I have a EuroSteam iron---it is GREAT. You never have to adjust the setting on it----you can go from silk to cotton and never adjust a dial. And it works very nice on pressing when Im quilting.
It is a little expensive but lasts for years so in the long run it pan's out about hte same as a Rowenta.
I also have a Shark that I bought at Sears for about $80.00 that I like to.

All of this is interesting. For all this time I have been feeling like the Lone Ranger because I didn't like my Rowenta. The first time I used it, it spurted a dark stain on my linen jacket. It wasn't long before it was leaking.

Now I have a Sunbeam Steam Master. There are things I like about it and there are drawbacks. It's heavy enough, has a nice soleplate, a nice point. But I find it shuts off after it has been down for a few (so it seems) seconds. Sometimes I like to press the dickens out of a piece, but I need to lift the iron to get it going again. Oh, and it was about $30. I figure when it does tumble from the ironing board, it will have served it's time and I'll just go on to something else. I think I will look into that T-Fal. Haven't heard of it until now.

They make special products to remove that stuff from your iron, but I found a tip once (I think in Love of Quilting) about using dryer sheets & have been using them ever since. Sometimes it take a couple - use on a hot iron & wipe down the bottom of your iron. Always make sure you have a paper towel or some scrap fabric to iron on to remove the stuff. It kind of turns yellow/brown/black so make sure you get it off BEFORE really ironing anyting.

I purchased a Rowenta travel iron for classes and vacation sewing/quilting. It is great, it gets super hot. I got this idea from Sharon Schamber during one of her classes. It has a long handle. Sharon had a small board covered in carpet type material and just layed the iron down on its side after each use. I use a hot pad on a towel. I never unplug it and keep it next to my machine on the towel. You can use steam or not.

For patchwork it is excellent.
When purchasing an iron, it depends on your intended use. For ironging cloting you would need a larger iron than this travel iron.

Diana

You can also iron a piece of wax paper to get the sticky off...a very frugal 'cleaner', but works well!

I had the same thing happen to me so I called one of the experts in my quilt guild. She told me to take a brown paper bag and sprinkle on iodized salt then run the hot iron over it. I tried it and it worked perfectly, but I then had to shake the iron around a little to get the salt out. I liked it because it was something I had around the house and didn't have to go 30 miles to a quilt shop to buy something special for the clean up. I was back to quilting in about 15 minutes.
Angie

What can be done to clean out the inside of the iron as it builds up the chemicals that are in the water. I have a great old panasonic iron that I use for large pieces after washing them but sometimes it spits out a light rusty colored water for just a second at the beginning of ironing. Can you run a vinegar bath through it like you do in a coffee pot or is there a product to use that will clean out the inside. It is either that or I will have to go get me another cheapy iron.

I use vinegar in mine. I use it straight. The smell can knock you over but it does a great job!

Debbie

You can use a vinegar bath. My favorite method will void any warranty, but IMO it works better than vinegar. I use "Iron Out", a powder you can get at hardware stores that is used to clean water softeners. I use a solution of it inside my iron when it needs a good cleaning.

For calcium deposits clogging the steam vent openings, I use some patience and a large glass-headed pin to scrape them off. Some of the bits go inside the iron, but they are usually small enough that they don't clog the openings and, if they come out, they don't stain anything.

Mary

Thanks, I can deal with the smell and it will go away in time but I just hate ruining fabric with the rusty markings it leaves.