Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First of all, this iron really is sleek. Out of the box, it heats nicely and puts off a moderate amount of steam when the steam is turned fully up. I don't think it's as powerful as the advertising copy above states (my cheap Black & Decker was more powerful), but it's good enough for most purposes. The soleplate is shaped really nicely and is large enough for good sized areas but tapers to get those little bits. It heats to the tip, which I've found doesn't always happen with other irons. I had no problems filling the water reservoir right out of the jug of my distilled water. These features earn it two stars. The Bad - Or Why This Iron Doesn't Get Three More Stars. I purchased this iron first in February 2018. I sew about 30 hours a week as a seamstress, and I use the iron at least 4-5 hours a week. What I iron is almost entirely 100% cotton. Within a week, it failed to come to full temperature or generate hardly any steam. Within another week I heard an alarming crackling and popping from inside the iron, and then with the last pop, it suddenly turned off, also triggering my surge protector. It would not turn back on or heat up after that. I exchanged it for another one with Amazon. The replacement iron arrived March 2018, and worked very well. I was pleased with it. But the soleplate suddenly gunked up (and I still can't figure out why since it was all washed cotton without sizing or starch.) I used Faultless Hot Iron Cleaner on it, after checking both Faultless's and CHI's websites and manuals to be sure it was okay on ceramic. I used baby washcloth material to lightly rub the Hot Iron Cleaner on, and within seconds the "ultra-strong and scratch-resistant" (above ad copy's words) was wearing off, as you can see in the pictures. It really looks worse already than my previous iron, which is 5 years old and from Walmart, and still works even though I dropped several times early on! (totally my fault!) My mistake was contacting CHI and not Amazon, since I was still within the Amazon return window. I wanted more information, and Amazon couldn't give it. I gave CHI my purchase date in the initial email, and told them what happened. They immediately responded asking for more information, and I responded back as it sounded like they would replace the defective iron. After a week, I emailed again, because I hadn't gotten a response. During that week, my return window with Amazon lapsed. Since then they have responded quickly to my emails again. What you don't know when you purchase this product is that the limited warranty doesn't cover the shipping fees to replace a defective iron. They were willing to replace my month-old defective iron but only if they could charge my credit card around $12 to ship it to me. This is spelled out the "Care and Use" manual sealed inside the iron box (and also if you happen to be extra smart and download the PDF manual under "technical specifications" in the Product Information of this Amazon listing, it's on page 11, which I didn't.) The shipping price isn't outlandish for something of that weight, and customer service even offered me a discounted rate of $8, which was very kind. But I agreed to pay Amazon's price. I'm not willing to pay more to get what I paid for - a non-defective iron. Especially as so far, the odds don't seem to be in my favor with this iron. I'll use it until it's unusable, and then I'll be going with a different brand. So buyer beware the warranty! If you found this helpful, would you please click the "yes" button?