Remington CS 1001 Power Ceramic

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Good
Straightening	poker straight
Ease of Use	Very Easy

Advantages:	( + ) Cheap, easy to use
Disadvantages:	( - ) Safety issue? !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Well to set the scene… I have very thick dark brown hair which is fairly longish below my shoulders. Naturally it is wavy and often quite frizzy if it is not tamed!

About three Christmas's ago now I received my first pair of straightners; Remington Power Ceramic! Sounds great, but for those of you who don't know much about straightners and the market… basically they are a simple middle/low market price product. They suit my uses fine as I don't have time to straighten my hair every day, as one its too thick and takes forever, and two; 20 minutes longer in bed or straight hair, I chose the first option most of the time! Unless I'm going out somewhere or I have the time.

**********Description**********

They are dark blue with slim yellow ceramic plates.

They have a simple on and off slide switch to heat the plates up. This has been ergonomically designed with consideration to anthropometrics data, therefore it is easier to turn on and off. There is a red LED light to indicate whether the straighteners are on or not.

They have a heat proof spot at the end to direct the straighteners when using them (as the rest of the casing get very hot!) It has a plug and an insulated wire, which are safely connected to the product with a swivel cord. This allows the straighteners to be moved around and bent when using them.

They are also very easy to use, literally plug in, switch on and wait for 60 seconds!

*****See the photos attached!*****

**********Dimensions**********

Casing (plastic): 250 x 35mm
Plates (ceramic): 30 x 90 mm
Heat proof area (rubber disc): 30 x 20 mm
Cord (insulated wire): 1800 mm

**********Quality**********

This product has worked very well and I have had it for quite a while now. As I have already noted I don't use them everyday, and its not really very healthy for your hair either! The heatproof rubber spot on the end is very useful as a safety feature and has stopped me burning myself. I use this spot to clasp the plates closer together to glide through my hair. This allows my hair to get warmer and consequently straighten better than if I just quickly put the straighteners through my hair, and make it go static! It also has ceramic plates, which can heat up to high temperatures (approx 200 degrees Celsius in one minute) and allow you to style your hair to the desired look. Whereas other straighteners with plastic plates are a lot colder and I have found them hopeless when it comes to my hair!

**********Price**********

I think I purchased mine for around 25-30 GBP, which at the time this was quite good as this was when there was a new faze of ceramic straighteners hitting the market and this was a cheaper product with this feature.

Also included were instructions and four slide in hair grips to hold back the hair while you straighten the rest. These ever worked on my thick hair, I am still very impressed with them! I have to say that I have not had any in other straighteners I have seen/bought which provide any, so this may just be the products I am purchasing or that companies no longer provide them! Besides I have found these to be very useful though!

**********Availability**********

Mine were from Boots, however Remington straighteners are quite a well-known brand and newer models are fairly easily available. Others places include Superdrug, Argos, Additions Direct and Amazon. From research I think the newer model of mine ( the CS 1001) is the Remington Essentials straightener CS5001 with an RRP of 24.99 GBP. Or online on this website with a 20% discount for 20 GBP (www.remingtonselect.co.uk). There official website is www.uk.remington-europe.com

**********Disadvantages**********

Ideally I would like the straighteners to come with a longer cable, as this would make it easier to reach in front of my mirror whilst I am standing up.

My best friend has the same pair and her plates are ruined from hair products, however I clean mine regularly with a damp cloth and I have not had this problem.

Even when my hair is dry the straighteners always sizzle really loudly and create a lot of steam. Even though steam is good as it hold the hair in place for longer, it does seem excessive the amount they produces and it does make it sound like my hair is burning!

Someone else I know wraps their wire around the straighteners to put them away and this has damaged the swivel function of the cord.

However the biggest issue and why I wanted to write this review is that I have recently had a problem with the electrics and the on off switch keeps switching its self off when I want it on and vice versa! This has made me really frustrated and the other day my straighteners began smoking and sparking so I had to switch them off at the wall and believe it or not I haven't tried plugging them in since! Unfortunately I cannot get them seen too as they are past their guarantee!

**********Overall Recommendations**********

When the straighteners were working well they were great for what I needed them for. They were not too expensive and a well-known brand. My straighteners heated up very quickly and let me style my hair very shortly afterwards to a satisfactory temperature. I would buy Remington straighteners again and make sure I have filled in the guarantee form again! With regard to the electrical problem, I put this down to having them for such a long time, but still the straighteners have not provided me with a very safe experience! You don't expect them to just die after the guarantee runs out like a time bomb!

So my advice to you is…when you buy straighteners ensure they have ceramic plates, as these haven't failed me…and don't use them if they have faulty electrics! That bit is just common sense!

Happy Hair-Straightening!