i use a cheap, $12 iron for quilting...and i NEVER put water into my iron, i keep a spray bottle of water on the end of my ironing board. i went through a faze where i spent lots of money on expensive irons (one was $159) within a week it was leaking, and i wound up HATING that iron. took me a while to figure out if i don't put water into them they last years, and the cheap ones heat up and stay hot ... i also hate the ones that turn themselves off, i want it hot when i want to use it.