I also have the Black and Decker Digital Advantage. When I bought, Consumer Reports gave it the top rating. I love it!

I had a Rowenta overseas, and had to leave it-used it and used it and used it-loved it! Then my old iron, which I allowed my house girl to use to iron bit the dust, so I was forced to let her use mine. Needless to say, she ruined the teflon plate ironing over zips and buttons. I am glad to read these posts because I am looking for a new iron now! I have a cheap Walmart GE with auto shut off which I bought my sons when they moved into their apartment together 6 years ago (and I doubt EVER used!), so for the time being, it is filling the gap.

Thanks to everyone for their input...I went with a WalMart special Black & Decker and it was on sale woooohoooo!

I used nothing but tap water and mine still leaked.

My favorite iron, and I have many irons, is a more than 20 yr old Sunbeam, 1200 watts, stainless steel soleplate. Yeah, it has been dropped a few times, but it hangs right in there. I wish Sunbeam would bring them back on the market as a Quilter's Special.

My inexpensive General Electric iron finally bit the dust, but it was over 30 years old! I now am using another GE that belonged to my mom; it's about 10 years old.

Dare I say they don't make things today like they did in the good old days? Back then they were made to be repaired too. No fix-it shops now a days.

some of my irons

What a beautiful collection. Thanks for sharing.

Wini - House of BCC in Houston

When DH and I lived in a cabin, (for 2 years) on a mountian in Oregon, with no power, and no running water, well I used some of these irons heated on our wood stove to press my quilt blocks, and I used them for part of a display in the first quilt show I did.

I have an iron, solid iron, with a wood handle on top, both ends of iron are curved. Thank goodness that is not my only iron.
I also have a Elmira wood burning stove in my kitchen, right along with my electric stove & microwave.
In my younger days I heated the house, as well as cooked with wood, loved it.
I liked going out early in the morning to milk my cow, gather fresh eggs. When I came in, an egg went into a small cast-iron skillet with fresh cow butter. Ummm!
I also milked goats for making yogurt, good stuff.

Sorry, I kinda got carried away remembering the good old days. When you get to my age there are a lot of memories floating around.

Have had several Rowenta's over the span of 20 years because when I started quilting that was THE ONLY iron to have according to my quilting teacher. The first one was great then I noticed the quality went to pot. Most of them leaked and made messes of my ironing board cover. Now I buy whatever one that is on sale. I seem to go through irons but at least Im only spending a few bucks.

I have a Rowenta that I got on clearance at JoAnns for $10 a couple years ago. The box was tatered, but the iron works great!

I buy my Black & Deckers at yard sales and thrift shops. I have three now, but would pick up any I find that work well. I don't need the steam feature to work as I almost never need it. On the other hand if I feel I need it I have an old Rowenta that I use for steam only. Mostly I use a spray starch and don't use steam with it. The thing we need for piecing etc, is HEAT, and Black & Decker gets very, very hot. I prefer it to any high priced, fancy iron and it's very inexpensive. especially when you get it at a thrift shop or yard sale. For instance $2.00 to $3.00 each.
8-)

An iron's an iron's an iron! I use plain, inexpensive models that offer a narrow nose and wide back end. I've often purchased travel irons from garage sales as well as on sale ones from Walmart. Just remember, if it fits your hand well, covers the amount of fabric you want when ironing, maintains an even temperature and cleans easily...you've got a winner. My great grandmother used an old cast iron model from way back when that she heated on the wood stove and made gorgeous quilts and clothes. So it is up to the semstress to make the difference, not the iron. Just have fun!!!

Great advice. My MaMa had the cast irons too. I still have them, but I don't have the wood stove to heat them on. She was a great quilter.

I don't know. My MIL irons a LOT (but clothing, not quilt fabric). Her iron broke and she was going to go buy a new one-so I gave her my old one. I only replaced it because I thought a hotter one would be easier to use. Well for the next 3 or 4 days she raved about how much nicer the newer iron was. Lighter, glides more easily, etc. So for her, two irons were very different. And my old iron and new iron were like night and day to me.

My daughters gave me a ROWENTA last christmas. Ilove it ,best iron i have ever had. Ihave had a few , since Iam 65.