I've seen these straightners (different makes and models) anywhere from $30 to $250. How do you know which is the best models?

I've become friends with some guys in the mall that sell a "Her Styler" brand for the $250 price and you can usually talk them down to $200. However, it seems they all have the same specs but different prices for different brands. Can anyone sort through this mess for me?

My girlfriend wants a real good one and we bought one at Sams Club for $40 and it seems pretty good but when our friends at the mall does her hair with their "Her Styler" brand, she states it's such a good job so it appears to be better in some way.

Could it be they are all the same but the person doing it is an expert? How do I know?

cengland0 wrote:I've seen these straightners (different makes and models) anywhere from $30 to $250. How do you know which is the best models?

I've become friends with some guys in the mall that sell a "Her Styler" brand for the $250 price and you can usually talk them down to $200. However, it seems they all have the same specs but different prices for different brands. Can anyone sort through this mess for me?

My girlfriend wants a real good one and we bought one at Sams Club for $40 and it seems pretty good but when our friends at the mall does her hair with their "Her Styler" brand, she states it's such a good job so it appears to be better in some way.

Could it be they are all the same but the person doing it is an expert? How do I know?

The secret to a good straightener is temp control. If this is a tool that she will use everyday a quality tool is essential. The good thing about ghd and chi is that they have good repair services or replacement parts. If you work in the industry that is an advantage because we invest a lot in our tools. If she only uses the straightener a couple times a week a less expensive brand like Cricket is fine. But again being able to adjust the temp is a good step toward not burning and hair breakage. Anyone applying heat to their hair should always use a heat guard product. CHI has excellent products and so does GHD and Matrix. The others are not worth the money. Spending more for good products and tools is a good thing because women do take great pride in their hair...since you asked these great questions it tells me that your girl is into good grooming. Happy shopping!

I bought the T3 Manetamer 10/28/12 for the same $60 price. I've been using it the last month and LOVE it. If you have long or thick hair having something more than 3/4" wide helps a lot! The finish of the T3 is really slick, and my favorite part is it flashes until it reaches temp and when it is unable to maintain that temp while using, and it's a big bright light so you can tell if it's on. The pad is just some heat resistant felt, I had hoped it was a nifty silicone one. Overall super happy with the purchase, can find comparable deals on similar brands at TJ Maxx etc. but what's nice is from Woot the item and the box haven't been beat to hell and back.

theduchess wrote:The secret to a good straightener is temp control. If this is a tool that she will use everyday a quality tool is essential. ---- snip --- But again being able to adjust the temp is a good step toward not burning and hair breakage. Spending more for good products and tools is a good thing because women do take great pride in their hair.

Thank you for the quick reply -- that was great information.

The one we purchased from Sams Club for $40 does have a temperature control.

When she has her hair professionally straightened, the pros use a special unit that is at an extra high temperature that is not available with most consumer grade units (at least thats what they say). They do sell those high temperature ones for $350 but I think that is a ridiculously high price when you consider the low technology involved in a straightener. For example, it doesn't have a microprocessor with memory and a touch screen. I've taken them apart and they seem to have about $5 in parts including a heating coil, potentiometer, and a thermal fuse.

It sort of worries me that you basically say spending more money gives you a better tool; however, how do I really know that. What makes one better than the other? I do know you want a ceramic one and a device with a temperature control but what else causes a unit to go from $30 to $250 or even higher for the pro models?

I've read the warranty carefully on some of these expensive models that have a life-time warranty. If you send it to the manufacturer under warranty, you also send them $20 for what they call return shipping and handling. It's what I call their manufacturing costs plus real costs of S/H so they don't lose a single penny when swapping out a defective unit and might actually make a couple dollars in the process.

cengland0 wrote:Thank you for the quick reply -- that was great information.

The one we purchased from Sams Club for $40 does have a temperature control.

When she has her hair professionally straightened, the pros use a special unit that is at an extra high temperature that is not available with most consumer grade units (at least thats what they say). They do sell those high temperature ones for $350 but I think that is a ridiculously high price when you consider the low technology involved in a straightener. For example, it doesn't have a microprocessor with memory and a touch screen. I've taken them apart and they seem to have about $5 in parts including a heating coil, potentiometer, and a thermal fuse.

It sort of worries me that you basically say spending more money gives you a better tool; however, how do I really know that. What makes one better than the other? I do know you want a ceramic one and a device with a temperature control but what else causes a unit to go from $30 to $250 or even higher for the pro models?

I've read the warranty carefully on some of these expensive models that have a life-time warranty. If you send it to the manufacturer under warranty, you also send them $20 for what they call return shipping and handling. It's what I call their manufacturing costs plus real costs of S/H so they don't lose a single penny when swapping out a defective unit and might actually make a couple dollars in the process.

theduchess wrote:

Sorry if I gave the impression that the tool you purchased may be inferior. My point is that stylists use these tools all day long for years. So purchasing a higher grade is imperative. You are right about the less than stellar parts that make up these tools. My husband has repaired mine several times..but at least we can replace the parts. The others we call throwaways because they last a couple of months and poof! I always have some kind of backup. I think $250 is ridiculous for a consumer styler. As long as the styler is temp controlled not too heavy and ceramic you should be fine. If you go too cheap the plates tend to chip and pull on your hair and that is painful. Also beware of some of the deals???? you find online, there are fakes out there...even some of the hair products you find at discount prices are fake. Salons will never sell fakes...don't buy salon brands at a grocery store. Good luck and Happy Holidays.

I straighten my hair whenever I wear it down. I've had both cheap drugstore/grocery store straighteners and expensive beauty salon ones. The expensive ones are DEFINITELY worth it.

does anyone know anything about the products? (shampoo, etc)

eliztowns wrote:does anyone know anything about the products? (shampoo, etc)

I have personally used the iron smoother (thermal). The salon where I worked sold the ghd line for considerably more money. All of these products are formulated to be used with(all) styling tools.

My wife is a hair fanatic. I bought her a $40 HSI brand ceramic straightener from Amazon. She loves it. It replaced her $200 unit she bought from the salon.