I have had a Continental for about a year and would not call it "wimpy". It is a heavy iron, which I like, because I let its weight do the work; it gets hot fast; it stays hot; and it doesn't have an auto-shut off. Also, I have dropped it twice (from a sit down / tv table height), and have had no problems with performance.
The new Reliable Velocity iron is supposed to be very good. It has separate heating elements for the steam and the iron, so you can get plenty of steam at a low heat. I took a class with Doug Leko, and he loves it. He says the company stands behind their warranty. And I noticed that F&P and Jenny Doan have changed over from the Oliso to the Reliable.
Last edited by mckwilter; 09-03-2013 at 08:39 AM.