General Electric (Wal-Mart) Model 169133

by SuzyQ
(Virginia)

Unfortunately, I can't say this is the best iron I've ever used. In fact, I really have never had a ?best iron? that I can recall, although I?ll be very interested in finding out what irons other people use and love.

I am very hard on irons. I use my iron daily, even with all of the wash-and-wear clothes in the closets. I just like to make sure that all of our shirts, blouses, pants and slacks are neat and wrinkle-free when we?re off to our daily activities. I also do a lot of sewing, so it?s important to have an iron handy to press open the seams. Therefore, it?s not unusual for me to buy a new iron every year or two, because they get all gunked up with water residue, and the soleplate gets scratched and burned.

My latest iron is a cheap, General Electric Model 169133. I bought it at Wal Mart, and interestingly, it actually has the Wal Mart logo imprinted on the back of the iron, so I guess they contract with General Electric to make their own iron line.

The iron is small and lightweight and does put out 1200 watts of power, which seems to be the standard for most irons. It has both spray and steam capabilities, but neither of them work very well. The iron has a tendency to leak and spurt water without warning, and that is very annoying, because occasionally the water is a bit brown, and causes staining, so I have to wash the garment again.

There is an automatic shut off, which is good. However, it seems to shut off very quickly, after only a couple of minutes of inactivity. This is too short a time, especially when you?re doing a sewing project.

My biggest complaint about the iron, though, is that it does not get hot enough. The last couple of irons I had all were very weak when it came to putting out heat. I don?t know if this is a trend or not, but it takes a lot of effort to iron out all the wrinkles in a cotton garment because you have to keep pressing and pressing and pressing.

I would not recommend this iron, unless it was just to have one on the shelf for emergencies. I really would like to buy a GOOD iron that lasts and puts out a solid amount of heat. I?ve heard that Rowenta makes a good iron, but no one I know has had one and I don?t want to send a lot of money on an unknown product.