Iron out the kinks and we'll talk... (BaByliss Pro 230 Radiance Straightener)

Member Name: fruityzo

Product:	BaByliss Pro 230 Radiance Straightener
Date:	21/06/09 (395 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Heat up very quickly, nice accessories.

Disadvantages: Heavy, noisy, expensive.

I had been considering buying these straighteners for a while, but had always been put off by their usual RRP of around £99.99.

**Before reading on; this is a bit of a lengthy review, as I have written about the things I would've like to have known before buying these. Feel free to skip to parts of interest!**

There had been a lot of hype around these, and claims that they were better than GHD's etc. On top of the positive reviews; one of the girls I work with had bought a pair of these, and she absolutely swore by them.
She has really wavy, quite thick hair, and I have to admit that I was impressed by the result the first time I saw it straightened with these.

Argos occasionally sell these for half the recommended price, and having missed the offer the first time round, I decided to get a pair when I saw they were back to half price.

PACKAGING - - - - -

The packaging is as shown in the dooyoo picture; a nice shiny red box, giving you all the info about the product, and the claim "for straightness that lasts twice as long".
When opened, you will find another cardboard box inside, plus some plastic, PLUS a foamy/plastic covering which houses the product.
Personally I don't think they require quite so much packaging as the straighteners are already protected in their own carry case...

WHAT DO YOU GET? - - - - -

* A set of BaByliss Pro 230 Radiance (red) straighteners.
* A heatproof mat.
* Protective carry-case.
* Four plastic hair clips.
* Instructions.

MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS - - - - -

I quite excited (yes I know its sad) to get these out of the box and start using them, after all, I'd heard such great things...

I was impressed with the design of the carry pouch and the heatproof mat.
They are both a metallic red; not as bright a red as I was expecting, but I think it is a good colour choice nonetheless.
Each item is separate, but both have 2 sets of magnetic poppers on them, so that they can be merged into one item.

This means if you just want to use the heat proof mat you can, without having the pouch attached and getting in the way.
Similarly, if you wanted to take these somewhere with you, the heatproof mat folds round the zip pouch to encase it & protect it.

The mat is a good size - you can lay the straighteners on it with plenty of room to spare. It is also re-enforced, so it is by no means flimsy, and will only bend on the pre-scored places to allow it to fold.
Most importantly, it IS heatproof, which means you don't have to worry about damaging any surfaces when your straighteners are left on & lying on the side/carpet etc.

The plastic hair clips provided are a nice enough touch, but a little flimsy, and I don't think they would last very long if used regularly. I don't really bother with these anyway, as I don't really feel that I need them when straightening - they tend to get in my way more than anything else.

THE STRAIGHTENERS THEMSELVES - - - - -

My initial reaction to the straighteners was a little mixed.
On one hand, they are a lovely deep shiny metallic red which all looks very nice. Yet I thought they looked a little 'cluttered' & cheap with all the buttons and bits and pieces on them.
In the past, I've been very much used to the 'set the heat required, plug in & you're ready' kind of straighteners, so these are a bit of a change.

FEATURES - - - - -

* Steam function (for "no-frizz shine")
* Retractable fins ("de-tangling fins for total straightness")
* 230 degrees C ("salon performance")

These also have a 'digital display' which is really a mirrored panel on the straighteners, containing 5 heat settings (ranging from 170 degrees, up to 230 degrees), of which you can increase & decrease by pressing the '+' & '-' buttons on the side of the product. A little LED light will appear next to the heat setting of your choosing.
At risk of being a bit miserable, I wouldn't really class this as a digital display; just different coloured lights for different settings!

ADJUSTABLE FINS ---

The switch for setting these is on the outside of the straighteners, behind the heat plate that contains the fins (makes sense!).
There are 3 settings; no fins, medium, maximum. These are adjusted by pushing the switch up and down to the required setting.

What I didn't like about this, is that because of the switches position, if you want to readjust the fins whilst the straighteners are on, you have to be careful not to toast your fingers!
I also found that I prefer the medium setting, but it can be a bit fiddly to get it to medium, it tends to just slide up to maximum!

