I have had my GHD Mark VI for 5 years and they were working fine unril I dropped them and managed to shatter the plastic on the one side. As a result they started pulling at my hair causing it to snap. I spent a few weeks looking for new GHD's and I was undecided between just replacing the Mark VI or going for a new Mark V model 'Gold Series'. I managed to get the GHD Scarlet set for £99 from the official GHD website. A word of warning when buying GHD's always check on the official site if it is an approved seller as there are a lot of fakes out there.

The good thing about ordering from the GHD website is you get free next day delivery this was great for me as I was excited to receive my new straightners. They also allocate you a delivery slot between 8-12, 10-2 or 12-4 so that yoy don't have to wait in all day. As I had ordered a gift set mine came in a fairly large box, this was well packaged to protect the items. Inside was a blackad red box with a silver GHD label on it which when opened reveals a silk GHD box. Inside the box was a travel hairdryer and a smaller clutch bag which contained the straighteners.

The first thing I noticed compared to older models was how light these straightners are. They feel half the weight of my old ones. The outer casing is a matt black with some shiny circles and a shiny black GHD logo. The plates a bright red and if you look closely you can see flecks of gold in the plates. The cord is really long as with the older models. The straightners also come with a plate guard which is heatproof and keeps the plates together for ease when travelling. These straightners only have one heat setting as other models. You simply slide the switch which makes a beeping noise and the orange GHD logo lights up. Once the straightners are ready to use the orange GHD logo goes off and they make a beeping noise. The straightners get really hot very quickly. The first thing I noticed when using these was how smooth the plates were. The straightners have floating plates so they don't grip your hair and just glide through effortlessly. I only needed to do each section of hair once and I also noticed that I didn't need to apply as much effort as my other GHD's. These straighteners are also designed so the outer casing stays cool even after prolonged use, I definately noticed this as in the past I have burnt my fingers when the outer casing of the straighteners got really hot. After using these my hair stays straight until it's next wash and looks shiny and healthy. I have noticed I don't have as many split ends as I used to as the plates don't catch. They also distribute heat evenly throught the plates. The GHD website says that these straightners have been ergonomically designed to fit in your hand and require the minimum of effort to use.The straighteners also have a built in safety feature whereby they switch off after 20 minutes of non use. When this happens the GHD light flashes on and off and the straighteners make a beeping noise to warn you. This is great if like me you have left the house and thought to yourself 'have I turned my straighteners off'. I have also noticed when using these I don't get static hair and my hair doesn't break as easily. The plates are a definate improvement on previous models.

As I had bought a gift set mine came with a silk red clutch heatproof bag to keep them in. This is great as they can be placed in when hot as there is a sectioner inside that keeps the cord separate. The bag has a shiny silver logo with little diamontes encrusted on it. You also get two hair sectioner clips with he GHD logo.

You can also curl your hair with GHD's, there is a styling DVD included which shows you how to do this with ease. I have tried it once and I was pleased with the results it creates loose waves in your hair which look really nice and the curls last all day with the kinimum amount of styling product.

I would recommend these straighteners over any others. They are a lot more expensive but you get a good quality product you also get a 2 year guarantee. The straighteners also come in a range of colours and a lot of them have free accessories. These are really the Rolls Royce of straightening irons. I wouldn't go back to the older model as these are lightweight and the plates are a massive improvement.