I have had four Rowenta irons. The two high-end ones didn't last long at all. My other two are NOT auto shut-off and they have lasted for years. My two new favorites are from thrift shops: older model Proctor Silex irons that get hot and steam like champs. I paid $3 each for them. Last summer I was sewing at a timeshare and I almost put their iron in my suitcase it worked so well! I have lucked out and found almost identical irons so there must be a lot of them out there. I bought a $3 Rival at a thrift and that wasn't very good.