Panasonic 360 Quick: Multi-Directional Ironing

Ironing has never been a task I've enjoyed and I don't think I'm alone. I actually gave up ironing a long time ago (I think I've had the same iron for almost 15 years). To try and sway me back into the ironing fold, I was approached to try the new Panasonic 360 Quick dry/steam iron.

So the iron arrived and it sat in my hall closet. I think I'm so conditioned not use an iron that it took a few days to convince myself to try it. But I'm glad I did.

When I pulled it out of the box I noticed it's elliptical sole-plate (that's the part that actually does the ironing in case, like me, you weren't aware of that). This was actually the feature on the iron that convinced me to give it a try.

After filing the water reservoir (I like the flip lid on this by the way), I plugged in the Panasonic 360 Quick expecting to wait and wait and wait for it to heat up, but it was ready to go in seconds! I couldn't believe it. It has a light on the front that goes off once the iron has reached the desired heat setting. No more guessing if the iron is hot enough.

As the name implies, you can dry iron light or delicate fabrics like silk and suede or steam iron heavier and wrinkle prone fabrics like linen and cotton. I tend to lean more in the cotton realm; I love the feel but it's a disaster to iron if you don't dry clean and press it. A perfect test for the steam iron. This is where the beauty of the Panasonic 360 Quick elliptical sole-plate comes in. Most irons have a pointed front but a square back.

To avoid adding extra creases you have to iron forward and then turn the clothes around. With the Panasonic 360 Quick dry/steam iron, I could move the iron forward AND back and not worry. It was great and actually saved me time. Not having to worry about the back edge of the iron took some getting use to. The iron has two back legs to stand on when upright so my mind kept thinking this was the edge of the iron. But putting that out of my mind ironing become more of a flow.

When you steam iron, you tend to use more water from the water resevoir; I ended up using all the water when steam ironing one shirt. I think I'm use to my old iron where steam is more of an option so the water never ran out. But the end result is what matters and my cotton shirt came out better than if I had used my steamer (which is usually the way I treat my clothes).

When you steam clothes you can choose the steam setting (low, medium and high). You also have temperature settings for dry ironing too. And if that wasn't enough control over your ironing function, there's a spray feature consisting of a spray mist button on the top of the iron. This features can sometimes help with removing really stubborn wrinkles. Plus there's the jet of steam feature which, like the spray feature mentioned earlier, may help remove stubborn wrinkles. It too is a button on the top of the iron. But unlike the spray feature, the jet of steam option can only be used when the Panasonic 360 Quick is set at the highest temperature or water spotting may occur on your clothes. I used the jet of steam option on those difficult areas of a shirt, like the seams and around buttons and cuffs. The jet of steam feature also allows you to vertically steam items. But I would recommend smaller items. I tried this on my daughter's cotton curtains that I just washed. It does a great job, but the iron is heavy to hold upright for periods of time and the water resevoir would more than likely empty before finishing.

What about safety features. There are some great automatic shut-off features on the Panasonic 360 Quick. If the iron is left face down or on it's side for about 1 minute, the power to the heater will automatically shut-off. If the iron, standing up right, is not moved for about 10 minutes, the power to the heater will automatically shut-off. The number of times I'm running out the door with the kids and have forgotten something, at least I don't have to worry if it's the iron. To reuse the iron, just move it in any position and wait for the temperature indicator light to go off. And lastly there is a self-cleaning operation, especially important if you steam iron often.

Panasonic 360 Quick steam/dry iron ($69.99/$89.99 Cdn.) starts up quickly and indicates when the iron is temperature ready, gives me the option to steam or dry iron my clothes (including vertical steaming), decreases my ironing time with the elliptical sole-plate (no more stop ironing, turn clothes, start ironging), and has some great automatic shut-off safety features. What more could you ask for in an iron (besides having it actually iron your clothes). Will I love ironing from now on? Probably not, but at least it won't be the chore it use to be.

Visit the Panasonic 360 Quick minisite for more information.