HOT TOOLS (2018 MODEL) Pro Artist 24K Gold Curling Iron | Long Lasting, Defined Curls (1-1/4 in)

I previously had a Bed Head, 1" clipless iron that I bought for $8 at Target on sale. It definitely took practice to get to use well (I burned myself a couple of times), sometimes the curls would fall nicely sometimes not. Overall, I felt the 1" barrel was too thin for my personal tastes, but I could make it work if I tried and had a lot of time to work with it. I don't hate the iron, and I'm keeping it just in case (it can make some nice looks too!), but I wanted a new iron that fit my needs better. I bought this for myself for my birthday, so I could dress up a little and feel fancier while going clubbing or going to special events. I always wanted to curl my hair but didn't feel a curling iron was worth the investment [normally $50-$60 for a better quality iron] for me personally, as I can't imagine curling my hair often. The price of this one was just so great (a little less than $30), I couldn't help myself. Pros: --1 1/4" barrel The curls are exactly what I wanted: voluminous and sexy. If you leave the curler in you hair for less time, you can have cute waves, too. Some styling and you just look like you worked so hard. Having all of the sections in 1" curls was not always flattering on my long (mid-back level), slightly layered hair. It could look a little like a lion's mane haha, if I wasn't careful. Oftentimes I'd pull some back to do a half-up, half-down to make things look better. This 1 1/4" is just so much more ideal for me. [Maybe check Youtube videos and see what girls use when they curl their hair for examples?] --Clip The clip prevents you from using your hand to wrap around the barrel and is therefore relatively safer imo. I would sometimes not use a glove with the clipless (not recommended), but lightly burned myself once. Still, you have to be careful with either--both are safe as long as the user is safe! The clipless effect does look a little different--The main difference is the slight crease where the clip holds onto the end of your hair--but I don't mind. To me it's a little too much effort with my long hair to deal with the clipless iron. --Heat settings Talking with friends of mine who curl their hair far more often than I, I heard a couple of times that a better quality (read: more expensive) curling iron with heat settings is really worth the investment. And normally higher quality ones have heat settings. According to some previous reviews I chose not to use the highest setting right away. I generally keep this one around the same heat: A mid-level makes nice looser curls on my normal (not too thick) hair. --Aesthetic I love black and gold together, so this just looks so nice to me. The gold is also supposed to be a good material to make a barrel out of! For smoother curls. --Value $30 is not bad for a Hot Tools curling iron. Cons: --Can't think of any yet! I've had no problems.

Great curling iron! Heats up quickly, curls hair beautifully, and holds the style for a long time. Easy to use and gentle on hair. Always delivers excellent results — highly recommend.

What a great curling iron. My hair stylist used this on my hair & I loved how it worked on my hair. She uses really nice tools for hair but most are very pricey (more than I would spend for these items) So I was really surprised to learn how reasonably priced this one was when I asked her the name of it so I could go buy one for myself. I actually ended up buying 2, one for my daughter & one for myself. Interestingly my daughter called me the day after I'd ordered hers, telling me about this great curling iron her hair stylist used on her hair that same day. I laughed telling her about my stylist using the same one on me. She was pretty happy when I surprised her with this new curling iron the next day. We've had them for about a month now & we just love it. We both have very long thick hair & this thing works wonderfully. It's smooth (hair doesn't get snagged in it), really light weight. I love how the cord part swivels as you curl too.I like how the little black knob at the end of the hot iron stays cool so you can hold it easily while holding your hair in the iron. It heats up quickly & has many different temp settings. Would highly recommend.

This curling iron really works on my hard-to-curl shoulder-length hair. The drugstore model I had bought does not. Perhaps it's because this one can get so hot (adjustable temp)and/or the metal it's made with (it's heavier than the one from the drug store) seems to be higher quality. And it does not damage or singe my hair. It works so well, the larger 1 1/2" version may have done the job, don't know...will stay with this one. Perhaps the slightly smaller, but still fairly large, barrel makes it so I don't have to hold it as long, maybe requiring less heat? The only thing I wish were different is that it does not have an automatic shut-off, and I keep leaving it on by accident--which would be a problem with young children in the house. Am wondering if the spare springs are needed because others do the same? Anyway, this curling iron has dramatically improved the look of my fine hair. I use it to add body at the ends, not for curly curls, but am sure it would also work well for curlier styles. Update: it's almost four years since I wrote the review, and the curling iron is still going strong! I carry the extra spring in my suitcase, and haven't needed it as of yet. Oh, and my husband got me an auto shutoff device that I plug into an outlet, and the curling iron into this widget, and so now I have auto shutoff! (except when travelling) Curling iron has been left on MANY times for up to 12 hours, and it still works. Amazing.

I just got this iron a few days ago and used it for a friend's wedding as soon as I got it. I normally would try the curling iron and practice before using it for an event, but this time I had no time to do so. However, I was very happy I got compliments on how good my curls/waves looked that day at my friend's wedding! More so since I have naturally straight hair. I'm not an expert in curling my hair, and this is my second curling iron. My first curling iron is a Conair one I got at Walmart. Comparing both of them, this Hot Tools curling iron is definitely way better than the Conair one. It heats up pretty fast after you plug it and turn it on, and it curls my hair faster too, so I get my hair done in less time. The Conair iron I have would take longer to get hot and curl my hair. Also, if I kinda mess up the curl with the Hot Tools iron, it's very easy to fix and doesn't leave my hair with a weird curl strand. Another thing I love about this curling iron is that once I clamp a hair section in it and roll it in to curl, the hair stays in the curling iron! I had this problem with the Conair iron that sometimes some hairs would come out of the iron as I'm trying to roll the hair section in to curl. But with this Hot Tools iron, this is no longer a problem for me. So far, I love this curling iron. I definitely recommend this product.

This is one of the best curling irons I’ve tried for my older, colored, fine straight hair. Good temp control, good long lasting smooth results, and i highly recommend it!

Have used this for years and still works great

I asked for the Hot Tools 1 1/4" curling iron for Christmas. I already have a much smaller one (maybe 1/2 inch, can't remember), and it works wonderfully. I have very, very straight, reluctant, long hair, and even with a small one like that, I can roll a moderately sized section of hair on the highest heat setting and it makes very nice curls in a small amount of time. I wanted the 1 1/4" to make larger curls and waves, especially because my hair has gotten longer and I can't curl very high with a small one. I was SO upset and disappointed when I tried out my new curling iron and got barely any results at all. I put it on the highest setting (it's supposed to go up to 450 degrees) and it barely curled the very bottom of each section. I tried holding the hair in for a long time, using really small sections, using hairspray...nothing worked. I held up sections vertically from my scalp and tried curling to the very root, but it barely made the slightest suggestion of a wave, and I could make my hair straight again by just brushing it out with my hands once. I don't know if this particular curling iron was defective and didn't actually get hot enough- it really didn't feel like 450 degrees to me. Overall I'm just so surprised that the smaller one I have has more power and higher heat than this one. I'm really really disappointed. This was the thing I was most excited about for Christmas, and I was looking forward to using it for work, but I think I'm just going to have to send it back and find a different brand.