If you want an iron without steam, I recommend the Continental dry iron. It runs about $20 on Amazon, gets hot fast and doesn't have an auto-shut off. I originally purchased it to use with fusibles, because I hated having the little spots that didn't fuse because of the steam holes, but now I use it for all my quilting and have a spray bottle of water on my ironing board in case I do need steam. I purchased mine in 2012, and even being used almost every day plus being dropped on the floor (carpet, not tile) at least twice, it is still working.
http://www.amazon.com/Continental-El...ntinental+iron
I keep my iron, lights and sewing machine all plugged into a single surge protector, and I plug that into an extension cord. When I finish sewing, be it for the day or just for a break, I unplug the surge protector from the extension cord, so everything is guaranteed to be turned off.