BLACK+DECKER Allure™ Professional Steam Iron, Stainless Soleplate D3030

The Black Decker Allure Professional replaced an old Rowena that we'd had for years. This is an excellent iron, highly rated by NYT Wirecutter and other sources. I tested it and it works great; plenty of heat, steam, and glides on fabrics nicely.

The Black %26 Decker Allure Steam Iron is one of B%26D's best. It's light weight, but very effective. The controls are self explanatory and i t shuts itself off (which is very important to the over tired user who might forget). The only thing I can possibly think of that would be a negative for this iron is the rubber electrical cord insulator. I comes out of the back of the iron and extends about three (3") inches. It is stiff and if the user is not watching closely and sits the iron down carelessly, the iron will fall over. The exit for this cord ought to be placed higher up on the iron's body so there is no interference in securely sitting it on the ironing surface. Everything else on this iron is perfect. I use it exclusively for my quilting projects. That requires a very hot iron. I don't use the steam feature because it does not cover a large enough area. Further, spray starch is also used once all has been pressed and is in place. A very hot iron is required for the starch process and this B%26D fills the order nicely.

This is my second iron from same model. It is great. Perfect steam and size to cover large clothes, very easy to use but it maybe heavy (sturdy) for some people. Great buy

My former B+D iron lasted a whopping 17 years and I hope this one will be a similar work horse. I bought it about a month ago, and the first impressions are very good. It's fairly heavy, but moves well, with excellent steam. The stainless steel sole plate is perfectly smooth and the oddly shaped tip gets into the smallest corners. It has a standard-length cord, which I wish were a foot or two longer. Also, gauging the water level is difficult due to the dark opaque tank and its horizontal, rather than vertical, design. Ditto for the visibility of the numbers on the dial; a brighter color would be easier for aging eyes. The big test will be its longevity. My last two or three irons (other brands) only lasted about 13 months before they started leaking, and I do hope this one will perform longer than that.

The iron works flawlessly. Its only shortcomings are the markings to set the temperature. For some reason (style??), the manufacturer uses gray markings on a black background; they're almost impossible to see. Also, the iron is quite heavy. The weight doesn't bother me, but it might be a problem for some.

Steam output is very good. Settings, however, are nowhere marked. I have to consult the little foldout for directions on how high to set heat and how much steam. VERY INCONVENIENT. And design wise, this iron is really ugly. I don't know why it's been so well reviewed.

Poor design. Control markings difficult to see: light gray markings on dark gray back ground. what were they thinking? tanks is dark plastic, hard to see water level. instructions have some wrong info about the steam modes and the self cleaning mode. factory doesn't seem to know the answers. typical. steam works and the iron does a good job, just wish that today's products were designed and supported by people who knew something about the product. Could have been five starts if the company that makes it knew how to design a steam iron. Btw this is not really black and decker but made by some other company.

BOX CONTAINING THE IRON WAS RIPPED, TORN, TAPED AND OBVIOUSLY HAD BEEN OPENED AND RETURNED BY SOMEONE ELSE. I DONT UNDERSTANT HOW YOU COULD HAVE THRONE IT INTO A SHIPPING BOX AND ACTUALLY SENT IT TO ME! UNBELIEVABLE SERVICE. I'M SO DISAPPOINTED IN THIS POOR SERVICE.

Arrived just fine, but the iron is defective. It will not steam at all, even after trying to clean the steam vents. Everything is too hard to read because of the black color. I will have to send this back to the company and the cost for shipping this back is a lot!

This iron is very hard to use! The temperature control knob is right below the iron handle, which makes it almost impossible to see what the setting is as you turn the knob. In addition, the water level is almost impossible to determine. The sides of the iron are a dark plastic; can't see where the water is. There is a "max" indicator on the body of the iron, but that really isn't functional when you can't see the water.