Straighten like a Pro! (BaByliss 2085U Pro 230 Straighteners)

Member Name: sambam000

Product:	BaByliss 2085U Pro 230 Straighteners
Date:	04/09/09 (145 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Salon heat. Long cord. Inexpensive.

Disadvantages: On/off buttons easy to knock accidentally.

I have to say I was somewhat of a late-comer to the world of hair straighteners. I was quite intrigued by them in the salons I frequented but having seen the price tags of GHD hair straighteners which I was repeatedly told were THE brand to buy, I was somewhat put off. After all, having never needed hair straighteners before could I justify a £100+ price tag for something I may never or infrequently use?

This in mind, (& having tried a 'cheap' set of straighteners which my mum had bought & abandoned in the back of a cupboard...) I spoke to my hairdresser who said that many brands of straighteners were now rivalling GHD's & that the main thing to look for was a set of straighteners whch reached professional heat levels of 230 degrees.

So, approx 2 years ago I did my research on Amazon & purchased the Babyliss Pro 230. The RRP at this time was around £100, so they weren't exactly a cheaper alternative to GHD's, although they were on offer for a mere £37 (cheaper than they are currently at Amazon!).

The straighteners arrived with the accessories shown in the picture above - a heat proof mat on which to rest your straighteners & 4 clips.

The really great thing about these straighteners over some other brands I've seen is that they have a really long cord, which swivels at point of attachment to the straighteners, so they are really maneuverable which is especially good on holiday when you may be far away from a socket in your hotel room.

They are really easy to use, with 2 simple ON & OFF buttons on top (with a light to indicate ON), & a small dial on the inside which can be turned to adjust the temperature. Time taken to reach temperature is deemed to be 30 seconds, & this does seem to be true, even after 2 years of use.

The plates glide easily through my hair & leave it looking straight & shiny. (I have just recently bought a small set of travel straighteners, which in comparison drag my hair & make a horrible tearing sound!).

The only drawback is that the on/off buttons are easy to knock whilst in use, so you may end up accidentally turning them off, but you soon learn how to hold them to where this doesn't happen (& even if it does, it won't take long for the straighteners to re-heat).

So, I've never personally used a set of GHDs, but I don't see that they would be better than these, so my advice is save your money!

Summary: Great value...who needs GHDs?