Here here! I don't know, but I can honestly say that irons are far 'wimpier' than they used to be.

My wife and I also have a black and decker. The irritating thing about this iron is that it doesn't seem to get very hot. I don't see the point, too, of having microprocessors in irons.

Is there any 'hefty' iron out there that is a simple steam iron? With a stainless steel base? With a space to iron around buttons? And one that gets hot enough?

I have a Rowenta, Professional model, that I think is great. I've had it for about 7 or 8 years now, I think. It gets much hotter than any Black & Decker that I had previously. My daughter has a new Rowenta that she also is very happy with, but I'm not sure which model it is.

I used to use Consumer Reports as a buying guide, but I have found that I rarely agree with their ratings any more.

When my Norelco iron died last year after 12 or 13 years of faithful service, I took the "rule of thumb" advice of Consumer Search and bought the least expensive iron that had the features I wanted. They say the newer irons don't last as long as the old ones. Consumer Search also highly rated the Black & Decker Digital Advantage iron. I think they rate the irons by how well their features work and not by how long they last. I bought the Sunbeam Classic ($24.99). I didn't like the Black & Decker Classic, because it didn't have a water gauge. It is a replica of the old General Electric iron I had many years ago. That iron was hefty, so I assume the Black & Decker Classic is also.

I'll second the Rowenta - I don't iron that much, but when my mom tried it - she HAd to have one (she used to iron a lot!)

I have a Rowenta, and I love it! I love that it is heavy, gets very hot, and has lasted longer than any previous iron I owned, and I iron almost everything, although not underwear and washcloths like my college roommate did!

I have had a Rowenta from QVC for a while and like it. I can't stand ironing, so I am unlikely to love any iron. It is QVC number V25626 - $88.20. It is fairly heavy but it seems light weight irons just don't work as well.

I also bought a TFAL iron on clearance at Target for $14 and it works good, too. Is a little smaller and lighter, but gets hot and has good steam.

Sometimes Costco has an iron - I forget the brand - that many people have liked. It is much cheaper than the Rowenta so you might check it out if you are watching your pennies.

I don't have an iron recommendation, but I would look at www.epinions.com for reviews, along with Consumer reports. I think it's good to get the perspective of someone who's lived with the item they're reviewing, rather than someone who maybe ran it through a few tests.

I think Consumer reports has its place, and it's a good tool because it's a standardized test for all the products covered, but I've found epinions, and even other websites with consumer reviews (amazon and a lot of stores have this now) gives you a more complete picture of how products work on a day to day basis.