Wahl ZX538

INTRODUCTION

These were given to me a little while ago, as those who know me, know how insane my hair can drive me when it gets into a frizzball loop. This is my tenth pair of straightners [eeek!] which is probably why my hair tends to be dry and turns into tumbleweed at the merest hint of dampness.
Anyhow, I can say that I at least have some experience when it come to these particular hair appliances, so let's kick start this ...
...APPEARANCE AND SPECS

I like the look of these. Slim and black with gold-coloured, ceramic coated plates and a small LCD display on the top. They look the business, but are at the lower end of the market, although not on the bottom rung [at least in retail terms]. The average price seems to be £27.99.
The maximum temperature reached by these is 200 degrees C, and there are no settings, so you are stuck with this amount of heat ... more

INTRODUCTION

These were given to me a little while ago, as those who know me, know how insane my hair can drive me when it gets into a frizzball loop. This is my tenth pair of straightners [eeek!] which is probably why my hair tends to be dry and turns into tumbleweed at the merest hint of dampness.
Anyhow, I can say that I at least have some experience when it come to these particular hair appliances, so let's kick start this review with some of those boring facts!

APPEARANCE AND SPECS

I like the look of these. Slim and black with gold-coloured, ceramic coated plates and a small LCD display on the top. They look the business, but are at the lower end of the market, although not on the bottom rung [at least in retail terms]. The average price seems to be £27.99.
The maximum temperature reached by these is 200 degrees C, and there are no settings, so you are stuck with this amount of heat once you get there. The LCD window comes alive when this happens, so at least you know when they are ready to use, instead of scalding your fingertips on the plates trying to work it out [can't be just me who's done that - can it?].
Fortunately the edges are curved, so you can't burn the tops of your ears [I've had a couple of lethal one's!] and the cord length is quite generous [2.8m to be exact] so you don't have to get neck strain again [I've made some really bad decisions before!].
For the sake of offering you the information, I will tell you that these have a 'Dual PTC Heating Element', but I cannot comment any further on this, as 'clue' and 'don't have' feature in the same sentence at this point.
PERSONAL NOTE: As I said, these look good and you could probably pass them off as rather more expensive if they are being eyeballed by a brand-addicted mate, but not all that glitters is gold as they say, and in this case they probably wouldn't even acknowledge 'gold-plated'.
The LCD display is a positive for me [for reasons mentioned above] and the cord length is excellent, as many straightners are lacking in this department, which can be somewhat frustrating if you're not four foot and a cherry.

RESULTS

To their advantage, they heat up relatively quickly, even if you have no temperature options available, so there's no need to plug them in before your favourite soap in the hope they'll be ready by the time the credits are rolling past.
I always like to use an anti-frizz spray on my hair before using straightners, and there is always some amount of extra steam present when you do this, but in this case it isn't too excessive, and the plates don't appear to become coated with the product either.
They glide from top to bottom quite smoothly, although the odd strand of hair keeps getting caught, even though I only press thin amounts at a time. This happens quite often and is really irritating.
The number of times you have to use straightners on a section also depends on the type of hair you have, as well as the quality of the appliance. My hair is quite thick, but even so it takes at least seven or eight attempts to achieve a sleek result, which I think is excessive and time consuming.
Once you've finished, the look is shiney but a little static at the ends, which isn't what you're really after, as they tend to be the more troublesome areas of your follicals in any case. In my view a good pair of straightners should be able to tame them for a while. These don't.
A big no-no for me with this brand is that the results last no more than a day. By this I don't mean that your hair resorts back to being it's usual wild self after 24 hours, I'm just saying that the some of the kinks return in small droves [especially at those pesky ends], and the shine seems to evaporate somewhat. I have used other appliances that have kept the look for well over a week, so it has nothing to do with my hair type.
PERSONAL NOTE: These aren't very good in my opinion. They may have a few positives in terms of specifications, but they let you down where it really matters. I still use them as I have yet to invest in a better pair, so I guess what I am saying is that they are better than nothing.
If your hair is thin and just a tad wavey, then these may just be enough to give you want you want without breaking the bank. For those with coarser hair however, I simply don't recommend them as they won't cut the mustard.
I am not suggesting that more expensive straightners may necessarily give better results, but there is a reason these aren't priced at £99.99 and I certainly know why.

EXTRA INFO

They take quite a while to cool down once you've switched them off at the plug, but I find this is true with most straightners, so just beware those curious little hands.
If you use sprays or products with them, then remember to clean them regularly. It's especially true with the less efficient ones, as they'll make an even worse job of it otherwise, and you may as well get out the ironing board instead.
If you ever smell burning when using these, then you'll be safe in the knowledge that regardless of the claims on these products, they won't actually stop your hair from drying out or getting damaged. A word to the wise [not me I'm afraid].
My overall rating for these is 5/10. There's much much better out there, but the desicion is yours  

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