Panasonic NI-QL1100L Cordless Steam/Dry Iron, 1500W Wide Stainless Steel Plate, Silver/Light Blue

I am an R&D engineer who appreciates good engineering when he sees it. I am also very critical of the poor engineering I observe in products today. I also know the value of a good reputation and I believe purchasing this iron was a win-win for both us and Panasonic. My wife is a professional quilt maker and as most quilters know, they are a very connected nationally as a social group where all the quilters share their experiences at retreats, meetings and online through their clubs and social media. My wife was at a quilting retreat using her fancy Oliso corded iron, with feet on the bottom that automatically extend when you release the iron, when she detected a burning smell from it. Then she noticed that it wasn't heating anymore. She brought it home and asked me to have a look at it, hoping that I could repair it for her. After taking it apart I found that the heating element was bad (open electrically) and contacted Oliso to see if I could get parts. The iron was about a year over it's warranty but they offered to replace it for about $70 dollars (approx. half price of a new one). After reading many reports of similar failures with this iron I decided to do some of my own research on who makes the best irons. I was surprised to see how many iron makers there were and how few had very good track records for reliability. I really liked the idea of a cordless iron but I am aware of the limited life cycle of batteries so, I was very skeptical of such a design. Then I discovered Panasonic's cordless irons and was very impressed with their engineering approach. Instead of depending on inherently weak battery technology, they took a different, more reliable, approach. Similar to the original cordless irons that were heated on a wood stove, Panasonic simply embeds a heating element in a material with high thermal mass and then uses an independent base for the heating element's power supply. This eliminates the problem of battery failure, keeps the weight of the iron low and permits cordless use for extended periods. Then, Panasonic took it a step further by making the iron bi-directional. So, now you can iron with either hand in either direction and never have to flip it to get to that difficult corner or seam. My wife fell in love with the iron the first time she used it. Then she took it to her most recent quilt retreat and the other quilters raved about it and wanted to know where she got it. On top of that the Panasonic iron sells for about one half of what her previous iron did. As the word gets out I suspect Panasonic is in for a lot more cordless iron sales! :-)

I purchased an earlier version of the iron more than a decade ago. In fact my earlier iron still functioned apart from the spray and steam aspects of the iron. Given the lifespan of this earlier iron I opted to replace it with the same style/model. The new iron works very well and in fact it seems that it heats up faster and retains the heating of the iron longer. The quality of the manufacturing of the iron is very good. I am fond of the cordless iron as it allows for uses in any direction. Likewise the pointed end on both ends is particularly useful. The water container holds sufficient water for steaming and spraying your article of clothing. It would be nice if the water container offered a smaller portion of the container for use when ironing just 1 or 2 items--a full container is far too much for smaller ironing amounts. The removable water container makes it easy for filling and/or draining the water when finished. The base is very solid with the retractability of the electrical cord. The slot the iron fits into to reheat itself is easily accessed and the connection seems solid. While this iron's costs may be bit higher than corded irons, I found the quality, lack of a cord on the iron and its overall functionality to be value for the money spent.

I love it! Heats up rapidly and good steam production. No cord in the way. Easy to use.

I have used this iron for about 1 1/2 years. I specifically bought it to use when piecing quilt blocks. It is lightweight and easy to use, especially since there is no cord to drag around. I can sew, then immediately turn and iron my project without having to untangle a cord from my chair. It does take some getting used to as you have to set it back down in the cradle instead of on one end like standard irons. It works phenomenally well for small projects like quilt piecing as the iron isn't out of the cradle for long periods of time. I tried using it to iron newly washed yardage and I would not suggest doing it again as it took 3-4 times longer to get the job down. I use my old standard iron for that task. I do not use the water tank or steam option as I instead have a separate squirt bottle when I need to create steam. I have also used it to iron shirts with some success, but sometimes I wish it could be put down anyplace but the base during this process.

Every time I use this iron, I think to myself.... I should really do a review. Well, 2 years later, here it is. I'm not some quilter or sewer or anything. I'm just a dude that irons his work shirts. I used to use very expensive Rowenta irons. They would last for about 4 years and eventually either just stop working or the cord would prevent it from turning on. (Auto off function is apparently a wear item?) So, after many years of using that heavy iron, I decided to look for a cordless iron. (Mainly, to prevent any cord issues.) I, of course, looked at Rowenta and some other brands that were heavy and had a battery. (Surely the battery would fail at some point.) When I saw this iron, I thought it was pretty brilliantly designed. First of all, shortly after purchasing it, my cat knocked over my ironing board and this iron took a very nasty spill onto my tile floor. 2 years later, still no issues. It's brilliant. It's light weight. (At least compared to my previous Rowenta irons.) It's pretty cool that it has 2 pointy ends. (The football shape of the heating plate is very manly.) I always use reverse osmosis water in it and have had no issues with mineral buildup. (My Rowenta irons would have to be cleaned about once a month and lots of rusty looking deposits would come out.) I usually give it a steam blast onto my iron board just in case, but no rusty water has ever come out of it. Also, I haven't had to clean the plate yet like my Rowenta would regularly require. The iron heats up every time you return it to its base when readjusting your clothes. I've never had to wait because it wasn't ready. The auto steam works great, so I hardly ever have to give it an extra blast. The design is also awesome because the water container detaches, and you can fill it up while the iron is heating up. It's also super easy to detach and also easy to fill with water. The other thing is that I don't leave my iron board out, so I have to move this iron every time. The carrying case is awesome. Just grab the handle, move the iron and detach the top of the case. Then when you are done, you just grab the case by the handle and push it back on and it latches automatically with no struggle. Even the carrying case is masterfully designed. And of course, the retractable cord for the base just pulls out and when you are done you give it a short yank and it retracts back in automatically with no issues every time. It looks pretty nice too. Why did I spend so much on Rowenta irons that were no better for my use, heavy, and would fail? After 2 years, I still love this iron. My conclusion is that this is the best iron in the world and that all other irons probably suck in comparison. That's my opinion but I'm not wrong.

I was at a quilting retreat and several of the other quilters attending the retreat had this cordless iron and raved about it. Although I was a bit skeptical about this, I thought I'd give it a try and I LOVE it!!!! It stays hot for a nice long time, it's lightweight enough that it's easy to use, but heavy enough that it irons the quilt seams without me having to really press down hard. And the best part? I don't have to fight with a cord as the quilt top I'm working on gets bigger! I told my sister how much I liked this iron, and she purchased one and is just as happy with hers as I am with mine. Sure, you have to put it back on the "base" to reheat, but literally takes seconds to do that, and even with "regular" irons, you have to put them down to reposition the quilt, clothing, etc. you're ironing, so that's really a moot point. Although this iron costs more than many other irons on the market, it's really worth the extra money. Try it; I know you'll love it as much as I do!

This is a great iron. I love that it stays on when ironing. However I wish it had an automatic shutoff after 1 hour of not using it. Then it wouldn’t stay on all night if you forget to unplug it. This is the 2nd one I have had and I prefer it over the former one that shutoff every 10 minutes.

I’m still figuring it out. Doesn’t seem to get very hot and I have to “slam” it back into the base to reconnect and reheat. I do like the no cord aspect.