I buy my iron by the wattage. This will determine the heat and how fast it heats. Love my proctor silex had it for about 5 years and love it. Take it to retreats and everyone uses it....they all comment on how much they like it.

I just got an Oliso at a quilt show yesterday and posted to ask about it before seeing your post. I love the 12 foot long cord and speed of heating up. Of course the little lift feet are the big feature and I'm happy not to have a standing iron to tip over any more. But it does make a weird little whiny noise each time you pick it up and put it down which I don't like. Guess I'll get used to it. Probably would not have spent the money but I got a really good deal and hubby wanted me to have it. I have a nasty burn on my inner forearm the other day reaching for a piece of fabric near the standing iron. Guess that won't happen again. It remains to be seen how happy I'll be with it as time goes on. Good luck in your quest.

thanks for the heads up.. lol about the whining.. now the only downfall, i just found out, there is no user manual... anyone have any ideas where to get one?
thanks

I see your point.. my son & d-i-law bought me a hamilton beach for christmas this past yr, it heats up, but right out of the box it takes it 15 min to heat up, then it's not even hot enough to lay the sewn seams down.. I just cant get over that... lol I purchased a used oliso so as to not spend much money and pray it works great.. thanks for the info..

Whatever looks good at the local thrift store. Heat, not weight, does the job when pressing so I opt for a lighter model. I learned to iron on 'sprinkled' and rolled goods and using a damp press cloth during clothing construction so I spritz if needed.

I've had 2 rowentas and both leaked and I used the correct water. Loved my $7 shark and had it for 5 years. I paid 40$ for a Black and decker which only lasted a year. My favorite irons are not steam irons. They are old ones I paid 2$ each from the Salvation Army thrift store. One is Dominion and the other a Toastmaster.They get really hot and heat up fast. I had 5 of them and gave 2 to friends and had to throw 1 away when it started to smell hot.

I have three Rowentas. All were thrift store, Goodwill finds for $5 except for one, which was obviously hardly used, so it was $20. Love all three models. All were made in Germany. Do not buy one made in China...

I bought my Rowenta about two years ago and it is leaking just like the other two I had in the past. No more Rowentas for me..

The Continental Dry Iron is what I use. Heavy, sharp point, no holes, gets hot fast and stays hot, and no auto-shut off. About $45 at Amazon.com. I use a 50/50 mix of water and Best Press.

I dropped my brand new Rowenta iron. It wouldn't hold water anymore, water leaked everywhere. I have dropped my Black and Decker Classic off my ironing board several times onto a ceramic tile floor, still works fine and doesn't leak. It is the non shut off one. It is so hard to find the non shut off irons now.