Never liked the T-fal irons. You need special cleaner to clean the sole plate. Always look for the regular sole plate which can be cleaned with a regular scrubby pad, but that's just me. Hope you like your new iron.

I hope you like this one!

I don't buy non-stick anything, including irons. :)

I don't think it's coated with a non-stick finish, at least I hope not. I don't want to breathe the stuff that emits from non-stick finishes. Consumer Reports particularly liked the sole plate, which they said was ceramic.

Chloe, your comment got me thinking, and I contacted T-fal to see if the sole plate is coated with anything. While I await their answer, I canceled my Amazon order (again). I hope this isn't going to turn out like my years-long quest to find a decent mattress (during which I returned three of them).

Alisande,

I'd just go ahead and get the Rowenta. I love LOVE mine. I iron almost everything we wear (excluding socks and underwear). :)

My daughter bought mine for me for Mother's Day last year (it was a requested gift - and she knew how much I hated the Hamilton Beach iron I was using). It replaced the Shark iron that so many people liked (I hated it - it spat water everywhere)....

Apparently there are Rowentas and there are Rowentas. I think I mentioned that many rug hookers I know love theirs. But several of the models I've looked at online have poor reviews, and all are out of my price range.

One thing I've learned from posting about irons at the KT is that I'm not much of an ironer. The good ironers seem to like a heavy iron. I don't. And the good ironers know how to use steam. I never use steam; I spray everything with water--and from a spray bottle, not from the iron. I think a pricey Rowenta would be wasted on me, honestly.

I think mine cost about $80 (on sale, with a Macy's coupon). The good thing is - if you get it from Macy's and hate it, you can always take it back. It's not too heavy, but it's not the lightest iron I've used, either.

I do prefer a heavier iron, and do use the steam option (with starch or sizing, depending on the article I'm ironing). Luckily, my days of using liquid starch in the laundry are over (I was married to the US Army for a while)...

I took the above-mentioned Shark back (to WalMart) and others, as well (to various stores). That's the best way to try out irons - buy them, take them home & test them, and return the ones you hate until you find one you love. :) I know it's labor and time-intensive, but worth it, IMHO.

I have a T-Fal and I don't think it gets hot enough. It's the green one, very similar to this one you show, Susan. The plastic near the tip is starting to disintegrate, too, after only 3 years.

My next iron is going to come from WalMart probably, since I would rather heft one and read all the boxes at once and look at the features. There are so many choices of irons, too many really.

I think you guys are right . . . I should shop for an iron in person. I was hoping to get it "free" with my Amazon points, but oh, well.

As for Consumer Reports recommendations, I should have remembered that I often disagree with them.

Don't despair -- you can always shop in person at a brick and mortar store, then once you've found the one you like, purchase it online from Amazon. :-)

T-Fal makes "cheap" non stick pots & pans. They aren't a name brand in THAT industry either......just saying......

Good idea, Lindsay! Nicole, I guess that explains why I was only vaguely familiar with the brand.

The iron that comes out on top in terms of Amazon reviews is this one. I never thought of Black & Decker in connection with irons.

I just heard from T-fal . . . the ceramic sole plate is coated with a non-stick coating. Glad you brought up this issue, Chloe, thanks.

the last thing I ironed was a green screen....it doesn't work well with wrinkles in it. I don't even own an ironing board. If someone judges me because my clothes aren't neatly pressed, well, they have too much time on their hands. I don't sew, so I don't need an iron for that, tho I understand why it would be necessary. I cleaned houses for many many years, and one family had us do their ironing. HATED it!

I dropped my iron and broke the plastic all up a couple of months ago. I hated it anyway. Went to WalMart and picked up this Hamilton Beach iron and I am so pleased with it. It has a retractable cord, you can see how much water is in it, has steam AND a water spray. It has a large base, so it isn't as easy to knock over as so many are. Not heavy, but heavy enough. And I really like that retractable cord. No waiting for the iron to cool off before you can get that cord contained. Don't remember exactly, but I paid around $30 for it and IMHO it is worth every penny I paid for it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hamilton Beach Retractable Cord Iron