I've had a couple of Rowenta's and liked them both. Never had spitting/leaking issues that were not user created (too much water in tank). I will say, I think it's imperative that you read the directions to find out if yours will require tap water or distilled water. Rowenta makes both versions and it seems to be quite an important factor in how well it performs and/or how long it lasts.
My current one has issues because the cord at the base of the iron is somewhat broken. Dropped one too many times and the housing around the cord is broken and it allows the wiring to 'wiggle' a bit so doesn't necessarily work all the time.