I find the 'auto shut-off' irons a real pain and so very frustrating. Yes, you can flatten your iron so that the auto shut off doesn't engage, but what a hassle. I usually find that when I start to use the iron, it has just turned off a few seconds before I need it and I have to wait. Yes, they do heat up quickly, but I hate waiting -- when I am in the zone, I am in the zone and waiting is the worst. It breaks up my concentration and it slows me down.
I do have an older iron and I plug it into the wall socket that shuts off when I turn the lights off as I leave the room. Since it is an automatic thing for me to turn off the lights as I leave a room, I don't worry that there will be a fire if I forget to turn it off. And, if per chance, I don't turn the light off as I leave the room, the fact that the light is on is a reminder in itself that I forgot the iron is still on.
On another current thread about irons, someone wrote about the silicone iron pads that they have now and you can put your iron flat on and they don't burn the ironing board. This way your iron always stays on. They are inexpensive and I purchased some with a coupon at JA fabric to give as gifts to my quilting friends.
By the way, I just checked JA and irons and also the silicone pads are 30% off today.
Last edited by mac; 07-28-2018 at 10:32 AM.