Customer Reviews

Rowenta DW9080 Steamium 1800-Watt Steam Iron with 400-Hole Platinum Soleplate

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

I must confess that I read through almost all the reviews of the other Rowenta Irons, and was on my way to purchasing the Advancer when I saw this new model.

First off, for people who are familiar with Rowenta irons, the ones made in Germany (as this one is) tend to be larger in size than an average iron. If you don't mind wielding a big iron, then you'll be ok with this one. The water chamber is also larger, so that adds to the weight when filled.

Secondly, it makes a great deal of difference whether the Rowenta is made in China or Germany. Since this one is German-made, you will have less trouble. I tend to stay away from anything made in China, especially when it combines electronics with water. Simply put, China's quality control still leaves a lot to be desired.

Third and most important: FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! Rowenta goes to great lengths on their website and user manual to recommend the following: DO NOT USE DISTILLED WATER. DO NOT USE BRITA WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM. They recommend BOTTLED Spring Water. You may use regular tap water if water in your state is "soft" (lacking in minerals). If you have to use regular TAP Water and you are not sure whether your tap water is hard or soft, contact your town hall OR go to Google and type in "water" "usgs" "gov" The first USGS website on top is the one created by the US Govt to show the hardness of water in your state. You want to type in "water hardness" when you are on that site, and a North American map showing water hardness by state will pop up. The harder your tap water (more minerals), the more you want to mix 50% of it with 50% "BOTTLED spring water." (Though I have seen the BOTTLED Spring water recommendation from Rowenta for all their earlier irons, the Steamium manual did not have it.) So I called up Rowenta and was advised that Bottled Spring Water is the only thing they recommend these days. Being a perfectionist when it comes to ironing, I use 100% bottled spring water to eliminate any doubt.

Why? Because unlike many regular irons, the higher end Rowentas have Anti-Calc features that break down the natural minerals in regular tap water. If you use distilled water, it goes against the mechanism and things start to go wrong.

Rowenta steam irons have been designed to operate using tap water, up to 12 grains of hardness per gallon (12 gr/gal or 205 mg/l or 2.05 mmol/litre)

The squarish platform in front of the handle (on the top) is a lit reading that shows you what setting you currently have it on. The light is green and it lights up the words "wool, linen, cotton, etc."

There is a trigger on the bottom of the handle (where your index finger is if you hold the iron). When you iron, you can squeeze it to create what Rowenta calls "forced steam" which pushes 30% more steam into the fabric. The trigger sets off a pump that makes a fairly audible whirring mechanical noise. It's important to note that if you have the iron plugged in and turned off, the trigger will still set the pump off. But it works. And it works very well.

The vertical steam also sets a nice burst of steam into your clothing. I notice that depending on the size of your hand, it is sometimes difficult to keep my finger off the forced steam trigger when I hold it vertically. However, if you accidentally press the trigger, it does not affect the burst of steam in any way. It's good for 5-7 squeezes before it needs to reheat, which is only several seconds. If you find the unit too heavy to hold up (when it is filled and vertical), you can use your other hand to hold the rear of the iron's handle for support.

The auto shut off works and stays blinking until you pull the plug from the wall outlet and re-insert it. This resets the auto-shut-off mechanism for the next detection.

The item comes with a tall slim plastic water spouted "pitcher" to help you pour water neatly into the iron. The front tip of the iron is extra pointed for getting perfect creases on shirt and pleat corners (the Rowenta Advancer and Focus also features this pointed front tip)

Remember to empty the water chamber after you are done ironing. As long as you follow the guidelines for the type of water and keep the iron empty when in storage, I think you will have a durable product. I think the leaking and problems complained by users of other Rowentas come from the calcium / mineral residue buildup inside the unit when hard / distilled / filtered water is used over a long period of time.

(if this review helped you, please vote!)

I hate to iron, but this iron makes ironing so much easier. My DH loves to iron his clothes (bless his heart) and our old iron was leaking like Niagara falls. So I decided to treat him to a high end iron. After a lot of research (I always research my purchases), I purchased the latest model from Rowenta. Ironing now is so much easier and it cuts the work in half. I don't need to iron my pants front and back. The steam is my favorite feature. You can hear the steam coming out and it really gives you a lot of it and is very easy to use, you press a button and the steam comes out constantly - don't want steam, don't press the button - want a little bit of steam - press the steam button on top. I also like the display on top to let you know the type of fabric. Going around buttons is a breeze. The iron is heavy, but I like that. So far so good. Hope this iron last for a long time.

Update 11-13-09: So far so good. I'm in love with this iron. I actually look forward to iron clothes now. As another reviewer said, following the instructions is essential. We empty the water chamber after we finished iron (we iron every day) and we only use tap water, unplug after done and don't use any type of starch products. A little pricy yes, but worth every penny!!

