Well I bought the "inexpensive" irons and burnt up 3 irons in 3 years. Not very inexpensive. Then I was fortunate enough to get a coupon for 50% off. So I bought the Oliso. I like it very much and if I get busy sewing and forget it, it shuts off and because it lifts up, it is not burning a hole in my ironing board cover. Also I like the fact that it is not sitting up and tipping over easily as my ironing board sits on carpet and is not very stable. Like any expensive item, I try to take good care of it, along with my other toys.