Good product for the value, but with some quirks.
I just received the product today and used it some this evening. I have used a similar (but more expensive) version of this product, so I was familiar with the process and instructions. I'm not sure if I was spoiled by the more expensive product, but I wasn't very happy with this curler upon first use, due to the following reasons:<br /><br />1) Shorter pieces of hair curled much better than longer pieces (although width and thickness of selected strands were the same)<br /><br />2) The third strand I curled got stuck upon release, and it took me a scary amount of time to get it un-stuck. I had to turn off the curler for fear it would burn through the strand before I could get it to release. It took me about 45 seconds to finally get it free.<br /><br />3) If any small bit of pressure is released once you grip the pieces closed (and then several times when I held full pressure the entire time), the beeps stop and it doesn't count down for you. You just have to count the seconds off yourself and guess when you need to release<br /><br />4) I have thin, fine hair, but it took the max heat setting and max time for the curls to hold<br /><br />5) Immediately after turning the curler on, the product began to smell like burning plastic<br /><br />However, I know sometimes it just takes some patience and practice to learn the quirks of some products and how they are on individual types of hair. I am still willing to try it again and see if I have the same issues.<br /><br />Some features I like of this product compared to the more expensive versions were the value compared to its competition, the LCD display, the &#34;alternating&#34; setting for direction of curls, and the overall aesthetics of this curler.<br /><br />Response from the seller:<br />Thank you for your time to write this email. Very appreciate.<br /><br />1- May I know how long is your hair? Actually it does not work really well if you have really long hair (which is marked in the listing), such as all the way down back, almost to buttock, so only half the length of the hair could get curled. But that is not an issue if you have short to medium length hair.<br /><br />2- Don't be afraid when hair is tangled, we always suggest you unplug the styler first and then use something sharp (like the tail of comb) to softly pull the hair out from the chamber.<br /><br />3- As for the beep stopping issue, we would be glad to suggest you that the handle should be closed firmly. If there is any small bit of pressure is released, the beep will automatically stop. So after the hair is drawn in the curler makes spaced apart short, high pitched &#34;beep&#34; while the hair is being curled. After you hear a series of quick ‘beep-beep-beep-beep’ prompt, that's the time to loosen the handle. Be sure to listen to these, the timing is perfect.<br /><br />[Below is the information for your reference]<br />- Setting 8 - 8 seconds, for slightly curls, 3 beeps, and finally ring 4 times to indicate the time is up.<br />- Setting 10 - 10 seconds, for soft curls, 4 beeps, and finally ring 4 times to indicate the time is up.<br />- Setting 12 - 12 seconds, for strong curls, 5 beeps, and finally ring 4 times to indicate the time is up.<br /><br />4- Dear Allyson, if you have very thin, fine hair, we always suggest you don't use the highest temperature at the first time when you switch on the styler. As a honest seller, almost all we know that there is protein in our hair, if we choose the highest temperature at the first time (for example: 230C), then the hair is reached from the lowest temperature to the highest temperature within just a few seconds, the hair will be normally smelt like something plastic, but please note this will be damage your hair. So we always suggest our buyers should choose the lowest temperature first then gradually choose the high temperature, in order to let your hair adapt to the temperature better.<br /><br />Dear Allyson, thank you for liking the feature of LCD Display and the Curl Direction. Actually this is the new version product in the market compared to those traditional automatic hair curlers. As an honest seller, we trust in our product and try our utmost to make every customer satisfactory. If you have any questions in the future, we very welcome your email and be happy to serve you :)<br /><br />Thank you for reading my email dear Allyson.<br /><br />My response after trying it again this morning:<br /><br />Thank you for your response. My hair is only about 4 inches past my shoulders, so the length is within range. The smell came as soon as I plugged in the curler, before I even attempted to put hair in there. That smell did not come back when I tried it again this morning, so it must have just been the 1st time the plastic heated up.<br /><br />I will continue practicing with this product and try to learn the best ways to make it work correctly. It has its quirks, but then, what electronic doesn't?<br />*****************************************************************<br /><br />After using the product again this morning, I learned the following:<br /><br />1) To get the best curl, use VERY small pieces of hair. My hair is thin already, but I still had to use very small pieces and brush them out really good to have the best success. Even then, with the longer strands, it still did not want to curl the entire strand.<br /><br />2) Occasionally, the hair would not pull into the curler correctly, and it would just twist up the strand instead of actually curling it. I would have to repeat on the same strand until it pulled in properly.<br /><br />3) In the 30 min it took me to curl all of my hair (again, I have thin, fine hair, and can usually curl it all with a curling iron in about 5 minutes or less), the strands got stuck in the curler about every 8th curl. Some of the times it stuck, I was able to get it out ok, but the curl was pulled out. Other times, the strand got really stuck and started smoking. This was scary, but I just unplugged the curler and worked my hair free.<br /><br />Overall, this is a good curler for the value. It's just a matter of preference if you would be willing to deal with some of the quirks and hassle for a better value, or go with a higher end product that it a little more consistent. This curler may also work better with thick hair, but I cannot attest to that. I can say that with my thin hair, the higher-end curler handled larger strands and was a lot more consistent. It also never got stuck - not once. If it started to curl and the hair tangled at all, it would stop and release it.
Rating: 3 stars