It was time.

After 10 years of quilting, I decided that this years quilting investment would be an Oliso Pro iron.

My previous iron, a Rowenta, was slowly starting to give out after heavy use for over a decade. It had very acceptably reached the end of its lifespan and it was time for something new.

It wasn’t until I started researching new irons that I realized how many bells and whistles my Rowenta really had that I didn’t want to give up. It was a hand-me-down situation from when I moved out of college so I didn’t really pay attention to what I was working with until now. As a 23 year old I was just happy not to have to pay for one.

In my search for a new iron, I decided I wanted to try something new with similar features as my Rowenta, and how could I resist the candy pastel colors of an Oliso Pro iron.

I snapped one up for myself and have been using it for a few months now, so I thought it was time to answer the question everyone asks that looks at this iron.

Is it worth the price?

Why a good iron is essential for quilting

To make a long story short, your iron will arguably be used just as much as your sewing machine, and its job is just as important to the overall project.

Without a good iron, your fabric and seams won’t lay flat. Your quilt pieces won’t be cut to the correct dimensions and your pieces won’t fit together well.

Do you NEED an expensive iron, no. You can get by without one. However, when you have to iron 5 yards of backing fabric, 3 yards of background fabric, and 8 fat quarters, you don’t really want to be wrestling with the wrinkles. There’s a lot of fabric to get through, we don’t have time or patience to be taking multiple passes across the fabric with an iron that isn’t hot enough.

Ironing that much fabric in one go is tedious, I think I can comfortably say that no quilter ever has said the ironing is their favorite part of the process.

Investing in an Oliso Pro Iron will make the process easier so you can get done quicker and get back to the fun part.

Pros of the Oliso Pro Iron

So why Oliso?

It sits comfortably at the high end of the price range when it comes to irons, so what is it offering to make the iron worth it?

Extended Auto Shut Off

When I saw and auto shut off timer I initially kind of scoffed at it, in this day and age I would think and auto shut off is to be expected.

However what I WAS impressed with, is that the iron has a sensor to tell its orientation and change its auto shut off setting based on its orientation.

If the iron is in a normal orientation, either laying flat on the sole plate, or stood up, the auto shut off is 30 minutes. However if the iron is knocked over and laying on its side, the auto shut off is reduced to 30 seconds to avoid scorching or injury.

Ever had your cat jump from the ironing board and knock the everything over including the board and iron?

No? Just me?

360 degrees pivoting cord

This feature is highly underrated.

How many times have you pulled out your hair dryer and the cord is twisted up so much you have to spend 5 minutes just unwinding it before you can actually use it?

My iron used to always end up the same way.

The Oliso Pro iron is designed with a connector that allows the cord to spin 360 degrees to prevent it from getting all mangled up.

A cord being twisted like that is actually terrible for the appliance. It makes it a higher probability that the cord will eventually fray and break from the iron inside of the plastic sheathing.

Not to mention it just looks bad and like low quality.

Oliso’s pivoting cord design keeps your cord from damage and helps retain the lifespan of the iron.

You can find videos of it in action here.

1800 watts of power

Why do we care about wattage?

The more power it has, the faster it heats up. That much we do care about.

I was always pleasantly surprised with how fast my Rowenta heated up, but the Oliso Pro iron is easily twice as fast. It says on the box that it heats up in seconds, and its really not kidding.

I plugged it in, turned around to grab my fabric from the other side of the room, and by the time I got myself organized and ready to go, the Oliso was preheated and ready to go.

I’ll never be waiting on the iron again.

Auto-raise off of ironing surface

The gimmick that sets this iron apart from all other irons, is the feature of the sensor in the handle that knows whether you are holding it or not.

When you release the handle, feet extend from the sole plate of the iron lifting it up off the ironing surface.

The feature is fantastic for two reasons, you’ll never forget the iron is there and scorch your fabric, and you can leave/store the iron permanently in a horizontal position.

For those with arthritis who find it difficult to lift the iron, or those with cats that live on the ironing board, storing the iron horizontal is a game changer for sure.

You no longer need to lift the iron, and the center of gravity is lower so it is less likely to tip over.

Additionally, the plate is no longer exposed since its always facing the ironing board, so you’ll reduce the potential for accidentally swiping it yourself when its running causing burns.

Want to learn more? Find more details on these features here!

Cons of the Oliso Pro Iron

Is this iron perfect? No. Nothing is. If I’m going to write an honest review, I want to make sure I’m fully transparent with the aspects I don’t like about it as well.

Auto-Raise off of ironing Surface

I’m putting this feature as a pro and con depending on how you use your iron.

If you’re the type of quilter who likes to set the iron down on a seam and walk away for a few minutes to let the weight smash it down as it heats, this is not the iron for you.

The sensor in the handle does not have a delay timer to extending the feet. As soon as you let go, the feet extend raising the iron.

I am not the type of person to leave an iron horizontal on fabric like that, so this con is not an issue for me personally. However, there are definitely quilters out there who appreciate using an iron like this and will find the iTouch system inconvenient.

Limited in temperature control

The Oliso Pro iron has three settings, Synthetic, Wool + Silk, and Linen + Cotton.

My Rowenta used a dial setting that allowed you to control the temperature of the iron to a much more granular degree, where the Oliso uses a switch setting between the three options.

If you are using the iron for making clothes that requires a tighter temperature control, this might be a concern for you, however a low, medium, high temperature setting might be enough as is.

As a quilter I personally only ever use the wool or cotton settings any way, but it is a feature that is given up in the Oliso so I wanted to include it.

Price

I mentioned it briefly at the beginning, but this iron usually sits just under $200 retail which is definitely an investment into your quilting set up.

If you are just starting into the quilting hobby or you are sticking to a budget, this may not be the one for you. Also if you have a tendancy to pick up hobbies for only a few months at a time, this may not be the purchase for you.

The price tag on this iron is so high because the features are specifically geared towards crafting use.

If you see yourself ending up only using this for general laundry use, there’s no need to spend so much on this iron. You won’t use the features, and may even in some cases, find them inconvenient.

If you aren’t sure, then there is no harm in holding off on this purchase until you’re confident its worth the splurge.

Would I Buy It Again?

I would absolutely buy this iron again, or even consider buying a second travel size one.

As a girl who runs her iron into the ground, the Oliso has been a great investment.

Its fast to heat up, and often times ready to work far before I am.

And since I only use mine for quilting, I don’t have a need for the temperature granularity that my old Rowenta had. I realized it never actually leaves the cotton setting.

Really, its time for the upgrade that you’ve been casually mulling over for months, or even years!

And with the candy pastel colors and slick design, you aren’t likely to regret investing in one the second you see it in your sewing room.

Check out the Oliso Pro Iron TG1600 here and grab the best iron you’ll find while pretty-ing up that sewing room like you always wanted!