I paid $5 at macy's for my Shark. My DH said it was a piece of junk. Well, I've had it for about 3 years. It doesn't sputter at all. I have 2 complaints: I don't think it heats up enough and shuts off quickly. I only use it if I want steam otherwise I use one of the plain old irons I got at The Salvation Army. They really get hot so much so I have to turn them down to almost wool but I sure love them. I've had two rowentas that started sputtering soon after I bought them. I would love a reliable but read an article which said they were good but heavy. It was an article compairing irons.