BaByliss Pro Ceramic Tools Dual Voltage Professional Ceramic Spring Curling Iron

I purchased this curling iron/straightener for a 9-day trip to London, and I was extremely happy with the purchase and effectiveness of the item. I did extensive reading/research on the web and various travel sites, and I even spoke w/my Italian hairstylist (who travels back to Italy regularly) who reports he's had several problems with other items, and insisted I get a transformer and adapter as the only way to prevent destroying the curling iron. These are costly (~$30-40 in U.S), plus cost of item, so I decided to spend that same money on the curling iron alone and take my chances. Thus I was fully prepared for this little item to blow up once I got to London and plugged it in, but I honestly can say it worked perfectly the entire week. I had the small adapter plug (which can be purchased for $9 in the US or sometimes as low as 2-5pounds in the UK/Scotland), which is far less expensive than a transformer, and took the iron to various friends homes/flats and had no issues...Read more

This product is leaps and bounds above it's other price-range curling irons - it gets very hot relatively quickly and is pretty easy to use.

Unfortunately you do get what you pay for (and I was ripped off paying $45 at the beauty store for it.) After about 2 days of use, there was a short in the rotating cord and if the iron is held at an odd angle, it turned off. It was still usable, but I had to modify the way I curled my hair to avoid it turning off and losing heat. After about 6 months, you can see the ceramic coating chipping off a little - and I used the iron about 3-4x per month.

If you're in the market for a cheap curling iron - I would suggest this because compared to the Revlon, Remington and Conair brands I've had in the past, this is the closest to a high end curling iron among them - most likely you will have better luck with your iron than I did.

I bought this to take with me on my trip to Europe. I really hate hassling with transformers (they rarely fit well, Euro and UK plugs are recessed) and I didn't want to fry my $$$ 110 voltage curling iron, so this fit the bill. They are hardly any ceramic dual voltage curling irons with a variety of sizes to choose from. I think I could only find Babyliss and Ceramic tools. Besides the decent reviews and reasonable price, I ultimately choose this one because of the long barrel. I have long hair and need the room to work my hair.