So far so good

I purchased my first Rowenta iron about five years ago, and it was by far the best iron I have ever used. Using the settings correctly, I never burned or damaged any of my clothing, it heated up quickly, and the steam action was incredible, particularly with an extra blast of steam at the top. When this iron finally died, I could not find it on the market any more and instead purchased this one, which so far works pretty well and can be bought for a good price (about $45 if you look around on the internet).

This model does not have the extra blast of steam at the top, but it does heat up quickly and the steam works quite well. The metal plate is smooth and has not damaged any of my clothes. The best feature is the automatic retractable cord (which the old model did not have), which is very convenient and solves the problem of wrapping the wires around the iron and possibly melting their plastic cover. The auto-off feature works well.

I was a bit disappointed to see that the iron is made in China now. I believe this is a German company and the first iron I purchased from the was made in Germany. This disappointment does not come from German chauvinism (I am an American), but rather a concern for lasting quality and for the unpleasant suspicion one gets at times in purchasing Chinese products that they were made by child slave laborers making $0.15 an hour.