I buy the cheapest iron WalMart has! It doesn't last any longer, but at under $7.00, who cares if I only get 2 years out of it. The one I'm using right now is 3 years old & going strong! Not a bad return on my investment!

I have also heard about the tip from Bellaboo about the steam setting to off while heating at my LQS. Yesterday I bought a Procter Silex from the Dollar Store for $10.00. So far its great! Nice and hot good steam with no leaking and NO Auto Shutoff! I really like it so far and if it doesn't last I didn't lose much.

The three best irons I've ever had were a B&D Digital Advantage (which you can get on Amazon, by the way), a cheapo Hamilton Beach from Target, and a Reliable Digital Velocity. I will not touch a Rowenta with a ten-foot pole. Those things are very dangerous - too many reports of fires, arcing, burned fabrics and burned hands, and Rowenta's customer service doesn't give a hoot.

I have a Shark, not sure on model, have had it for a few years. I never use the steam, have well water and it would make a mess I am sure in the iron, keep a water bottle on my ironing board, if I need to use steam I use this. It is a heavy iron, took me awhile to like that, but I do now. It has automatic shut off, I like this as I do walk away at times from this area and forget it, no need to worry for me. It only takes a few minutes to heat back up. Just my opinion. After reading the above comments not sure what to think of the shark. I like mine.

Thanks BellaBoo for that information. I knew I couldn't turn my steam on until the iron heated up but I didn't think about that when it shut itself off and I shook it to wake it up. I haven't had a problem with it sputtering, etc. though. I have a Shark which came with my vacuum cleaner and I have enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I bumped it off of my ironing board and it doesn't seem to heat up as well. I did order an Oliso online from Joann's yesterday.

I really thought I was going to like mine, too...and honestly don't mind using the water bottle much at all. It is just that it definitely does not get as hot as it first did.

And as I said in the beginning post of this thread, I like the auto shut off, too. I just don't like how hard it is to turn it back on. All the previous irons I have had, I could turn them off and back on and they would start again. Not this one...I have to bump the bottom of it agains the ironing board or else unplug it and plug it back in. Which is okay part of the time, but then others it is a pain in the butt to reach cause I have a drawer pulled out and my little ironing matt setting on it...and I cannot reach the plug-in easily then. I am in a tight area and have to move everything to get to the plug in.

I went back and read reviews at Amazon, and there was sure a mixed bag....sort of like here.

I use the plainest model of B&D--it has steam, but nothing else--I've never had a problem with it, and would buy another if it gave out.

Oliso? Is that the brand Jenny Doan uses on the newer tutorials? I have trouble watching what she is doing sometimes because watching that levitating iron is SOOOOO cool! :)

so sad that not many irons are made with any quality any more.

I've had Rowentas- they were all POS. Had a Bose that was great but just quit working after 2 years. I have 2 B & D's, but they spit too much. I bought a Shark but got tired of it turning itself off, and such a small water tank that I had to refill it constantly, then it started spitting and spewing water everywhere. So I went to a professional tailor's supply online shop and bought a tailor's iron. It gets SUPER hot, doesn't turn itself off, and has a separate water tank that holds a gallon of water that I hang from the ceiling. If I don't want to use the water tank I don't have to; I can just use a spray bottle. The thing I like best about it is how hot it gets. I'm finally happy. Plus it only cost about $100.

I have one of these finally and am so happy with it. The iron is so light because there is no water in it. It's in the tank. The holes are small so I can use it for applique instead of getting out my dry iron all the time. I wish I would have bought this iron years ago and saved myself all that headache and money on crappy expensive and cheap irons. My iron is a DeLonghi and cost $149. I wish it were only $100. But it's worth the money. I've had no problems at all with it. It doesn't spit - it gets very hot and gets all the wrinkles out. And it being so lightweight is nice on my arm.