I bought these hair straighteners about a year ago from Argos on offer at around 29.99, being Babyliss I thought they would have the pre-conceived build quality and reputable ability to straighten my hair minus any major issues. Unfortunately I found this not to be the case..! Don't get me ... Read review
Advantages: The automatic switch off Disadvantages: The amount of high heat spots
...offer at around 29.99, being Babyliss I thought they would have the pre-conceived build quality and reputable ability to straighten my hair minus any major issues. Unfortunately I found this not to be the case..! Don't get me wrong these straighteners are good if you rarely straighten your hair, but for someone who does on a regular basis they are not worth the money.
~~ Product Specification ~~
Either cordless or corded ...degrees maximum
Variable temperature
Fast heat-up
5 different heat settings
LED indicator
On/off switch on base
Cool touch heat resistant housing
~~ My opinion of use ~~
For infrequent use these straighteners are the perfect pair, as they can be controlled in heat, so are more suitable for those with younger hair, or someone who only straightens their hair for nights out. The docking ... more
I bought these hair straighteners about a year ago from Argos on offer at around 29.99, being Babyliss I thought they would have the pre-conceived build quality and reputable ability to straighten my hair minus any major issues. Unfortunately I found this not to be the case..! Don't get me wrong these straighteners are good if you rarely straighten your hair, but for someone who does on a regular basis they are not worth the money.
~~ Product Specification ~~ Either cordless or corded Tourmaline coated plates Thermo-ceramic heated plates 230 degrees maximum Variable temperature Fast heat-up 5 different heat settings LED indicator On/off switch on base Cool touch heat resistant housing
~~ My opinion of use ~~ For infrequent use these straighteners are the perfect pair, as they can be controlled in heat, so are more suitable for those with younger hair, or someone who only straightens their hair for nights out. The docking base is a great idea as long as you have the base closer to the place you are doing your hair but be warned the cable is only 3meters and if your mirror is further away than that you will struggle to straighten and see what you are doing to your hair. Which sometimes does seem to be nothing as you can have the highest heat setting smell burning but nothings happening to your hair, and after spending around £30 is a little disappointing.
Right rant over..!
Each specification in more detail;
With the cord connected to the straighteners in the bottom the length of cable is the same as being in the base but for some reason when plugged into the base if you pull the cable to far it will not heat up quite the same as when directly connected with the cord. When used with the base alone, the highest heat setting lasts around a minute before they become totally ineffective, even then when plugged into the base be careful that they don't fall out as for some reason they are a little top heavy. After about six or seven months use the cord began to lose power, and not heat the straighteners at all. For a while the 'Power' LED stays red but the 'Ready' LED remained blank and the plates cold.
When the straighteners are actually working the variable heat settings are pretty useful, depending on hair thickness and hair type. If like me you have quite thick hair the hottest heat setting is a blessing, but make sure you have some good heat protection spray. The plates are tourmaline plated and for the initial few uses they do make hair shiny and give it a sleek feel, but after the first months or two they become less effective, and they have a lot of heat spots that are really annoying as they only straighten a little at a time and if you have a very little time on your hands well, to be honest you're a little out of luck. Being thermo - ceramic the heat is meant to be more evenly spread across the plates but with mine it seemed they gathered heat around the edges and if you happen to catch your hand on them.. Ouch..!
Despite this the plates are good at staying clean, product doesn't tend to stick on these plates very easily and if they do its just a matter of wiping the residue off when cold and then you are away again..!
These straighteners have five different heat settings which I found was good for different effects, and the lower hear settings are perfect for short hair close to the skin to save multiple burns..! The settings are; 150 degrees 170 degrees 190 degrees 210 degrees And the maximum of 230 degrees
The lowest heat setting is better on hair closer to the skin so you don't end up with 230 degree scorch marks, but it is possible to be used on a lower heat setting with longer hair if you have the patience to sit and run the plates over the same strand of hair numerous times, which would be just as lethal as using a higher heat setting..! I will warn everyone though that if you know you have sensitive hair prone to splitting not to use anything above 190 degrees, as I found out, it splits your hair really badly and leaves you needing a hair cut more often than every six weeks..!
The plates I have to admit despite my obvious negativity toward these straighteners is that they do heat up very quickly (if they feel like working obviously) so if you are in a rush and can risk the highest setting you can be straightened in around 15 for medium length hair..!
As I said before the LED indicator is a good idea if it actually works, in a year and a half the bulb hasn't given up the whole system has, the power switches on but doesn't heat up..! I cannot stress how annoying this actually is..!
There is also a fun point when you are trying to move the cable round as the connector can become quite stiff as can removing the cord to plug into the base, but this should loosen after the first 9 or 10 attempts..! If your lucky..!
My last down point on these straighteners is that I have to do my hair again the next morning which after being initially straightened on such a high setting is quite annoying and time consuming.. But I guess this totally depends on your hair type..!
