BLACK+DECKER D2030 Digital Advantage Professional Steam Iron, Gray

Ordered from Amazon and showed up the next day. I selected this iron based on all the good reviews, great price and recommendations. I have always gone with the super cheap irons and upon opening the box saw what a great iron looks like. This iron is much larger and heavier than the cheap one, I am used to. I noticed right away that the pivoting plug wire does not get in the way, when you stand the iron on its heal. Plus, the heal is a good size and weight, so less chance of inadvertently tipping over when you are just trying to stand the iron up/rest the iron, while moving the garment. A larger and heavier iron, means less passes over your garments to get the ironing done. I did make certain to read through the instruction manual in order to ensure I was familiar with all the iron’s functions and to ensure I can clean it properly. Which I would recommend everyone who purchases this iron takes two minutes to do so. Within the instructions is the registering for the warranty information, which all owners should do – again takes only a minute or two to complete.You can use tap water, it’s actually preferred and you don’t have to empty out the water that’s left in the iron after each use. Though out of habit, I do empty it out. The iron came with a filling cup, that if you fill it ~2.5 times fill the iron to the max line. The water tank is pretty large and more then covered my ironing session. My next session I will only fill it part way, as my old iron’s tank barely made it through a session. There are three ways to use the water – two steams and one spray. The steam function is two ways, one by adjusting the steam setting dial, which means while you are ironing the selected amount of steam will come out, while you are ironing. The second, is via the steam button, which adds pulse(s) of steam when you depress the button. The spray method is simply done by pressing the button and provides a spray directly in front of the iron. Additionally, you have the option to use the iron vertically, just as a steamer, for items such as hanging curtains (i.e. so you don’t have to take them down, nor put the item on the ironing board). I had absolutely no leaks with this iron nor issues with this iron.The iron heats up quickly but takes a long time to cool down. I could see right away this iron performed so much better then my cheap one. As normally it would take me many passes and firm presses to get the wrinkles out, with my cheap iron. This one, one pass, and the wrinkles came out and stayed out. The digital temperature setting is easy to use and will beep once the setting selected has been reached. Make certain to select the correct type of material, otherwise you could risk burning your garment. Additionally, the auto turn off feature will display when it’s about to turn off, that it will be turning off and beep right before it turns off. This way you have visual and audio heads up before it goes off.To keep the ironing plate clean, just wipe with a damp cloth – never use vinegar, which is normal cleaner to use for other (cheap) irons. I use a lot of starch during my ironing and the iron did not stick to the garments and was easy to wipe the ironing plate, with the damp cloth, after I was done with the ironing. Plus, since this is not a cheap iron, it has an Auto Clean System feature, which is very easy to use.The only thing about this iron that might be a small issue is that you must remember when you go to put away the iron, to ensure the variable steam dial is set in the off position. I have a feeling this is just something I will get into a habit of doing and won’t be an issue. Also I am betting if this is forgotten and not put in the off position, when you go to use the iron again, it most likely will leak. This iron’s cord is not retractable, which based on my research is better as most of the recoil features break and/or don’t provide a good length of cord. This cord is plenty long.Tip – line your ironing board with tin foil and then put on the ironing board cover on. This will speed up your ironing task, as this way your garment is getting ironed from both sides at once. Translation the ironing itself while you are ironing heats the tin foil, ironing the flip side of the garment, all at once.

I've had a few bad iron relationships and was ready to break-up with the current one that enjoyed throwing up on everything, leaving water stains that required washing before wearing. It's been so long since I had an iron I really liked that I began to think it was me, not them.I did a bit of research in the Amazon reviews and was all ready to buy an expensive iron by another manufacturerer that was twice the price until I saw recent reviews that indicated a product decline that came after they moved their manufacturing to another country. I decided to try this iron based on the many favorable reviews - thanks to all who contribute - and it being listed as their #1 Best Selling Iron.When I saw how well the iron was packaged, I had a good feeling about it. I don't think I've ever had an iron that was wrapped in tissue and the plate had cardboard attached to protect it. There were also cardboard inserts that prevented the iron from moving - simply awesome protective packaging. Then I encountered something amazing - an instruction manual! The last few appliances we received had none, so this was absolutely impressive.The iron has the largest water reservoir of any I've seen and I was able to iron several man's shirts with the steam setting in the mid-range without using half the water. It even comes with a little container with a small spout for filling the reservoir. The iron has multiple steam settings and is effective even at the lowest steam setting - and the higher settings produce such plentiful steam that you can almost give yourself a facial (OK, so I exaggerate, but only a bit).While the weight of the iron is a bit more than my past few irons, I quickly adjusted and the glide of the iron across clothing was so smooth it actually required less effort than the lighter weight.The iron has a digital display and you press a little button to increase the temperature settings. At each setting, the display shows the numerical setting and the type of fabric it is appropriate for. To turn the iron off, you hold the button in for a few seconds until the display darkens, indicating it is shut off.I love this iron and am almost tempted to buy another to have a spare for the day when this has met it's shelf life. At half the price of the one I was contemplating, it's a real bargain and I don't think you'll be disappointed by the ease of ironing you'll find with this iron.

Update: Two years later, and this iron is still awesome. I still use it nearly weekly, and it hasn't failed me.Original review:This is a great iron, way better than I was expecting for $40. It has some heft to it, which I like as I find it makes it easier to iron. Don't get me wrong, it's not heavy, it's just not a light crappy plastic piece of trash. It genuinely gets really hot on the higher settings, and puts out lots of steam, making it possible to iron jeans, and obstinately wrinkly heavy cotton shirts with ease. I really can't say anything bad about this iron. Also, the controls are easy to understand and use.I picked this iron by sorting my search results by customer review, and then picking one that seemed like good value for the money. I was tempted to get one of the fancy Rowentas, but after reading reviews decided to give this one a shot. It has totally exceeded my expectations. My ironing experience has been what I would have expected from the Rowenta, but for half the money or even less (and some of the Rowenta reviews aren't so hot, which gave me pause).Anyways, in case it's not clear: buy without reservation. The only caveat is I've only been using it a few weeks, I'll update if anything goes wrong.