My Rowenta irons have been great. They have all been the ones *without* a removeable water tank. I think the removeable water tanks had a lot more problems. Also, I stopped using steam with them. If you want steam, I don't think they are the best iron. I love mine, though, for ironing without steam. It heats up very fast, gets very hot, and is heavy enough so I don't need to push down much when ironing. My first Rowenta lasted for about a decade, survived multiple drops on a concrete floor, and operated for about 4 years duct-taped together from its last concrete fall. All of the ones I got afterwards came from thrift shops, where I used to find them for $5. A lot of quilters bought them and did not like the auto-turn off (which I love), which is why I think there were a lot in the thrift shops for awhile. Only one of those did not work when I finally got around to trying it out. I'm on my last thrift store Rowenta, which has been going strong for about 5 years. I no longer am at risk of dropping it on a cement floor, so I'm hoping it will last.
I stopped using steam for quilting, as I found I rarely need it. Mostly what I need steam for now is solely for badly wrinkled fabric. When I need steam, I prefer to use a spray bottle of water.