HOT TOOLS (2018 MODEL) Pro Artist 24K Gold Curling Iron | Long Lasting, Defined Curls (1 1/2 in)

I bought this to curl my hair and set it in rollers for a bouncy, voluminous, soft curl blow-out. This has been such a great curling iron!PROS:- has an ON/OFF button and a temperature control dial- heats up really quickly- the clamp does not squeak, it opens/closes very smoothly and my hair never gets caught in the clamp portion- the cable is really high quality which makes for storing the curler a lot easier, the cord never gets tangled and never gets caught on things when using it or storing it- this is a high quality curling iron -- my hair holds the curl pretty well (and I've had issues in the past where my hair falls out almost immediately after using a really cheap curling iron)- this is perfect for curling your hair before putting in rollers, once you take the rollers out you have a really gorgeous, bouncy, voluminous hairstyle- love that it has a little metal stand for the curling iron to lay on when setting it down- works really great for shoulder length hairCONS:- honestly, none!

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" barrelThe 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?]--ClipThe 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 settingsTalking 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.--AestheticI 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.

I received my curling iron this week and even though I've only used it for a few days, I am loving it! I bought the Hot Tools Professional Curling Iron 1 1/2" barrel, which is the perfect size for larger curls and adding body to your hair. I've used Conair brand, same size barrel for over 10 years and every time I had to buy a new one, it was because the spring on them always gave out, the heat was always fine. This time I decided I was going to try a new brand, since I wanted a longer lasting one and being a big fan of Amazon, I done my research and this is the one I went for based on the mixed reviews and the awesome price.Here are some PROS:** VERY HOT at the highest heat (For thick fine straight hair such as mine I need the hottest setting, and the curls feel so soft when done using it and adds nice body).** Cord length is perfect, longer than Conair.** Barrel thumb holder at the end is awesome, Conair doesn't have this feature to stick your finger in to hold the end of the barrel.** End of the barrel holder is longer and helps not to burn delicate fingers.** Swivel cord is very helpful.** Definitely start at a low temperature and move the dial forward as you need to for the temperature setting you like.** Hand grip is soft and comfortable.********* The BONUS: 2 extra springs (Comes with directions of how to install them, with black and white step-by-stem photo process, seems easy). Now this makes having this curling a MUST for long term, especially when the spring is the first to go. Plus, the directions come with a mailer if you want to buy more springs at a rate of about $2.00 per spring (If you absolutely want more).OVERALL: For the price of this curling iron and the 2 additional springs that come with it, long term seems indefinite and it is an EXCELLENT DEAL!! Only question is how long does the temperature dial button, on/off switch, and heating element go out? That is the only question that arises when using this for years down the road...Here are some CONS:** The location of the temperature button on the left side and the on/off switch on the right side take some getting used to for your fingers if your new to Hot Tools. It can be easy to turn on/off with your finger, which could cause some problems. Takes time to get used to having an on/off slider switch.** The power indicator light is on the left side, where the temperature control dial is. The power light indicator is a light orange color, it's not that bright to signify the power is on.** ONLY DOWNSIDE: The power light indicator stays a solid orange, does NOT signify when the curling iron is ready to use at your select temperature setting. The directions says it takes 60 seconds to heat up, but the power light indicator does not show the time it's taking to heat up. As a previous Conair user it was very handy to see when the curling iron was ready to use because the power light quit blinking to signify to the user that it was ready to use.**** Recommendation: A different power light indicator would benefit this curling iron, perhaps a better location at the top, in between the temperature dial and on/off power slide switch, a brighter light to indicate power, and some sort of blinking motion for the indicator power light to let the user know that it is ready and hot enough to use. A different on/off switch could help as well.Best wishes to any new Hot Tools curling iron users, I hope this review helps you to decide and ENJOY! :-)