Average
Reviewer:
Becky Campitelli
from Kabul, Afghanistan Fri Apr 25 2008
This product worked exceptionally well when I first received it. I use it every day and I am over seas. After about a month though, the iron would not heat up as high as it did originally. It does still heat up, but now it's just an 'average' iron and takes me quite a bit longer to do my hair. If your looking for a travel ironn to be used temporarily, it's great; but if your looking for something for everyday use for an extended period of time, I would search for something a little more reliable - especially for the $120 cost.
Lasted 3 years!
Reviewer:
abby
from houston,tx Tue Apr 08 2008
I have had this iron for 3 years, and it has worked great. It still acutally does! I would recommend it because it's worth the money. So what if it's not a CHI??
Great Flat Iron
Reviewer:
Simmy
from Georgia Mon Jan 14 2008
I have had this for 2 months and its definetely worth the money, I am currently in the middle East and it works perfectly.
Amazing product!
Reviewer:
gaby portillo
from Chicago,Il Mon Sep 17 2007
My sister had bought this straightner about a year ago and I refused to use it because i thought it was to small and wouldn't work on my hair. (My hair is thin but very frizzy and wavy) But i was VERY wrong! it's an amazing product and still heats very fast after all this time. I can straighten my hair with it in less than 10 minutes! Hair products (i.e hair spray) did start to build up on it though, so I suggest you clean it every once in a while. It is definitely worth the money! =)
Great product as it worked well in New Zealand
Reviewer:
daphne
from el segundo, california Mon Sep 17 2007
two years ago i had purchased a dual voltage straightener and was very disappointed with it as it did not heat up to a degree needed to straighten out my hair. this time around i called and spoke to a folica rep you highly recommended this product and i'm glad that i purchased it!
Solano Sapphire Straightener
Reviewer:
sheri
Mon Sep 10 2007
I just arrived back from a trip to Ireland where I used my new dual voltage straightener from Solano. I had no problems whatsoever while using this product. The dual voltage is on the inside of the straightener so no buttons need to be pushed or switched to activate the 220v. The only thing that you will need while traveling is the adaptor plug that allows you to plug into a european socket.
Lasts forever!
Reviewer:
Lauren
from New York, NY Tue Jul 31 2007
I've had this straightener for 4 years now and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that wants an iron that will last for more than a year. I bought my solano for $110 back in 2003 and I'm still using it with the same great results. I never had any problems and it still gets just as hot although it takes almost a minute to heat up as opposed to the almost instant time it used to take. (which is amazing for an iron this old).
I have used many other irons, including the CHI, and this is simply the fastest and most efficient one.
I must say though, the plates do not act or feel like ceramic at all. As far as I'm concerned, they're just blue metal plates. After so many years of using this straightener 3 or 4 times a week, my hair is quite damaged. I don't know if that's from using it as often as I do, or from the plates.
I'm in the market for a new straightener, hopefully a ceramic plated one that matches how quick it takes me to straighten all my hair like the Solano does with a lot less long term damage.
urrgh
Reviewer:
anonymous
from california Fri Jul 06 2007
I needed a dual voltage iron for my trip to Europe next month, so I took a chance on this one after reading some of the negative reviews. Well, this iron does heat up really fast and it's really hot, which is a good thing for thick unruly hair like mine. However, it is cheaply made and the protective plates are a joke. They barely stay on and I can tell the plastic will break in a short time. There are several gaps around the plates that snag my hair and pull it out. The worse thing is that the plates don't sit flush against each other! Unfortunately I bought my iron on ebay and can't return it. Learn from my mistake and don't waste your money.
Solano
Reviewer:
Jennifer
from New York Thu Apr 19 2007
I used it on a recent trip to Italy and it worked great with the adapter. It got hot right away and my hair stayed straight with it. It is not as great as the straightener I have at home but it did not burn out and it got the job done.
It works well
Reviewer:
Angie Broussard
from Virginia Beach Mon Mar 26 2007
I have another flat iron made by Solano that seems to get a little hotter. But this flat iron is great. It's good for shorter hair.
So-so iron
Reviewer:
Lena
Sat Mar 17 2007
It has no temperature control, gets way to hot and protective sleaves didn't help at all, just got on the way. Also, it kept snagging and pulling my hair on exposed plastic parts, so I had to return it to the store (I got it in Ulta). It was light though and narrow ends got through layers easily, but my hair looked more burned than silky. I like SEDU so much better.
UGH!
Reviewer:
AC
from MD Thu Mar 15 2007
Okay, so my hair turned out pretty straight. Can't complain about that . . .but it did manage to rip out some of my hair. Not good. For the money, I don't think it's worth it. Returning mine and getting the HAI that is a little cheaper, but has gotten way better reviews.
