2) I wish it had automatic cord rewind storage instead of wrap-the-cord-around-the-base storage.

I can't prove it, but this iron feels a bit heavier than my old one and the weight seems to be centered more towards the top of the unit. These aren't bad things. It's just that during my first ironing session, I noticed the change when I put the iron down and picked it up. It doesn't affect how I iron at all. That weight difference is also to be expected since my old iron didn't have a stainless steel soleplate like this one does. Before I bought this iron, I was a bit worried about the lack of a teflon-like soleplate that other irons have. I thought the iron might stick. No problem. The iron slides beautifully.

The iron also produces a really great amount of steam. With the iron on high and the steam control all the way to max, I had a constant cloud of steam being emitted without affecting the iron's temperature. I don't know if it was the extra weight, the stainless steel soleplate, or the quantity of steam, but the iron put really good creases in the military BDUs I was ironing (and they're a very heavy material). Pushing the steam-burst button produced a very nice additional puff of steam. When I filled the water reservoir before ironing, I thought it seemed a lot larger than the one on my old iron. I'm glad. With all that steam, I needed the extra capacity. Still, after about 30 minutes of ironing, the reservoir was getting close to being empty. Impressively, as soon as I righted the iron and set it down, the steam stopped without any kind of leaking or dribbling out of either steam or water.

The instructions for the iron say to make sure the temperature setting is all the way down to Minimum when you plug it in. Just to see if it would work, I also plugged it in with the setting at Maximum. The iron came on without problem and started heating up. I also checked that the automatic shutoff worked by placing the iron on it's side (it's supposed to shut off after eight minutes upright, 30 seconds face down, or 30 seconds on its side). As advertised, after about 30 seconds,the iron shut off with the automatic shutoff light flashing. As soon as I picked the iron up, the light stopped flashing and the iron started up again.

The only thing I can think of that I'd like to see changed (besides the lack of an automatic cord rewind -- which probably wouldn't be too useful on an iron labelled "professional") is the location of the temperature dial. As it is now (located between the handle and the reservoir at the top of that space), it's kind of hard to see. Perhaps if they lowered it a bit toward the heel of the iron, it would be easier to read. And, of course, if it were cheaper....

I really never thought there was very much difference in irons. I usually just used a popular brand name. Boy,was I wrong!!!I thought I paid too much for this iron,but it is worth every penny. It makes ironing easy and quite a pleasure, actually.The wrinkles fall away. Ihave even stopped takingsome of my very good shirts to the cleaners, because I can press them better.

I gave the iron 3 stars because when it works well, it works very well. But then comes the day when it starts to have problems.

I have owned Rowenta irons in the past and I understand some of the disgruntled comments submitted here. I had a similar problem until I tried the steps below. Can't guarantee this will work for everybody - I can only say that it worked for me. {Please follow manufacturer safety procautions - iron should be off while filling with water, power setting turn to low to start, etc.)

Over a sink and with the iron on it's hottest setting, try the iron's 'self-cleaning' feature with plain cold tap water first. Fill the resevoir to nearly to it's maximum mark. Holding the iron horizontally, press and hold the "self-clean" button for one minute and release. Continue pressing "self-clean" in one minute intervals until the water is nearly finished. Test the iron on a cloth, iron/steam as usual. If the iron does not generate steam or if it still has a leaky/spit problem, try using the vinegar/water solution described below.

Step 1. Take a little less than 1/4 of a cup of white vinegar (I used Heinz) and mix it with 1 and 1/2 cups of tap water. Pour the solution into the iron - fill nearly to maximum mark. Keeping the iron in an horizontal position, gently rock it slightly from side to side - just enough to encourage the steam/drain action while pressing and holding the "self-clean" button in one minute intervals. You can alternate the rocking with a flat, circular motion keeping the iron horizontal. Continue until the liquid is nearly finished.

Step 2. Very Important - this time refill the iron to the maximum mark only with plain tap water. The purpose of this step is to rinse out the remainder of the vinegar solution as well as any remaining deposits. Pressing "self-clean" in one minute intervals, continue the gentle rocking and steam process until the liquid is nearly finished.
If desired, repeat step 2.

Step 3. Now refill with plain tap water and test out the iron on a cloth. It should be ok but if the spitting/leaking problem persists, repeat steps 1 and 2 again.

All told the process may take about 10 minutes.

The manufacturer's instructions suggest plain tap water "self-cleaning" occasionally but not more than once a month.

I've owned this iron for 7-8 months now. At first I loved it and didn't mind paying the "higher" price for it. Now I have some regrets. The iron totally leaks when you add water to it and when it's sitting upright on it's base. Once it starts steaming and the iron is horizontal it doesn't leak as much. Surprisingly the iron doesn't get hot enough to remove wrinkles from cotton clothes even when it's set on high. I'm only realizing this now since I've always used the steam function(which always gets all the wrinkles out) until like I said above, water started leaking everywhere. I thought I was buying the best product to make my ironing chore easier. I was wrong. I'm guessing that all the 5 star ratings came from reviewers who rated it within a week or so of purchase and who hadn't truly experienced all the problems yet. And/or from reviewers whose other iron was really, really bad...making this one look good in comparison. I'm rating the iron a 2 instead of a 1 b/c despite the leakage, I love that the steam quickly gets out wrinkles.

Yes. Pricey, but consider your time. You *will* iron much faster with this unit. There is none better.

OK, pay a dry-cleaner to press your clothes, or do it yourself with this high-quality, precision, German iron. Yes, Rowenta irons are not cheap. But Rowenta irons are the best and this is the best iron Rowenta has to offer.

The steam this iron produces is incredible. The iron heats up quickly and it is easy to tell when it is ready to use. The Laser Stainless Steel soleplate doesn't gunk up and glides nicely across the clothes. No, it isn't as slick as the Airglide Precision soleplate, but it dosesn't get as much build-up, and is more resistant to scratches.

I'm the first to admit, my standards are extremely high. This appliance does not disappoint. Sure, it expensive, but if you can afford it, and you are considering it, you'd better get it. Simply put, there is nothing that compares.

So, spend a fortune having your clothes pressed by the cleaners or save all that money and do it yourself. This iron makes you into the ironing Mega-boss you've always wanted to be!

This is the most I've ever paid for an iron. But what a difference! It is well worth the price.

I agree with other reviewers. This iron almost makes it fun to iron. I caught up on three weeks of ironing when I got this in the mail and used it for the first time.

I hated ironing. After buying this iron, I look foward to ironing my clothes before work everyday. It makes ironing a pleasure, instead of a chore. It is well worth the price.

For the price and manufacturers reputation I would have expected it to last longer than a year. It did...one year 3 months...not long enough. It was leaky and the heat was inconsistent. I am very disappointed in the product and it found it's way into the trash yesterday.