Hot Tools Professional Black Gold 1-1/4" Digital Flat Iron

Most Helpful Positive Review

Straightens well but gets hot on the outside

I was given this straightener to test by the Stellar Product Testing Panel. I have very thick, but fine, stick-straight hair that goes about six inches past my shoulders. My hair can dry straight with a dryer and just finger tousling, so I don't need much help getting it straight -- but I do still l...ike to use a straightener after drying, just to add shine and tidy up the ends. My current straightener is the same size as this one, but it's about 11 years old, so I was excited to try this!  A few thoughts on the product itself: first, I love the modern styling. My old tool is purple with bright lettering, and I was so glad to see that this one was a sleek, matte black with gold details. So much more sophisticated! The matte finish gives the exterior a bit of texture and grip, which is a nice touch, too. The swivel on the cord works well, the cord is fabulously long, and there's a built-in loop just below the swivel, if you prefer hanging storage. The controls are intuitive and easy to understand; there's a power button, two separate buttons to raise and lower the heat, and a small digital screen that displays the temperature. When the tool is heating up, the screen has a blue backlight, and once it reaches/stays at temperature, the backlight changes to yellow. The plates on this straightener, and the housing around the plates, both have smooth, rounded edges - so while I can't create straightener curls to save my life, I'm sure that the rounded edges on these would create fabulous curls for the gifted folks that can do it! :) The thing that I did notice immediately upon my first use, though, was that the plates give a really smooth glide - wow. Since my hair is naturally so straight, I'm not up against a lot of texture when I work through a section, but the gliding action with this one is night and day different from what I had with my old tool. I noticed that some reviewers mentioned it snagging, but for me, the movement down each section felt glossy and slick. I suspect this might be because my hair is straight to begin with? The only con I have to report might be due to user error, and to how I'm used to handling my old tool. This straightener has a section of nice, raised bumps on the outside, to help you grip it in the correct spot. My inclination was to hold it at the top of that area, and even slightly above those bumps, and I burned myself a few times. The outside of the tool was very, very hot, starting just above that area. I'm sure this is something I could fix with practice, but I thought it worth mentioning. You would definitely want to use a heat pad on your counter with this - the outside was super hot behind the plates, much more so than my old one.  Overall, this straightener is an improvement over my old model, which I'll definitely be getting rid of. The glide is so much better on this that there's almost no comparison. I only took a star away because of the outer heat/potential for burning yourself. Otherwise, if you're in the market for a small straightener, this is a good choice!