BLACK+DECKER D2530 Digital Advantage Professional Steam Iron, Gray

Long Story, but this iron had a lot to live up to. My husband was in a bit of a snit one day and claimed he couldn't see over my pile of clothes atop the dryer, to where the Rowenta is proudly parked. The next thing i knew, it was on the floor in pieces. After ranting about how much a new Rowenta would cost (and thinking of all the other things i could spend about $125 on, I decided to hit my favorite place for reviews (Amazon, of course- and it's FREE!) and got down to business. I was pretty excited when i spied an iron that had good reviews, for less than $20.00. Whoever said "you get what you pay for" was absolutely right in this case! First of all, i was shipped TWO of these (Proctor Silex, btw, the ocean-mist color... i mean, if you're going to get a cheap iron with no features, might as well choose a pretty one, right?) and the seller insisted that I ordered TWO, so i'm into this another $7.00 to return one of them already -my dime.) It was one month and 3 days before i geared up to try 'er out! Nightmare! I poured the distilled water IN, and it poured OUT the bottom almost as fast. When I went to set it down on the ironing board, it was so light and the cord so poorly placed, that it would not stand up. I was appalled! Muttering under my breath something like "gosh darn cheap mass-produced made in china piece of S#%& !!!!!"I let all the water run out (LOL) and packed it up. The seller was quite reasonable about it, really, and my 2nd return was paid for by someone! I proclaimed to my husband and anyone who would listenthat i was going to buy another Rowenta and that was that! Again, thoughts of new sandals were running through my head, so I thought it couldn't hurt to at least take a peek at some less expensive options.Enter, the newe Black & Decker. This must have been designed by a woman (just kidding, no insults intended!) Since Amazon is generally excellent with customer service and returns, I stepped outside of the lines and bought this iron. I had to come on and do a review. I use the Amazon reviews ALL the time. In my opinion they beat the Consumer Reports subscription by a long shot!THE REVIEW OF THE IRON STARTS HERE - WHAT IS WRITTEN ABOVE IS MY TROLL ROUTINE!The first thing i noticed was the heft and weight of this iron. Then, the gleaming face plate (no teflon-ish stuff to peel or chip). Soooo many holes for steam (and the steam really pumps from this machine!) It heats up in Lightning Speed, (so important now that they all "shut off" automatically-which is ok, i understand the safety issue, but hate waiting for my iron to heat up again if I've gone to grab another Dr. Pepper or something, oh and BTW... this one gives you TEN minutes, not EIGHT like most others.) and the controls are so convenient, just a press of the thumb (no changing hand positions) to change temps. The neon green display "screen" is very high tech looking (this is not your mother's iron, lol) and it continuously displays the fabric type associated with the current temperature. (i think there are 8 or 9 suggested settings.) So, you glance at the iron and READ "cotton" or "linen"-- or whatever it is -- before you begin to "press" Grandma's polyplastic housedress headed for a meltdown! This iron stands BEAUTIFULLY, as the cord is soft, flexible, just the right length... and ON A SWIVEL thing so it just does NOT get in the way, ever. There are more features, but it is not the "bells & whistles" kind that seem to be made to shorten the lifespan of any appliance by crapping out and necessitating the purchase of another one -- each feature is helpful.I can't imagine a better iron, period. The cord is soft and long, AND attaches to the base with a swivel that really keeps it out of the way. The settings are wonderful! The digital panel tells you which fabric type you're ready to pressis, (so nice for the young housewife of today who had her clothes ironed for her for 20+ years, AND never got her feelings hurt at school. It comes with a handy measuring funnel thing, but in my excitement of ripping into the box, i missed that, and had NO problem pouring straight from the jug into a perfectly angled hole that no water escaped from even when i had hit the VISIBLE water level fill line! The directions say tap water is fine, but I am old-school with my iron and my bissell floor steamer and stick to distilled. There are instructions about "self-cleaning", and a 2 year warranty! This iron makes wrinkles run for cover! It beeps when ready, and for some other reasons, (didn't read all through it yet.) All in all, i give it a HUGE thumbs up! The only thing i will say that "could" be a con is the weight of it. But i wanted a heavy iron, and it glides over fabric like Dorothy Hammill! Yay B & D! This is Hecho en Mexico! A big BIG plus as far as I am concerned. I try with all my might to look for alternatives to landfill-ready items made in China. Phone number for questions is right on the front of the instruction booklet. What a THING~!!!!!! I bet this iron will last at least 20 years. A value at twice the price! My mom is a domestic Queen who irons dishtowels and she is jealous! That just says it all. ------(thanks for listening... :))

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.

After 11 years of daily home ironing, I finally had to say goodbye last week to this trusted warrior because its electronics stopped turning on. Probably the best $35 ever spent.I know this model D2020 has been discontinued but in case anyone in B&D ever finds this review. Have tried their newer D3030 and Rowena expensive models but they can stop leaking. Just copy this old trusted iron for old times sake.