The base the straighteners can be connected to is a great idea if you only have a little bit to straighten as the plates do not get as hot as they would normally connected to the mains, which is a shame for such a good idea..! The base is heat resistant so you can get away with touching it without burning your fingers off..!
There is a automatic shut-off point after an hour with these straighteners which I do think is a brilliant idea as a few times now I have wandered off and left them expecting to come back and find something of a charred mess that once resembled my straighteners..!
These straighteners despite their age, are still a little expensive for the quality, at least in my opinion..!
Comet = £34.99 Shop.com = £25.47 Argos = £29.99 (under the name of total freedom straighteners)
Advantages: quick, easy to use, cost Disadvantages: none yet
I love GHD's, my friend's have always told me to get them and I have used theirs and absolutely fell in love with them. I couldn't afford a pair so I thought I would go to Argos & just get a cheap new pair of anything which are new as mine had died.
I found these for £15, the fact that they are cordless, and also the fact that the cord on them is 3meters long thought I would go for these.
Any my god, these are amazing! I would say they are on the ... ...cost £15 means that it doesn't particularly matter if they break or you lose them (say on a flight abroad!) because you can just go out and get another pair!
My hair is the thickest hair I think I have ever known anyone to have. It is long (nearly at my elbow) and It is really wavy - not nice waves, they are very messy, and the only way they can look good is if I put my hair up or if I straighten it.
These have long ceramic plates which helps for ...
RoseannaFloyd 20.04.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of BaByliss 2099U
Advantages: Good value for money, excellent straightening, can be cordless. Disadvantages: None.
...better pair. I chose the Babyliss Total Freedom straighteners because I'd read brilliant reviews about it, and at £19.99 from Argos (this was a few months ago, it may be in the sales now!) it was a bargain. I wasn't particularly interested in the cordless aspect because I'm not too bothered about the cord, but it claimed that the temperatures in excess of 200 degrees are better for straightening hair.
The straighteners came in three pieces in a ... ...as I started using the Babyliss Total Freedom straighteners, people kept saying "have you straightened your hair?" even though I always did anyway, and it just shows what a difference it made.
I've had these straighteners for a few months now, and I love them. They are brilliant, and so worth the money (which was only £20 anyway!). They were cheap, are simple to use, and really straighten my hair well. The handle doesn't get hot, and I've never ...
Kaddywyn 06.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of BaByliss 2099U
Advantages: Cordless operation Disadvantages: none found yet
...What drew me to The BaByliss 2099U total freedom straighteners was the added benefit that they are detachable and can be used anywhere.
I have never used straighteners myself (not enough hair left these days) but I guessed that it cannot be that easy to use straighteners while they are attached to the mains by a cable, so as these could be detached from the mains lead they must be a lot easier to use.
The straighteners can be heated by either straight ... ...unit (which is then connected to the mains via the same lead)
The manufacturer provides limited specifications as follows...
Salon performance Ceramic straightener
Up to 230c high heat
Cord/ cordless straightener -convenience
ThermoCeramic h/sys-30s heat up/recovery
Return pwr base/ full temp return in sec
Tourmaline-Ceramic plates for high shine
5 temp settings for different hair types
Power base for cordless use
3m snap-in cord
3 year ...
pmdunn 28.12.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of BaByliss 2099U
Advantages: Very good straightening for the price Disadvantages: Lose heat when using the cordless chaarging stand
I bought these as a second set for taking on holidays and working away etc and found them to be not quite as good as GHD but for the price they are very good. I find them better if you don't use the cordless option as when using the charging base they lose heat quickly if you don't put them back in the charger / holder.
If using with the cord they are as good as you can get for this price range, but don't seem to give the same sleek finish as the ...
casadacha 25.08.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of BaByliss 2099U
Advantages: Time to heat up, Cordless, Smoothness of plates Disadvantages: Can be too hot when its near 230°
...are very smooth and as Babyliss describe it - they are DEFINATLY salon performance. They are also quite wide which allows more hair to be striaghtened at any time.
The timing for the plates to heat up is VERY QUICK, about 20 seconds or so to heat up.
These straightners are also very good for curling hair if your the person who knows how to curl hair with straightners.
Overall, it is definately worth purchasing these straightners. I got then for ...
FromTheUK 29.12.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of BaByliss 2099U
Value for Money
Straightening
Ease of Use
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Advantages: Reckoned by many to be better than GHD's, are cheaper and more reliable (longer warrantee) Disadvantages: Which model to chooose!!!
Okay I'd just like to say I don't actually own this product but I'm going to soon. This is not a review as such but rather information about Babyliss 230 Straighteners and the cordless variety. I asked Babyliss some questions by email as I was unsure of the differences between the 2 models and some other general questions about both.
The models are:
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I thought I would share this info to save others from bothering/bothering Babyliss - they were very nice in their answers, and there were a lot of questions ...
