Curling Iron Review: Which's the Best?

Curling irons are priced depending on their contruction, manufacturer and recently, whether they are ceramic or not. Hot Tools, the curling iron which is by far the best for my hair, is priced well above a regular curling iron, so for the longest time I didn't want to give Hot Tools a chance. Trust me, to spent almost 4 times as much on a curling iron over the popular market favorite such as Revlon and the rest seemed ludicrous.

In spite of the price, I decided to buy the best of the Hot Tools line and go for the ceramic hot tools curling iron model. I bought the 1 1/2 inch and the 1/2 inch models, to cover the wide range of hair styles I usually create. Ceramic model is purple in color, vs. the standard chrome model. For some reason, I could not find thorough curling iron reviews or for that matter even a Hot Tools review elsewhere, so here's my own. The 3/4th does a great job with small, wavy curls, which look great, but my favorite is the big one - it makes, big, beautiful, soft curls.

The curling irons impressed me from the very beginning. They get hot quickly, and I can set the heat setting from 1 to 10. The best heat setting for my hair is "4".

Hot Tools brand is made by Helen Of Troy. They also make Revlon brand, Vidal Sassoon and others. It's pretty much impossible to find them online when searching for Hot Tools.

The absolute best part of the curling iron is the speed. It curls hair very quickly, and the hair stays curled for the whole day. With most irons, you would be happy with just half a day of hold, but not this one! I also do not use any hair spray, the hair naturally stay curled.

Hot Tools Curling Iron Heat settings stated that fine or treated hair should be set at 1-4. Medium hair should be 5-7 and coarse hair should be 7-10. I have fine, blonde hair and so #4 or #5 is perfect for me.

Hot Tools curling irons, believe it or not, come in 7 barrel width:

• 3/8" curling iron barrel for soft, tight curls, bangs and wisps
• 1/2" curling iron barrel for extra-tight curls
• 5/8" curling iron barrel for smooth, tight curls
• 3/4" curling iron barrel for all hair lengths
• 1" curling iron barrel creates full curls and waves
• 1¼" curling iron barrel creates large, loose curls
• 1½" curling iron barrel for longer hair

heat settings are easy to use and it takes about about 5 seconds of application to set the hair in place. The curling iron heats up in about one minute. Usually, one I turn the curling iron on and I can feel the heat if pass my hand over it, it's good to go. For fine hair hot iron should be on a "4" or a "5" setting.

The one and a half inch barrel is really for long hair. If you hair is about shoulder length, it can create a very nice, up-curl look right on the shoulders. Typically it takes about 7-8 seconds to set.

Possible curling iron injuries. While i have not found this curling iron to be of any defects, when i used a high heat setting on the iron (I mistakenly set it to 8) the curling iron began 'smoking' while I was curling my hair, so i'd advise to be everyone to be very careful when setting a heat temperature, make sure to work with a low temperature and raise it as necessary.

About pricing. I purchased both my curling irons for about $35 each. It's a great price, considering some stores offer them for over $40.

This is MY iron: the Hot Tools Ceramic Curling Iron

Hot Tools Logo

This is the unusual "Marcel" Hot Tools Curling Iron

Visit the Hot Tools Website - the products are made by Helen of Troy