I had a Sunbeam for many years and loved it. The other day I knocked it off the ironing board and it broke. I was bummed but went to WalMart and bought another Sunbeam for $19.00. I'm really happy with it.

I bought an old fashion one from the Vermont Country Store on line just for my piecing. It doesn't have the steam holes that catch your seams and it's heavy. I love it! check it out www.vermontcountrystore.com

Yes, I agree about the cheap iron and also buy the skinny width ones, they are easier than the fat irons.

I use a Black and Decker for messy jobs, Phillips for general ironing, Tefal as well, Bohin dry craft iron, Professional Touch craft iron, Jeeves Mini Steam iron and a Sunbeam travel iron. I won most of them - I don't have an iron - fetish

I love my travel iron for piecing. It has steam but of course needs to be filled often. It is light so will not distort your pieces.
I bought a used Rowenta at Savers for $5.50, yes it leaks but for that price I dont mind if its just an iron with no steam.
They have lots of irons at Savers and they have a testing station for appliances but cant test for steam of course.

The cheapest heavy iron Walmart carries. I do like a sole plate which is not teflon coated. It seems I very seldom lift my iron more than a smidge off the pressing area and if the iron is heavy I don't have to press down on the iron while pressing and just tilt it up or down from resting to using position. I guess it's whatever works for each of us.

It has been my experience that if you pull that Rowenta apart, you will find the screws holding the water chamber are screwed into plastic. They start to pull out after while and the whole thing is toast. The older Rowenta's did not have that style of attachment and they screwed into metal. Stayed in place. I have an inexpensive Chinese made dry iron, no steam that will handle piecing all day, and never miss a beat. I rarely use it for anything other than a travel iron.Most of the domestic steam irons will not last the way they are made today, similar to Rowenta. I bit the bullet about 3 years ago and bought a very pricey Gravity Feed Steam Iron. It is like the ones you see in dry cleaners, or tailor shops, or professional seamstresses use. (Hint) there must be a reason they buy them, otherwise, why would they spend so much money. The one I have has very few parts, and every one of them is robust and owner serviceable, and available online. I have a closet full of irons that were recommended by people that I bought and that died under the daily use of quilting, and since I bought the gravity feed, I have never given the iron another thought. Just my experience. Yours may vary, of course.
John

Okay, yesterday at Walmart (was there to check on the newly forming fabric section...whoopee!!) and I stopped by the iron section because my big iron is so heavy and not good for all those teeny tiny scant 1/4" seams. I bought a smaller iron for $6.96 and it is working perfectly. Yes, I know, maybe it won't last long. But is certainly worth the money for the 2 12 1/2 inch blocks I made this morning :P

I bought me a sunbeam from goodwill 8 years ago for 4.99 and that beats all my rowenta and eurosteam

Do not and I repeat Do not buy another Rowenta. I had one used only for quilting it died in 24 months-biggest wste of $120 in my life. Go to Walmart buy a iron for less then $50 and call it good, it will be.