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

heat and curling are great. It's clean looking and the size is great for my small hands.

Salon quality product. Heats quickly and works well on all hair types and lengths. Long barrel gets the job done quicker.

I'm the kind of girl who has no problem dropping a load of cash on a hair appliance if I think it's what will work best for my very long, very thick, very coarse hair. I've used all the top brands, from Chi to GDH - everything, and my most expensive curling iron was over $150. So I feel like a bit of an idiot to discover that this Hot Tools XL is less that $40 (including tax and delivery), considering it's the best curling iron I've ever used. Yes, dramatic statement, but there's no way to understate the greatness of this curling iron for women with hair like mine. It no longer takes two tries to make one curl (with regular length barrels, my hair was too long to curl the entire length at once). The extra length is amazing, and because I bought the 1.5 inch, my curls are always loose and bouncy, never tight.I do have a few tips, however, for anyone considering purchasing this:1. It gets very hot if you turn it up to maximum heat. Even if you're confident that your hair can handle it, start with less heat the first few curls to get a sense of how it really is for you. This might be the hottest curling iron I've ever used. That being said, my hair likes the maximum heat, but it took a few curls before I learned how much hair I liked per curl, and how long to hold the hair in the iron. Better to be safe than sorry.2. Another reviewer complained about the clip not going all the way up the barrel, and she gave the curling iron a 1-star because of this. My question is, why do you need the clip to go all the way up? If your technique is correct, you only need a clip at the bottom of the iron to hold the ends of your hair in place. As you wind the curling iron up your hair, your hair should lie flat against the iron, and you should be pulling the iron away from your head a little to give your hair a very gentle stretch. No full length clip is needed - and with the length of this barrel, a full clip would be really long, super clunky, and you'd risk burning your face with it. I mean, think about it. Even when I've used irons that had full length clips, my hair was wrapped around the OUTSIDE of the majority of the clip anyway, secured only at the ends.3. For the best, most long-lasting curls, remember that you can technically use a curling iron as a flat iron, too. That's how I used to do it back in the day before they made flat irons! The best curls happen when you straighten AS you curl (which is why curls made with actual flat irons last forever). Here's what I mean: Take the section of hair you intend to curl, and starting near the top (closer to the roots), use the curling iron like a flat iron to smooth the section of hair from top to bottom. When you reach the bottom, clip the ends and then spiral the iron to make a curl like you normally would. Because you straightened it first, your hair should be extra flat and smooth as it's wrapped around the iron. Hold for however long you need, and then release. I find that smoothing the hair shaft first from top to bottom and then making a curl keeps the curls extra smooth, extra shiny, and they last all day - without any hairspray. (If you're a newbie to this technique, try it first without any heat - but this technique is a game changer).

When my BedHead curling iron I've been using for the past several years finally died on me, I went searching for a new one. I had been using and iron with a 1.5 inch barrel, mostly for curling the ends of my hair in. I have thick hair, that I tend to let get very long before finally cutting it. I'm usually looking to just curl the hair under for a finished look and to add volume, rather than using an iron to make actual curls in my hair. I ordered this 2 inch barrel Hot Tools iron to see how it would work for how I style my hair, and I found I really like it. It gives my hair the look of sweeping inward, without a stark contrast to the top part of my hair that the iron isn't curling. I love how much volume I get when using this iron on all my hairs layers separately, and I especially like how it works to give my hair direction, more than curls.The power cord doesn't tangle and the temperature controls are small and out of the way. I appreciate that Hot Tools has constructed this iron by separately screwing in thumb clamp, and not just using the little metal stand to hold it in. I'h had irons in the past, where the little metal stand you use to prop up the iron is actually what holds the thumb clamp to the iron itself. So if something happens and the little stand gets knocked off, the whole iron falls apart. Not so with this Hot Tools curling iron. The metal stand is attached to the thumb clamp, but there are separate screws in it that actually hold the whole iron together. So that means even if the metal stand that holds the iron up from burning your bathroom sink was to come off, the iron will still work and stay together. And actually, it's easy to take the stand off and put it back on if need be.The only thing I would change about this is even with the setting on the highest, it doesn't feel like it it's getting quite as hot as other irons I've used. So while I find it works great on freshly washed and dried hair, if I take my shower the night before and try and style my hair with it the next morning instead, my hair doesn't come out as well. The iron doesn't get quite hot enough to smooth out the results of bed-head hair. If it would just get a little hotter, it would be perfect!