CHI Professional Iron, Gold (13111)

My review is perhaps a bit colored by bias in that the iron arrived about 8 hrs. after I purchased it using the standard shipping option; maybe the fastest delivery I've ever received for anything I've purchased. I bought this iron about a month ago for both personal use and for my clothing business and the tool has yet to let me down. Nonetheless, I find the CHI13111 professional steam iron to be one of the best I've used for both pressing and ironing various fabrics from cotton to rayon to spandex to linen and everything in between.Regarding features and utility, the iron has a powerful steam feature and a solid soleplate. The front tip of the iron make a nice point which makes it easier to iron tight corners and to separate fabric. The soleplate dirties rather quickly, however, if continuously using clothing starch while pressing or ironing for an hour or more. However, cleaning the soleplate is not difficult but may require a bit of dilute vinegar to remove more stubborn marks if pressing the soleplate to a swatch of damp, scrap cotton doesn't do the trick. The self-clean feature is essential for flushing out and maintaining the water system. Also, the water tank never seems to completely dry out but I've not noticed any mold or bacterial growth so I'm not too worried about that; just noting that that happens. The spray feature is standard and helpful; the heel rest is a solid, rubber material which is sturdy; Both the temperature control dial and the steam control dials are noticeably sensitive but by no means a deal breaker for this reviewer. We'll see how it stands the test of time but from where I stand this is a top-notch iron.

Love the ceramic soleplate - irons very smoothly. Also love the multitude of steam holes; really puts out a great volume of steam. A good purchase.

Not having had to purchase an iron in quite some time I am impressed with the job it does. its not very heavy and with features such as steam, clothes look like they were professionally laundered. Very happy with my purchase.

I really like this iron, it gets super hot and has lots of steam but doesn't leak water on clothes. I also like the fact that the turn off time is 8 minutes. I am a seamstress and my previous iron turned off in just a couple of minutes. This one also heats up really fast, but the best thing about it is the ceramic sole plate, no more stick. Well worth the money.

I iron a LOT because my husband wears an industrial heavy cotton uniform every day. I like to iron. I have been buying expensive irons for 20 years and I have replaced them every 18 months to 2 years. The higher end Rowentas have been my iron of choice for the last 6.THIS IRON IS THE BEST IRON I HAVE USED FOR UNDER $150.Bad news first: This iron does leak when using the steam function. But I have not, in 30 years, ever had one that didn't. The higher the steam setting, the more dripping and leakage you will have. Most of my ironing is linen and cotton so the drips don't matter much. If you were ironing silk, for example, I would use less steam and go up as necessary. Because the iron is lighter weight, it is noticeably smaller. The water tank drains quickly, (1 tank = 1 uniform pant and 1.5 uniform shirt) I think in part due to size and in part due to the amount of steam this iron produces.Now the good news, this iron is lightweight given the punch it packs. It has a manual temp control (by fabric) and on high handles cotton and linen easily...like a heavy iron. But the best feature, after 2-3 weeks of use, is the steam feature. I can handle my husbands uniform pockets, collars and hems flat with two swiped and a steam blast. Yes, I get some leakage but I use distilled water and I never get discoloration. The 10 foot cord is a really nice feature and the attached velcro "clip" makes it easy to store the cord. On other irons I've used, I always ended up wrapping the cord up and sticking it under the handle - which is hard on the controls.Overall, whether you like to iron or not, this iron will make the job easier. For me, the pros outweigh the cons, especially when considering that almost every other iron leaks too!The iron was packed in it's own box with the styrofoam form around it. The sender put that box in a considerably larger box without any packing product. It had been thrown around plenty j