The Reliable iron is getting the top reviews now. I use an Eureka 1800 watt. It's big, heats fasts, lots of steam, and easy glide sole that so far nothing has stuck to. The tip is great for opening seams. I found a sale online for half off and bought the 1600 watt Eureka, then I found a half off sale on the 1800. Now I have a quality back up iron.

I have adventurous cats, so I got an iron shaped silicone pad with little dull spikes that the iron lays flat on. I can even set it on it when it is hot, to cool. I can’t have an iron that tips easily with cats in the house. When I first got the pad, I only used it to put the iron on for cooling and storage. I was doing some freezer paper appliqué one day, (which forces you to pick up the iron a zillion times an an hour), when it occurred to me to lay the iron on the pad between uses. By laying it flat on the pad, I could keep the auto-off switch from activating (mine activates if the iron stands too long without being tipped) and keeping the iron hot for the full time I am using it. It also keeps me mindful of exactly where the iron is since I am losing peripheral vision. When you live on a tight budget like mine, you find the inexpensive solutions to problems. Someday I might have a fancy Oliso iron, but until then I make do with my cheaper Walmart irons. I get 7-10 years per iron. Works for me.

I never use steam. I keep a small spray bottle of water near to my iron and use that instead of steam. A couple of light quick sprays works great and does not over saturate the fabric.

I liked my Rowenta but it leaked right after the first year so I went with a Reliable instead of paying the Rowenta price. So far the Reliable has been working swell for nearly two years.

You don’t want small and light but I’ve been using a travel iron and love it for setting seams. I have to turn the dial back because it gets super hot. I picked it up at a garage sale because I thought it would serve me well in our summer rv travels (and it does).

Yes, mine did have short in it; it was right at the end of the plug where it goes into the socket. My husband's friend was able to put another plug on it yesterday, and it is working just great! Glad to hold on to that $100 plus for awhile longer.

One of the reasons I bought my Rowenta was that I could use tap water instead of the distilled water I was having to use in my old iron for steam When I tried it with tap water it leaked...same with the distilled water. I tried bottle spring water and it does not leak. I don't understand it, but I now buy bottle spring water for it, and it has never leaked.

I have a project runway Rowenta that I purchased from QVC , made in Germany,. It steams very well and is several years old..

If you have hard water you might try using distilled water....

I made the switch to Oliso a few years ago when I started learning to quilt. I love it. I leave it on all the time and just touch the handle to turn it on. It heats up super fast and does a great job. I’ll never go back to a pick up iron again unless forced to. Works particularly well with my wool mat underneath.