By V. Schmidt
T-Fal FV4379 is my first new iron in decades. It is pretty, as far as irons go. I like the snap closure to the water reservoir, and I love the non-stick sole plate with all of the nicely arranged steam vent holes -- although, I must say that, in a side-by-side, experiment with an iron in each hand, my old iron with the stainless steel plate glides across fabric more smoothly. I like the way that the cord holder on the T-Fal FV4379 fits into a recess in the handle so that the iron sits steadily on its heel. I LOVE the transparency of the water tank so you have no problem seeing how much is in there, and the fact that it actually prefers tap water.
I still have not totally figured out how to set the dial for the temperature I want, but I do know which direction "on" is, and I just stop before the dial turns all the way. On my old iron, there is a notch to tell you exactly where you are stopping. Not sure I am crazy about the auto-off feature, which shuts off the heat after 8 minutes of inactivity. I may be old, but I can remember to turn the darned iron off when I am through with it -- but then, I don't suppose you can get a new iron any more (except maybe a really cheap one) that does not turn itself off. However, when I am sewing, it could be a half an hour or more between trips to the ironing board -- which is why I am hanging onto my old faithful.
In short, though I gave the T-Fal FV4379 four stars instead of five, I will keep it. It doesn't hurt to have a back-up. The new iron probably will NOT get used as much as my old one, however.
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