My ironing board is getting so old and rickity it is getting scary. Now my iron keeps shutting off while in use. It is a real pain as you will be ironing away and then you realize that it has shut off and is not ironing. So, I've been looking online at some of the ironing boards that are wider and at irons. Is it best to get an expensive iron or are some of the cheaper ones as good?

Thanks for your help.

I've found that the $12 ones last me just as long as the $65 one I bought, none of them last but about 1 yr, even if I don't knock them off! I have the extra wide board from WalMart and my husband cut a board to go on top of it so I don't have to deal with the tapered end. I don't know why someone hasn't invented a "quilters ironing board"

If they did sell a quilter's ironing board you can bet it would cost twice as much as a regular. Put a specialized item on the market and double the profit.

If you want an excellent quality iron that doesn't automatically turn off get a Rowenta Professional. It's hard to find one that doesn't turn off automatically. I guess the auto-turn-off must be designed for people who just iron clothes and leave and forget to turn them off. Not for sewers who may be at the machine for 10 minutes before they want to use the iron again. You'll pay bigger bucks for this one but I had my first one for over 10 yrs. and it traveled with me to Papua New Guinea and back (had to use it on a transformer there because of different elec., which isn't real good for a piece of equipment) and fell of the ironing board several times. Finally the thermostat gave out and it started getting too hot unless I had it on the coolest setting. So I'm on my second one now and still love it.

I use a General Mills iron that I bought at a thrift shop for $5. It works like a charm, is HOT!!! Has no vent holes and does not turn off. It is probably from lat 40's early 50's. I post UGLY FABRIC earlier today, you can see it there, it is football shaped, and you lay it on it's side.

I bought the oversized ironing board at WalMart. It has a rack underneath which is handy. It is very sturdy. I turn the board so the tapered end is where I sit my iron. This gives me the wide end for ironing. Buy an extra cover too because it can be hard to find and very expensive anywhere else to fit the oversize boards. One tip when you wash your ironing board cover, put it back on the board wet, it will dry and conform to the board and no fighting to get it on!
I like an ironing board instead of an ironing table because I can move the board or put it away. I haven't found a perfect iron so far. Right now I'm using the Black and Decker Classic.

Years ago there was an ironing board that had a wider front end that was good for curtains and tablecloths, but I can/"t rremember exactly how it was designed. And other than sewing, who irons???LOL

There is a quilter's ironing board. It's called the Big Board. It doesn't have a tapered end. I have one and love it. I put my big board on top of a dresser and have lots of storage now.

Allbrands has the Big Boards at a reasonable price or if you have a handy hubby he could make you one. They also have really nice cotton canvas covers for the Big Boards.
http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp00806.html

My $14 Walmart iron works great!!! No auto shut off, and if I have to replace it every year or so, no problem :D:D:D

my hubby cut a sheet of plywood down the center lengthwise and took about 20" off the end. we then covered it with batting and cotton, stapled it underneath and he added small wooden rails underneath to grab onto my regular ironing board.
Its GREAT!! and it didnt cost an arm or a leg!