Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I hate to have to post a negative review, but I have to agree with those who stated this is a very dangerous tool. So I am going to share my experience with you to help you to decide for yourself. The guard over the LONG extremely hot shaft is a joke. With an 'iron' you intuitively want to PRESS DOWN to add pressure, right? Well, look closely at this tool. the SIDES are guarded. Okay, if you are going to cradle it in your hand, I guess that works. BUT what would you instinctively do when you need to add pressure? Yep, you are going to extend your index finger and press DOWN. Um, look at the guard... they left a nice BIG opening for you to press directly on the hot as Hades shaft. I know some of you are going to read this and say, "what an idiot!" I understand that. In actuality I am not, but I do get 'involved' in my projects, which includes pressing little tiny pieces of fabric and instincts tend to take over. (Side note, you could turn the iron and hold it sideways, but the two sides are still grossly exposed, and really right about at the distance you want to hold this iron... WHY???) Trust me, it hurts to hit that rod. It is at least as 2nd degree burn (Instant white sizzling skin). This thing is going in the trash, which is a shame, because the nice small size is perfect for what I am doing, and I did find it got plenty hot for my purposes, much hotter than the Petite Press iron, which didn't do the job. One other thing for which I give this very low marks... the stand mine came with has an extremely lightweight red plastic base with a wire stand, not heavy enough for this iron. I hope they have improved upon this in the past 5 or so years since my purchase (I just re-found this after moving, and I now remember why I hadn't used it in years, must have been buried in my old craft room and packed by the movers!). The iron, due mostly to the cord I think, does not just cradle nicely in this stand, it leans to one side and topples it over easily (and yes, I spent time adjusting it this way and that to see if there was an ideal position). So if you are using this, make sure you have a large heat proof surface in case you aren't paying close enough attention. I thought I had it carefully seated on it's stand, walked across the room to press a bigger piece of fabric for the next step in my project. My back was turned maybe 3 min tops... when I got back I saw it had fallen over, and topple just off the edge of my small pressing mat, and in that short time it burned through my cutting mat, and through the paper cover of a Cameo mat under that - interestingly did NOT burn through the Cameo mat, but did leave a small burn mark on my wooden counter below that. See picture showing the iron, it's stand and the resulting damage. I feel I would be remiss in not sharing this with prospective buyers so they can make an informed decision. Good luck!