Yes, this IS how this Iron works.

What you're looking at is my iron in pieces. I'm known for taking things apart against the advice of the manufacturer. But not this time. This iron is meant to do that.

After my main and my backup irons both bit the dust, I spent a good portion of last fall agonizing over a new sewing mate. Peeps, I hate to buy something important. Discount shoes, cheap fabric, designer coffee, sure, I think about it for a quick minute, but good lord, I OBSESS OVERTIME over anything costing more than 50 bucks. Especially when said Thing has electronic parts. Then I know I'm in for triple the amount of magnifying-glass detective work. I mean, I'm still hanging onto my (super researched, super out of date, SUPER DROPPED) Canon g12 because the thought of doing all that investigating (and dropping that dinero, really, in general, the words dropping and electronics should not ever be friends) is too much to think about.

And let's face it, this is an important decision. Your iron completes the Holy Grail Trifecta of Stitchin' Tools: Sewing Machine. Scissors. IRON. 

So believe me when I tell you I researched the shizznit out of this thing, and have used and abused her since last November just to be sure.  I couldn't holler about her right off the bat, because, um, let's talk about my first try at a replacement: the Rowenta Eco Intelligence. I will not even deign to link to this green monster. Holy EVERYTHING, Batman.  THAT DAMN IRON WANTED TO BE A JACUZZI. It was livid to find out its real purpose in life, and soaked every fabric it laid eyes on in retaliation. And such a worrywart! So many lights and failsafes! JUST NEVER ENDING SPITTING AND SILENT ANGRY BLINKING! 

And it was five times the price of my old beloved Black n Decker repro. What a cutie pie. I loved how it looked, I loved the weight of it, but I rarely used any actual water in it. It didn't spit like its (quintuple the price) initial successor, but it did drip a bit. The weight, looks, and Surface of The Sun heat of it seemed a fair exchange for having to use a separate spray mist bottle for steam.

And the mist bottle kind of made me feel like a hairdresser.

This time, I thought, maybe I can have it all. Yesssssss, oona, dream big with your ironing! How 'bout a gravity feed? How 'bout a second mortgage? Someday. 

(The swanky iron, not the drowning in debt.)

I stumbled on my Maytag Vertical SmartFill though a rabbithole of blog and google searches, none of which actually talked about this little grey girl, but instead led me to that handy "you might be interested in" Amazon predictor, which spit this out. I didn't even know Maytag did irons. And what ever happened to the Maytag Repairman? I so liked him, and his cute outfit. Advertising, dudes. Might not have clicked without the memory of that guy.

Back to the review. Yes, they call it a "Vertical Steamer," and yes, they mean it. I've steamed vertically on my dressform without so much as a particle of drip. It's heavier than a handheld steamer (which ooooo baby I have a good one of those too, post coming soon!) so, weight wise you wouldn't really want to steam a shirt on a hanger, but it's great for dressform use, or steaming yards off the side of your ironing board! The removable water tank is nice and big for large jobs like that.

Speaking of. I LOVE THAT REMOVABLE TANK. THAT REMOVABLE TANK IS THE BEST EVER, PERIOD. Although the water hole (is there not a more official sounding name for it than that?) is large enough to fill at your ironing board, it's super nifty to pop off the reservoir and walk to the sink while your iron stays plugged in. I noticed a reviewer said the valve leaks when you fill it that way-- not true if you use it correctly and keep it upright when filling and transporting.

And I've pressed paper patterns and silks with zero fear of moisture, not only because she doesn't drip anyways, but because I can remove that tank and use only the stainless steel faceplate. And using just the faceplate portion means much less weight-- the better to iron out flimsy pattern paper, or give your hand a break when prepping/sewing silks and whathaveyou.

The faceplate is stainless steel, which was a must in my search. Easier to clean! (And aluminum creeps me out a bit. Easy to scratch, bad to cook with, yadda yadda.) Oh! A word of caution: if you're in the market, make sure you get the one with plenty of holes on the plate. There's a cheaper version with less holes, and I've even seen what must be a knockoff with zero holes. (Yes, I know. WHAT THE F. A steam iron with no steamholes. I have no idea why. It's like the American Horror Story version of irons.)

The one I'm linking to is the version I've got here in Kalkatroona. The real thing produces steam so wonderfully, I use the Blast button just to hear the whoosh it makes. When it's on Cotton, I can almost feel the iron raise up a bit from the force of the blast. You can also leave it on continuous steam by pulling that grey lever down, which gives a nice, even, barely visible steam. A calm steam, if you will. 

I'm not the calm type when sewing, so I go for the blast. 

My one con is that she has that automatic resting feature that every appliance seems to have nowadays. Apparently we have become a people who cannot be trusted with an on/off switch. But, she heats up lickety split from resting mode. The manual says a minute, but I'd say about 10-30 seconds depending on heat level.

And, main vote of confidence, when asked if he liked this iron, Ruggy said: This is the best iron we've ever owned. This is the man that taught me the Way of Researching Products, so that sealed the deal for me. At just under 60 bucks, and knowing the lifespan of today's appliances, I'm thrilled.

Cliff's Notes: Maytag Smartfill Vertical Iron and Steamer. Stainless steel faceplate, great steam & steam blast & spray, actual vertical use, true heat options, zero drip, and the removable water tank wins EVERYTHING. Ask me questions, iffn you have them!

disclaimer: this is my first post including amazon affiliate links. any possible pennies earned would materialize in the form of an amazon gift card, which would be used solely for feeding my sewing and blogging habit. you'll still see plenty of non-affiliate links in kalkatroona, and you'll always see a disclaimer note when needed.