No-Frills Irons

Basic steam irons are fine for simple jobs

According to reviews, almost any model will iron a shirt with little trouble. Expensive irons may provide more steam, and many can do tricks such as steaming vertical curtains. However, if your ironing needs amount to pressing a shirt or a skirt now and then, a basic no-frills iron will do. Keep in mind that we found negative owner-written reviews about every iron, but if your needs are simple, at least you've only spent $30 or so.

Sunbeam irons get good professional reviews, but most of the steam irons we saw in tests have been replaced with newer models. One current model, the Sunbeam Steam Master 4230 (*Est. $30) receives praise from Good Housekeeping magazine for its light weight (under 3 pounds) and performance. We didn't find any owner reviews for this particular steam iron, but other Sunbeam Steam Master irons receive mixed reviews from owners, many of whom report leaking, dripping, and durability problems.

The Panasonic NI-S300TR (*Est. $25) isn't included in professional tests, but it receives extremely high average ratings from users at Amazon.com, RateItAll.com and Epinions.com. This iron has a retractable cord and see-through water reservoir, so you can easily tell whether it needs to be refilled. Owners say this iron performs exceptionally well; some claim it works even better than expensive Rowenta irons. We didn't find any complaints about durability or leaking for the Panasonic iron, but one user at Epinions.com reports that it "spits" hot water while ironing. Overall, this iron is much more highly rated than others in this price range.

Another Black & Decker model fills a nice niche for those who like to have an iron on for long periods of time; for example, those who enjoy sewing and quilting may prefer models without an auto shutoff. It's difficult to find models without that feature in this price range, but to a crafter or sewing enthusiast, nothing is more annoying than having your iron shut off every 10 minutes while you're working. The Black & Decker Classic Metal Iron F63D (*Est. $30) does not have auto shutoff and also eschews plastic housing for heavier metal. Reviewers say this model gets very hot and steams well. The Black & Decker F63D has a polished aluminum soleplate and uses 1,100 watts. There are no extra features like vertical steaming or a mist function. We read some reports that the F63D can leak and that the soleplate gets gunked up too easily. This iron has been discontinued but is still widely available.

Its replacement, the Black & Decker Classic Iron F67E (*Est. $30), automatically shuts off when not in use. Good Housekeeping magazine says the newer Classic Iron removes wrinkles well enough, but produces little steam and can be difficult to use around buttons, cuffs and pleats. We were unable to find any owner reviews for this model, however.

The Proctor Silex Auto Shut Off Iron 17610 (*Est. $30) is a favorite of editors at Good Housekeeping in an older review. They like its retractable cord and give this iron two thumbs-up as a good value. Proctor Silex is one of several brands sold by Hamilton Beach/Proctor Silex, Inc. It's worth noting that we found mixed reviews for some Hamilton Beach irons whose owners either loved them or hated them. The Hamilton Beach Steam Storm Ultra Stainless Steel 14560T (*Est. $25), for example, got almost equal numbers of one-star and five-star ratings with nothing in between from owners, some of whom report leaks and overheating.