Had to pick between a cheap steamer or a new iron last month... my shirts will never recover
My old iron finally gave up after 5 years of service, and I stood in the Target aisle for a solid 10 minutes debating. I went with a $25 handheld steamer from the home section because it seemed faster. First use on my cotton work shirt? Total disaster, left water spots and barely touched a wrinkle. Now I'm back to borrowing my neighbor Cathy's iron until payday, anyone else regretted a steamer purchase?
My $20 steamer from Walmart was actually pretty solid on my polyester dress shirts, but it took me like 3 tries to figure out the right technique. You gotta hold it at an angle and let the fabric hang loose, not just blast it straight on. Cotton is definitely tougher though, I use a spray bottle to dampen the shirt first then hit it with the steamer and that gets most of the wrinkles out for me.