The first Rowenta iron I bought years ago worked beautifully for a very long time. When it finally went out, I bought another Rowenta, and have bought another one since, all of which leaked very early on. I like the fact that the Rowenta is a heavy iron because I think it does a better job, especially on cottons, but I will never buy another one. When I complained to the store where I bought the leaky irons, I was told I needed to allow the iron to "recover" after each shot of steam, before pressing the steam button again. I have to say, that does help, but it does not keep the iron from leaking in the long run. I bought a Black and Decker iron in a yard sale for 50 cents that has worked beautifully for three years, and I was paying close to $100.00 for the Rowenta Professional iron....never again !