Miele Rotary Iron Review – B990

About a year ago, I purchased the Miele B990 Rotary Iron for our home. I had already seen it in action at the Miele showroom, but I had never actually used it before and to be honest I was a little intimidated. After all, this isn’t your grandmothers Rowena – this thing means business.

Miele has been making professional laundry equipment for quite some time and this product, much like the washer and dryer, really shows how much of that professional design and build quality trickles down into the residential unit. To put it mildly, this thing is a beast. When open it takes up quite a bit of space, space you never knew you needed to iron your cloths. Luckily, when not in use, it folds down, reducing its size immensely, and becomes easy to store in a corner somewhere.

I bought it because I was sick and tired of the constant replacement irons, the steam spitting, and the rusty looking discharge. I wanted to send my clothes off to the cleaners everyday – but didn’t want to pay four bucks a garment for the rest of my life. Enter the Miele B990.

It’s every bit as professional as the rotary iron your cleaners use. No stream, no gimmicks, just a hot iron, a foot-pedal actuated clothes roller, and a hanging rod. And if you’re using Miele washer and dryers, they make it so easy on you. Simply run the dry cycle titled “Iron Dry” and the machine gets the clothes almost dry, leaving just enough moisture in the fabric to allow the heat of the iron to evaporate it. The results are as good as any cleaner you can throw money at.

I have to admit that after a my few tries with not-so-perfect results I was getting a bit skeptical. But then with a little practice, I got it down pat. Now, in all honesty, it seems easier to me than using the old iron. And now I run everything through its “wide-width” roller – tablecloths, bed linens, jeans, shirts, you name it. No more starching either. My clothes no longer have those white starch flakes I used to get from over-starching.

Because a rotary iron is, in itself, a very simple machine – feature set isn’t something that would look good on a marketing brochure. Variable heat setting, foot-pedal action, swing out folding and hanging wires. That’s it. Nothing special.

“But it looks expensive”, you’re thinking.

It absolutely is. You could buy 20 brand new Rowena irons for the $2,000 selling price of one Miele Rotary Iron. By the same token, my wife spends easily on average $45 a week in dry cleaning. That adds up to over $2k a year. So for some, this machine will indeed pay for itself. For those who have people who do their laundry for them or for those few OCD laundry enthusiasts like me, don’t think twice about such a purchase. It would be money well spent.

Pros: Solid professional construction, does what it’s meant to do.

Cons: Price keeps it out of the reach of many consumers who might otherwise enjoy the product.