Dry Irons

A dry iron, often called an iron box in India, smooths clothes with heat and pressure from a hot metal plate. It has no water tank and no steam, so there is nothing to fill, nothing to clean out and nothing to scale up. For everyday cotton shirts, school uniforms, kurtas and office wear, that is often all you need. Orient Electric dry irons are priced from ₹579 to ₹1,099.

How to choose a dry iron

Four things decide most of the choice:

• Weight. A light iron is easy to move all day. A heavy iron presses out thick creases with less effort from you.
• Wattage. Most Orient dry irons are 1000W or 1100W. More watts means a little more heating power.
• Soleplate. The soleplate is the flat plate that touches your clothes. A non-stick soleplate glides better and is easier to wipe clean.
• Warranty and price. Check the warranty on the product page and compare the price with what you really need.

Compare Orient Electric dry irons

Light dry iron or heavyweight dry iron?

The light models, Panache Plus, Fabrijoy, Fabrismooth, Fabrimate and Fabripress, weigh between about 0.54 kg and 0.7 kg. They are easy to lift and turn, so they suit daily ironing of a few clothes at a time.

The heavyweight models, Lyvi and Gusto at about 1.4 kg and Ultimate Plus at about 1.56 kg, press with their own weight. They suit people who iron cotton, linen and thick fabric and want creases to go in fewer passes. If your hand or wrist tires easily, choose a lighter iron.

1000W or 1100W: which is better?

Both are enough for normal ironing. The 1100W models heat a little faster, but the 100W gap is small. Wattage also shows how much power the iron uses. An iron uses its watts divided by 1000 in units of electricity for every hour at full power, so a 1000W iron uses 1 unit and a 1100W iron uses 1.1 units. At an example rate of ₹8 a unit, that is about ₹8 and ₹8.80 an hour. A dry iron switches its heating on and off to hold the set temperature, so real use is lower.

What a non-stick soleplate does

A non-stick soleplate has a coating that lets the iron slide over cloth. Many Orient dry irons use a German-made Weilburger non-stick coating. The coating helps stop fabric from sticking, but it does not replace the right temperature. Always check the care label on the clothes.

Which temperature for which fabric?

This is a general guide. The care label on your garment always comes first.

Start with the lowest setting for a garment you are unsure about, and iron a hidden corner first.

How to use and look after a dry iron

1. Set the temperature dial to suit the fabric and wait for the iron to heat up.
2. Iron the cooler fabrics first, then move to the hotter ones.
3. When you finish, switch off, unplug and let the iron cool on its heel.
4. Wipe a cool soleplate with a soft, damp cloth. Do not use a scourer or steel wool on a non-stick coating.
5. Do not wind the cord tightly around a hot iron. Keep the iron out of the reach of children.

Dry iron or steam iron?

Choose a dry iron if you want a simple iron at a lower price. Choose a steam iron if you often iron thick or badly creased clothes. See the full range of irons for clothes or the steam iron.