pretty much any iron you put water in will at times spit & sputter- many people just keep a spray bottle near their ironing board so they can spritz their fabric when ironing/pressing- that way they get the benefits of steam without the hassles of a water in an iron. then you can choose an iron by other features (stays on vs. auto off, size, weight, settings, face plate) they do seem to wear out- die sooner when using water in them.