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July 11, 2011

Flat Iron Review #2: The FHI Runway

FHI Runway Flat Iron

What do you think of when you hear the word runway? Glamor, fashion, models, flat irons? Yep, flat irons. The FHI Runway flat iron looks glamorous with its sleek black body suit and silver accessories. And the cost is just as posh being priced at more than $350. No that’s not a typo.

A flat iron has to be pretty darn amazing to command a price like that. Is the FHI Runway’s walk fierce enough to demand a fee of over $350?

 

Let’s look at the stats…

 

FHI Runway Features:

  • “Patented I.C.H.S. Technology (Integrated Ceramic Heating System) with Instantaneous heat recovery system “
  • “Wide temperature ranges adjusts from 140° to 450°”
  • “Tourmaline treated plates produce maximum shine and conditioning of the hair”
  • “Solid beveled ceramic plates with 3 baked layers that can flip, twist, straighten and curl”
  • “Damp to dry versatility. Protects hair color and retards color fading”

 

Users Love the FHI Runway Because:

  • It gives straightening results similar to those of Japanese thermal reconditioning without the chemicals
  • It gives salon results
  • It makes natural hair look relaxed
  • It Doesn’t create many split ends
  • It makes your hair bouncy
  • Presses last for two weeks or longer as opposed to 4 days with other irons
  • Many only needed one pass to get hair straight
  • Shortens straightening time
  • Makes hair look healthy
  • In long run, saves you money from going to the hair dresser

 

But They Didn’t Love That It Is :

  • Fragile
  • Not very durable for price
  • Quits working after a short period of time
  • The white plates stain easily

 

Flat Iron Best For Those With:

  • Any Hair Type

 

Price Range:

  • Haute Couture $$$$ ($351- Sky)

 

Please Watch This Very Informative Video on the FHI Runway!

[vsw id=”thVDtPulMOI” source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”]

 

 

My Overall Verdict

 

4 Stars out of 5

This is a great flat iron. It really is. But I took off one star because of the price. Saying that it costs $380 is being conservative. If you want to get it with a valid warranty (and trust me you do) it could cost $450. And to pay $450 for a flat iron it, to borrow a phrase from the South, needs to be might near perfect. And it’s not. So I wouldn’t really recommend it even though it is a great flat iron. You can find a flat iron for a lower price that is probably as good as this.

However, if you have your heart set on this flat iron and you have the cash, go ahead and buy the FHI Runway!


FHI Runway Alternative


The GHD flat iron is a great flat iron and a relative steal in comparison to the Runway. If you have a flexible budget this is one of the best flat irons you can buy. I will try to do a review on it at some point. For now I think I will continue going through the FHI line and review the FHI Platform flat iron next.

 

Stay tuned!

October 5, 2011

TR Flat Iron Reviews Quick Post: Cheap vs Expensive Flat Irons

Hey Ya’ll,

 

I found this question on Yahoo answers a little ago  and I think it is a very obvious question but one that is not answered very often. Here is my take on it:

 


Q: What the difference between cheap and expensive flat irons?

 

 

There are a pair of flat irons that seem pretty good for about 170.00. But I dont want to pay that much unless im getting allot of bang for my buck. So beside durablity whats the difference between an $20 and $170 flat irons? Or it just a scam?

 

 

 

A:  Okay so there are two different ways to answer this question…We can look at it as what the actual differences are and what the actual differences should be.

 


What the actual difference should be between expensive and cheap flat irons:

1) Expensive flat irons should first and foremost use higher quality material for their plates. For instance, the $200 Ghd should use more solid ceramic heaters and plates than the $30 Conair. The Conair usually uses a ceramic coating on its plate with the actual plate being made out of… metal, aluminum? I don’t know but it is not good for your hair nor does it produce the negative ions that give you the shiny look that you are going for when you flat iron

2) They should have more features that cheaper flat iron. Various nano technologies, digital displays, higher temperature settings, longer cords, and they should last longer than a drugstore flat iron although that is in no way guaranteed.

What the differences really are between expensive and cheap flat irons:

 


1) In many cases high end hair straighteners are made with better materials (but not always). Sign up for my fairy tale newsletter on the sidebar to see what I mean.

 

 

2) Sometimes part of the difference is how the flat iron has marketed itself. Remington is a very well established company that has sought to be affordable for almost everyone. They might make good flat irons that they are able to sell cheaper because they are a household name, so to speak. For instance, the Remington Shine Therapy Flat Iron gets great reviews and it is under $60. These are considered consumer flat irons for as regular folks.

 

 

Then you have the professional or salon grade flat irons like the Sedu or the KQC. They are marketed as the creme de la creme and most of them live up that. They really can deliver salon quality results and if you go to a hairdresser it is unlikely that you are going to see a Conair flat iron lying around. It will usually be ones like I just mentioned.

 

 

My rule of thumb is this…if you look up reviews for a certain flat iron that costs, say, $150 or more and the ratings aren’t at least 4 or more stars or/and there’s only a few reviews, I wouldn’t get it. Or at the very least they should have a well defined return policy.

 

 

Okay so this wasn’t as quick as I imagined so I’ll go ahead and end it here. For more info, read my post Flat Iron Metal Plates.

 

 

Thanks for reading,