Feeling hot hot hot (BaByliss 2085U Pro 230 Straighteners)

Member Name: abbadabbado

Product:	BaByliss 2085U Pro 230 Straighteners
Date:	19/01/09 (108 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: heat up super quick

Disadvantages: on/off button placed badly

I would love a pair of GHD's but I just can't justify the price on something I only use for five minutes each day. For this reason I put the Babyliss straighteners on my Christmas wish list over on Amazon last year.
Santa must have been watching as they appeared under the tree for me on Christmas morning. Babyliss is a make I have used for years and have never given me any problems. They are also one of the cheaper brands, but the products seem to last a good length of time, so I was quite happy putting a £20 pair of straighteners on my list. The price has since gone up since Christmas to just over £30 so I know I got a bargain.

As with any new product I had done some research before choosing the pair I wanted. The main features that I wanted from a pair of straighteners were that they needed to heat up quickly, and have a long cord.
I know I am easily pleased, but with little time to spend on my hair with a toddler running about, these were my requirements.

The Babyliss straighteners had these functions and many more. They boasted to have
- 25% longer plates
- 30 second heating element
- Tourmaline plates
- On/off button
- 3meter cord.
I was pleased with all of the above features and couldn't wait to try these out on Christmas morning.

The straighteners are very lightweight compared to my old Babyliss ones, and the plates were a lot thinner than I was expecting. I was a bit worried about this as I have very thick hair and I wondered how the thin plates would cope with my hair. There is a thickness gauge on the unit that I discovered after looking them over.
The cord is almost as long as my old pair which helps as I need to be able to go quite far to see in the mirror in my bedroom, and I like to see what I'm doing when straightening my hair. The cord also swivels which is handy instead of having to twist the straighteners to get them to sit the way you want them.

I was a bit disappointed that there was no resting plate to sit the straighteners on when I was heating them up and cooling down. Instead there is a heat mat provided in the box. I have to use my window sill, so whilst the mat is a good idea, it isn't relevant for me and I have to make do with the plastic ridge that they rest on instead near the base of the unit.

An on/off button on the straighteners is a novelty for me as I always seem to buy them without. It took me a while to get used to having to plug in and turn on, but its second nature now.
The straighteners really only take a few second to heat up which is so good for me when I am in a hurry. I was so used to plugging in my old pair and doing something else whilst I waited for them to heat up; I have shaved a few minutes of my routine now.

Holding the straighteners, I realised how much thinner they are than my old pair, and then I realised this was going to require a different grasp on them to avoid my fingers getting burnt. I learned the hard way on this as I would recommend looking over the unit before holding to see where the edges end and the plates start. There isn't a lot of rounded protection on these straughteners as there was on my old pair.

Sliding through my hair, I have found due to the heat, there is little effort needed by myself to keep going over the same section a couple of times for good results. A good clump of hair will straighten in the first go as long as you take your time with the plates on your hair.
Personally I don't notice any difference by using tourmaline plates for shinier hair than when I was using my old straighteners without tourmaline plates, so perhaps this is when extra products are used on your hair.

The plates are positioned well that you don't get annoying catches of hair that I have found on cheaper pair of straighteners in the past. I'll admit to worrying about this when I only spent £20 on them, but it hasn't been an issue for me, and my straggly split ends would find them and get caught if they were able to.

My main niggle with this pair of straighteners is the on/off button, and the position of it on the unit. My hands are often going over the button and pressing the unit off without me realising it until I check and see the red light has gone off.
This adds a couple of minutes back onto my straightening time which is something I need to master in the future to keep styling to a minimum.
I am almost sure it's due to the way I hold them and I need to find a comfortable position for future use.

Overall I am very pleased with my straighteners and very glad Santa bought me them. I know they will last me a long time for the money.

Summary: a budget pair of straighteners