The stainless steel soleplate has about 400 holes (I haven’t counted that’s from the manufacturer), the same number as the Chi 13102 advertises, so it releases big clouds of steam to melt creases away.

This German-made iron has been the top performer in our tests since I first used it in 2015-it has flattened every wrinkle I’ve tried it on. If an iron can be dreamy, the Rowenta SteamForce DW9280 is dreamy. For the price and performance, we recommend it as long as you don’t mind the possibility of replacing your iron every so often. Irons, especially cheap irons, are unpredictable, and the D3030 is a perfect example-you could end up with one that breaks quickly or one that lasts for ages.

That length of service would make the D3030 more reliable than almost any other iron I’ve tested if it were not for the breakage of our initial test model. That’s more than six years of steady performance, with semi-regular use, from the replacement, although over time the Chi 13102 has surpassed the D3030 as my favorite everyday iron because it’s more comfortable to use. I’ve now been using its replacement since 2016 with no problems. The two-year warranty covered it, though, and Black+Decker’s replacement process was straightforward-I didn’t have to send back the whole iron, just the plug. I also had to replace our original review unit when the heating element suddenly stopped working after a year (I used the iron two or three times a week). This Black+Decker model’s reliability problems are well documented in owner reviews. I’ve also tried the Allure D3040, a very similar iron with a digital display, but I’ve found the cheaper D3030 to be the better performer. In addition, the D3030 is the fastest to heat up of the irons we recommend, producing steam in 30 seconds. As a result, it produces steam for longer than the Chi and Rowenta models, lasting about 22 minutes before needing a refill.

It weighs 3.1 pounds, making it the lightest of our picks (the Chi 13102 is 3.3 pounds and the Rowenta DW9280 is 3.9 pounds), and it has a 14-ounce water tank, the biggest of our picks. This Black+Decker iron consistently produces stronger bursts of steam than most other irons I’ve tested, even though it’s less powerful than our other picks, with only 1,600 watts. It has the most unpredictable reliability of our picks, though, which is why we no longer recommend it in the top spot. It was once a top pick, and it’s one of the most powerful irons I’ve tried. The Black+Decker Allure Professional Steam Iron D3030 is the best iron I’ve found for about $50.

Chi travel flat iron