I was going to purchase the Advancer for less money, but after phoning Rowenta and speaking to a customer service rep, I learned this iron is the newest model with advanced steam, LED display. The best functional change is the continuous steam button is under the handle, making it easier to work with index finger instead of having to hold your thumb down on the top. Working with this is easier on the hands while trying to iron...so kudos to Rowenta for making that change.

The iron is a little heavier than other brands, but I think that is what makes the press better. I would highly recommend this iron model to anyone looking for a new iron. While other Rowenta models are a bit less, this is worth the extra $20 (or not even that if you shop!).

I'll admit, I don't iron much but my wife irons everything, including all of her clothes that go to the dry cleaner. Our old iron was typical, ironed ok, leaked, and in general was ok although cold make a mess with the leaking and getting water on fabric that didn't need it and adding to ironing time to try to dry the drips etc. It was time for a new one. My wife almost bought on several occasions, a new iron what out shopping, including Rowenta's sold at department stores on sale.

I told her not to because there's not to much that I don't check on Amazon first. I fretted with the fact that the Steamium was new and full priced, yet a couple other models with so-so mixed reviews were much cheaper. I got a wild hair one day, broke out of my usual fugal mold and siad what the heck and bought the Steamium.

It arrived quickly as expected so I unpacked it and had to play with the steam. NOTE: read the directions particularly about the type of water to use. It's not something we ever looked at and have always used 100% distilled water. Not so with the Rowenta.

My wife loves it as I expected as it does the job as good or better than anything she's had. The real test was me. I'd recently considered sending my jeans to the cleaners again after many years not doing it, but I thought I try the Steamium and see how it did, being heavier and all. I was blown away!! The pressure of the steam penetrates such that what I was done, the jeans looked as if they'd been pressed professionally and held that crisp look after wearing. I never knew how important a good iron and good high pressure steam was. I was sold!!!

So far it's been 100% and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way! After reading several reviews, I'm glad I learned about irons, Rowenta specifically, and their country of manufacture. Just like our German car, I'm sold on the German build quality in this iron.

Have been looking for about a week for a new iron, which lead me to try about 3 different manufacturers: Rowenta, Black & Decker, Oliso. The DW9080 (which replaced the DZ9080) is the clear winner. Warms up fast, outstanding performance, great water usage. You will love the results. If you iron and want the best, do yourself a favor and get this unit you will love its workmanship.

I have several version of this iron over the years. They all fail in about 18 months with very little use. Rowenta must know of these problems. I am very skilled in repairing - the Rowenta part is about 35.00. The repair module that is listed for this model is a more generic repair. It is a genuine Rowenta part. It fixes the temperature problems but does not restore the high end features of the iron. It is well constructed - yet the electronics are poorly designed.

In June 2010, I received this Rowenta Steamium Model DW9080 as a free replacement for a Rowenta Advancer DZ9080 whose heater unit went out while still under warranty.

This new Steamium model is much easier to manuever with its ergonomic handle and controls. That's the way I like it! It still has the great sole plate with all the little holes for delivering lots of steam. The control dial is much easier and ergonomic. I can empty the water out of the chamber much more easily when I'm done ironing. The precision tip teamed with the 360 degree cord rotation is perfect for ironing between buttons and tight corners.

This iron is a big improvement over the clutzy, cumbersome DZ9080 Advancer. The water in the reservoir lasts longer. This is a buy recommendation.

Oct. 15, 2010 update: This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. This iron still works well on straight tap water, no bottled water. It needs self-cleaning every 2-3 weeks. The self-clean procedure is fast (2 minutes) and easy.

June 17, 2011 update: Still ironing and the one year warranty is up. Yes! No repairs required.

Jan. 9, 2012 update: Happy New Year and still ironing.

This iron 'shorted out' after 14 months. Rowenta Corporate advised to ship the iron to an independent repair shop, at my cost. The repair firm quoted the repair would cost $75 and would only warrantee the repair for 30 days. I advised them to return the iron. Considering the risk, should the iron 'crash' again... my cost would increase to well over $200. Buyer beware.

I really needed to purchase a wonderful iron, as I sew all the time. Decided on the Rowenta DW9080 based on the brand name and I wanted a good steam capacity. As I was using it for just the 2nd time, the entire dial for adjusting the temperature came off and the electronics behind it fell out. I am very disappointed. I returned it to Amazon, which went smoothly, and am now trying a Oliso TG-1100, so far so good.

Over the last 20 years I have owned 4 Rowenta irons, all of them the top of the Rowenta line for the year purchased.
The first iron lasted 10 years and still lives on in my art room minus the steam. I loved it and replaced it with a new Rowenta, it lasted about 5 years. when it "died" I, of course bought another to replace it, it lasted about 3 years. The newest lasted the shortest time, and was of course, the most expensive. When I sent it back for repairs it would only cost me $90.00 to repair it, plus the shipping to the repair center ($8.00 to the center and the same shipping back to me, another $8.00). Needless to say I passed on that opportunity. In spite of the fact, that when it worked, it was the best iron I have ever owned, I will not buy another Rowenta!