Chasing Hawk

My last iron would blink when it shut itself off. So if I happened to have forgot to unplug it at night, you could see it flashing in a dark room. Was a good reminder for me in case I forgot.

kaelynangelfoot

I have a cheapy that I picked up at Walmart as well. Its not the bottom of the line, but a mid-range. I think it cost about $30. It has an autoshut off timer, 4 steam settings (no steam to lots of steam) and an "This Iron is Hot" indicator. I wouldn't go with the cheapest (had one of those, it leaked water everywhere) but there is no reason to spend a hundred dollars.

kathdavis

Great advice above. i looked for: Auto shut off, great steam, good size water compartment so you don't have to refill too soon, not real heavy,

mooshie

Thank you all for the input. I have been away from the board for a few days and love that I came back to so many great replies. I think I will just start my search at Wal-mart or Target or Costco. Does Costco sell irons? They have a great return policy in case I'm not happy with it. I think the one thing that I want to change most about my iron is that the bottom is--how do I describe it?-- not smooth. It's not got nicks in it or anything, but I want a slick bottom and this one has a little bit of a texture that has bugged me with certain fabrics.

So, thanks to your great comments I'll be looking for an iron with the following:
A slick bottom
Lots of steam
Nice and heafty, but not too heavy
No auto-shut-off (That bugs me too! And I always unplug my iron, hopefully this will continue)
Priced around $30ish-$60ish
Pointy tip
And then I guess I'll just hope for the best.

Thanks again for the help!

Stitchnripper

I gave up on the Rowenta and like my Black and Decker Digital Advantage. Also, if you put Irons in the search category you will get lots more useful information.

quiltin-nannie

Came across this thread at the right time. I am now in the market for a new iron also. I had two Rowenta irons and ended up pitching them both. Leaked everywhere! My daughter came to stay for a while and bought a new iron to use. She bought a Sharp. I like the Sharp, but I have fibromyalgia and some carpal tunnel and it is just too heavy for me. And, like many of you, the auto shut off drives me nuts when I am piecing! I never used to unplug the iron, but have now gotten in the habit (after my daughter nagging me), so I will look for one that is not auto shut off. Anyone have an Oliso? I would never spend that much on an iron, but just curious if people like that one or not.

nativetexan

I got a Shark at Target. I like it, just doesnt' give steam very fast.

asimplelife

My 8 year old Rowenta started smelling like it was burning inside over the holiday so I threw it away and ordered this Black and Decker from Amazon.com. I really like it! It heats up fast, it will beep before it starts the automatic shut off and it's a nice weight. Feels sturdy in my hand. I always unplug my iron when I turn off the machine for the day!

I loved my Rowenta but didn't want to spend the $$ to replace it after reading all the horror stories here, seems the quality must not be there any more.

susie-susie-susie

I had a Rowenta, but it started spiting water and after reading all the fire stories, I got rid of it. I now have a very inexpensive Black and Decker and I really like it. I did decide that if I need steam, I will spray the fabric and I do not put water into the iron. Works real well so far. I've had the iron almost 2 years and it works great.
Sue

Weezy Rider

I have a Reliable with auto shut off, but that can be bypassed. It's in the manual.