| ElnaPress 3000 |
| Viewed 320 times | |
Review rated Helpful by 1 people Very Helpful by 8 people |
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| Reviewed by: |
johnr55 |
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About johnr55
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| TX USA |
| Member since: 3/22/08 |
| Reviews written: 65 |
| Sewing skills:Intermediate |
| Favored by: 7 people |
| notions reviewed: 4 |
| Bio: more...
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| Posted on: |
10/31/09 12:39 PM |
| Rating : |
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| Approx. Price : |
$900 |
| johnr55 purchased this notion from: |
Brick & Mortar Store |
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FIRST: this press isn't made anymore; it was made in Switzerland when Elna was still a real company. However, these often come up on the auction sites as a bunch were sold and they last forever!
I bought my first ElnaPress way back in the eighties, and it was several hundred dollars then. I passed it to my sister, who still uses it. I replaced it with this 3000 model about twenty years ago. The main difference between this model and my older one is that the 3000 has a retractable surface for narrow things. I have learned that it's really unnecessary.
Operation of the ElnaPress is quite simple, and probably similar to newer and smaller models. The heating surface, a brushed stainless, is on the top, lifting part of the press. The bottom surface, where the fabric to be pressed is laid, is covered with a padded cloth surface, rather like an ironing board. The press handle is lowered onto the fabric for a short period, then raised.
I would like to say that I purchased my first press because I have a very bad back, and ironing with a board was agony-it still is. The great part about any press is that one can sit and easily do all the ironing sitting. I routinely place this ElnaPress on my coffee table in my den and do the ironing while watching TV! Sometimes I'll put it on my kitchen counter instead, sometimes on the kitchen table. For any members with a bad back out there, I'd heartily recommend looking at an ironing press.
Operation is dead simple. Switch on a switch on the front. Pick a heat range for fabric, just like an iron. The press does take longer to heat up and cool down than an iron. Also, at least on these Swiss presses, it can get much hotter than any home iron! I mean, melting buttons hot. In fact, I usually press any button down shirts from the reverse side for that reason, if on the highest setting. There is a spray attachment that fits on the handle which, when filled with water, sprays the fabric to be pressed. I haven't used that in years; if I want water I just use a little spray bottle, easier for me.
Also, keep in mind when using a press that your ironing will go much faster once you learn to use it. I remember that the pressure with this ElnaPress is 32 pounds per square inch on the fabric, much more than can be done with an iron. This translates into the most beautifully creased jeans you'll ever see, in fact any creases. It means that in just a few seconds shirts, blouses, anything will be done while you are still sawing with an iron. The way to press is that there is an open area behind the pressing surface, in front the where the big handle hinges in the back. Place the garment there and work forward with the garment, feeding it toward you. On my shirts it is basically as fast as I can pull the fabric in place, let the handle down a couple of seconds, then on to the next fabric. It does take some practice to learn it, but once you do it's extremely fast. Now, there are smaller presses out there so you might have to do two passes across a shirt, for example, but I am certain it is still faster than sawing with an iron. Though it doesn't require a lot of dexterity, there is the possibility of having one's hand brush the hot pressing lid. You won't do that many times, though!
Storage is a dream with this press. Unplug the cord and it stores on the handle hinge, taking up only a few inches of room. No board to put away, this just goes in any space about 3 ft by 1 ft.
The only part that may need replacing, and that only after many, many years is the cloth pressing surface. To my knowledge they are still available and the last time I checked were about $10. BTW there is a safety feature built into the ElnaPress that if the handle is lowered and left on the fabric ffor more than 10 seconds, it gives an audible beeping and cuts off the power. And, yes, you could definitely catch something on fire without it! Unlike an iron, though, the press takes about 10-15 minutes to really cool down, to be ready to put away. That is when I take my clothing and put it where it goes.
Also, I use mine constantly for my embroidery work. You want to see fusible really fuse easily onto fabric, put it in one of these! Very, very fast, very even fusing, I can do yards at a time in a couple of minutes. Needless to say, when prepressing larger amounts of fabric, that also goes much faster than any iron, and with that high pressure pressing gives beautiful results.
One question newbies might ask is about such things as collars and cuffs. A different technique: the lid is left open and simply take a cuff or collar in both hands and pass it over the hot rounded edge of the heating side. Fast, works beautifully. My collars never get done as easily or as quickly with an iron.
So, I have 25 years experience with two of these presses and neither of them have ever given a minute's trouble. I did replace the cloth bottom on the older press about 15 years ago, but that's it. I enjoy pressing my pillowcases because they look so nice on the beds, and this also takes about 30 seconds.
These Swiss Elnas were the queens of presses when they were still made. I can't guarantee that the much less expensive alternatives sold in stores now would give the same results. However, for those who have never tried a press I would recommend it if they do a lot of ironing, and especially if they have back trouble. |
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| Reader Comments |
| Barbara3 |
10/31/09 |
Very interesting and informative review. Thanks! |
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| Patzee |
11/1/09 |
Thanks for a good review and for me an introduction to presses. I remember my grandmother using a press when I was quite young since we used to press top sheets and pillow cases. I don't know what happened to that press, but as soon as I was tall enough to lift an iron, pressing sheets and pillow cases became my job. Maybe getting the grandkid to do it was even easier than using a press. |
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| Rebecca Szetela |
11/1/09 |
Great, detailed review. Thanks! |
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| Susan M |
11/1/09 |
This is a great review! You taught me so many things about a press. Now it is on my list. |
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| Rita K |
11/7/09 |
Thanks John for an excellent informative review. I iron all my husband's shirts with a Rowenta steam press. But this sounds better & more versatile. Plus my steam press is not lasting well. I may just look for one of these. |
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| johnr55 |
11/8/09 |
Followup: on 11/7 I went to a dealer in Houston who had an ElnaPress out for sale. It was about 2/3 the size of mine and much lighter in weight and construction. That's not a bad thing, necessarily, but it is a very different press. |
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