How to buy an iron
The first thing to know when buying an iron is the level of calcium and/or
lime in the water where you live. This is important to know as it is this that
causes the build up of stuff in the vents of an iron (if you didn't already know
this...)
When buying an iron, as for anything else, don't assume that a high price means
a good product. It may be good, but it may not be suited to you. Find a range of
irons (there should be a few out of the boxes to look at) and try the weight of
all of them. Some irons are weighted, some aren't-this is personal preference
(would you rather just push the iron around, or push it down as well?). Also see
how it feels in your hand-hold it at arms length, baseplate down at a
comfortable angle, for a while to see if it hurts any part of your hand.
Things to check for-a place to coil the cord around, how easy it is to fill and
empty (you should empty an iron after use and, if it has the option, give it a
few bursts of steam to clear it out-this will make it less likely to clog up).
Another important thing is to see if it has a teflon coated or stainless
steel baseplate. Teflon is alright for plain home use, but as soon as it's
scratched it's useless (the baseplate can't be replaced-you have to buy a new
iron). Stainless it's much better, professionals never use teflon coated. But if
something gets on to the base, scrape it off with a razor carefully as soon as
you can as the baseplate is heated to over 200 degrees celsius and if something
is burnt on, it stays on.
One of the best makers of irons is Sunbeam (in Australia anyway), so always look
closely at these.