STEAM FUNCTION ---

The steam function was not of any real interest to me, as my hair is not thick enough to warrant using it. I did however give it a try a couple of times, and personally I think it made no difference to the end result at all.

If your hair is thick enough to warrant a good steaming, you may still struggle with these due to to:

* The 'reservoir' is a small (red) transparent tank that is integrated into the side of the straighteners. It can be unclipped fairly easily, but filling it up is very difficult as the hole for the water is quite small.
* Due to the colour of the reservoir, it is quite difficult to tell when you have filled it up properly.
* It holds such a small amount of water that you will quite likely end up (literally!) running out of steam before you've finished straightening.
* When turning on the steam setting, you're supposed to give it some time (I'm impatient, so it usually ends up being 30 seconds), to heat up. This isn't great either because of the small amount of water you've managed to put into the tank, a lot gets expelled as steam before you even get to use it on your hair!

The steam adjustment switch is also on the side of the straighteners, and is another 'slider' style. However, I find the steam settings easier to adjust than the fin switch.

HEATING UP ---

With regards to speed of heating up, I cannot complain. They tend to be up to the required heat in 30 seconds, or less for the lower settings.
This is excellent, as it is almost a 'plug in and go' item in that respect.

ANYTHING ELSE? - - - - -

My other issue with these is that I think they are rather heavy for a pair of straighteners!
I've used many different ones in the past, and I have to say these are the heaviest of the lot. I'm not sure whether its all the bells & whistles that BaByliss have added, although I wouldn't consider the extras to weigh that much!

It may not be the end of the world, but for me personally I think they are a bit chunky & clunky, and that combined with their weight means that they can be a bit awkward sometimes.

The issue of noise has to be mentioned too.
I have never owned such a noisy pair of straighteners! The first time I turned these on, I thought they were faulty as there was such a strong buzzing sound coming from them. I did find this a little unnerving, and now I just find it a little irritating.

It is not just electrical noise either! The water tank has a mini tube/hose to allow the water to pass through and change into steam. This means that if you choose to straighten your hair with the tank left on the straighteners, all you can hear is this little tube rattling around. It drives me nuts!
At the same time, it annoys me to have to fiddle with and remove the reservoir when I'm not using it, just because it makes a lot of noise.

On a plus point, I will say that the cable for these is a good length (a 3 metre swivel cord).

SO DO THEY ACTUALLY WORK??? - - - - -

Well yes they do. My hair is straight after I've used them, and I feel that it stays straighter for slightly longer than it did with my last pair of straighteners (I would not agree with the "twice as long" claim though).

I do not feel that my hair looks any different though with regards to shine; I don't think that having water go through my hair whilst straightening makes any difference. At the end of the day you are still baking your hair, which is no good for it!
I find I'm better off just using my usual heat protection sprays BEFORE straightening my hair. It gives a better result in my opinion.

Although the 'fins' are a nice touch; for my fairly straight, fine hair, I don't think they are of any real use to me. However, I can see how they may benefit somebody with thicker, harder to manage hair.

CONCLUSION - - - - -

Would I buy these again? Well, I'm afraid the answer is 'NO'.

Although I think they're a fair product for what I paid for them, I would certainly have been disappointed if I'd have paid £100 for them. In fact, I think I would've taken them back and exchanged them for something else.

Yes they look nice, have some nice accessories, and heat up quickly; but in my opinion, the additional features that you seem to be paying for are just not up to scratch.

I'm sure these work brilliantly for some people (as my friend at work will vouch), but this leads me to believe that people with finer (but more manageable) hair, may not need this kind of thing, and could probably find something sleeker & cheaper to do a better job for them.

I will keep using these until they die (they come with a 5 year guarantee which is reassuring), but I won't be replacing them after that.
These aren't for me I'm afraid!

Summary: Overpriced & excess of features that are not likely to be required by all.