My mother volunteers in the electronic department of a HUGE rummage sale in Jersey (if you are in the Jersey area the first full weekends of May and October you should go - they have an amazing fabric & craft room - yes, room!!) well, anyhoo.... she gets Rowentas in and she hardly ever keeps them - they tend to not work when they are brought in... so I'd steer clear of the hefty price tag.
I bought a $15 iron a B&D from Walmart and I love it. In fact two of my friends have gone out and bought the same iron after using mine!