Worth the price - very satisfied
Reviewer:
SM
from Philadelphia, PA Wed Jan 10 2007
I found this product to be worth the price. This is the first time I am using a straightener. Saw this at Folica and chose this particular product because it has dual voltage - thinking it would be ideal if I travel to Europe/Asia. So far no complaints - straightens hair pretty well.
Fully Satisfied
Reviewer:
Sara
from USA Mon Jan 08 2007
I bought this straightener to use it in Italy as it has dual voltage. It met my expectations. My hair is curley and thick. I had to dry it first then used the flat iron. It worked well.
Folica's service is always very good.
Thank you
Excellent flat iron for European travel
Reviewer:
Margie
from Houston Texas Mon Jan 08 2007
The Solano Saphire Hair Straightener worked just like it was supposed to, both on my color-treated wavy hair and my daughter's very thick, curly hair. Through Ireland's and London's fog, our hair remained straight and silky. It did catch our hair every once in a while until we learned to use just the last two or three inches and not let hair get close to the spring.
The only problem we had was purchasing the appropriate adapter (not converter, which you don't need for the dual-voltage Solano). The one we bought at Luggage and Leather did not provide for the one wider prong, so we bought a new adapter in Ireland for around $8.
Excellent Overseas!
Reviewer:
S.G.
from Los Angeles Sat Nov 11 2006
I took this product with me to Mexico and Germany and it worked excellent in both countries! I highly reccommend this product for travel! It fits well into any suitcase and takes just minutes to heat up hot!
Worked great around the world!
Reviewer:
Jacqlyn
from Austin Thu Aug 31 2006
My husband and I just returned from a 2 month "world tour", where I used this flat iron in New Zealand, Australia, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and France. I LOVED how quickly it heated up, what a great job it did straightening my wavy/naturally curly and THICK hair, how lightweight and compact it was, and the generous length of the cord. All of these factors made it ideal for me to travel with, esp. the cord length since I found many hotel bathrooms in foreign countries lack outlets, so the extra cord length helped me to get in view of a mirror. As with my Chi, I found the heat resistant pouch a lifesaver, since I always seem to be straightening my hair the last second before I pack my bags and go.
Negatives were only that the end with the plates gets too hot to touch, so I had to adjust the way I styled my hair from the normal way I use my Chi at home in the US. I just made sure my fingers stayed on the hinge end. I did try using the optional protective pieces that slide over the end to correct the problem, but found they pulled my hair (and fell off anyway). I was happier without them.
Not a negative, but a little confusing: there isn't a switch to toggle between voltages like you find on most dual voltage hair dryers, it just does so automatically. Actually really nice feature b/c I didn't mess it up by forgetting to switch back upon my return home.
Overall, I found the positives far outweighed the negatives for my purposes of travelling internationally, and I've found myself using it for Stateside travel instead of my old standby, the Chi. While I would not say that I prefer it out of the two, I will definitely continue to use it when travelling.
It's ok
Reviewer:
meera
from Toronto, Ontario Fri Aug 04 2006
My main reason for choosing this flat iron was the dual voltage feature. The cost of the iron is too high considering it's mediocre quality. It does tend to snag my hair every now and then. It doesn't get my hair as straight as I would like but it is better than my old Jilbere Titanium (which is a close second and much less expensive). If this iron wasn't a dual voltage I would probably return it.
Great for overseas
Reviewer:
Kathryn
from Houston Fri Jun 23 2006
I am in Australia (dual Voltage is great)at the moment and I have to say these straighteners are great. As I have very curly hair they get it some days too straight and this is really not a problem for me as the next day my hair looks great. I am finding that I do not need to wash my hair as often.
Horrible, waste of money.
Reviewer:
Gaby
Thu Jun 01 2006
For the money, and the brand, this was such a waste.
As others have already stated, the plates dont meet except at the tip, so it can not straighten hair well. It left my hair wavy , so I can to spend more time going over pieces- which left my hair dry , dull, and very lackluster.
Secondly, the way the plates are fitted inside the plastic makes it able to easily rip out pieces of your hair, which is NEVER good.
Thirdly, there is no heat setting, which frustrated me because I couldn't control how hot, or how NOT HOT it was getting for that matter with this iron.
It was very lightweight-but not in the good way- it seemed like a toy.
Overall I was very dissappointed with this purchase, and am not able to return because I lost receipt and box.
If you are going to Europe like I am, which was the reason for this purchase, and are in need of a dual voltage iron, I suggest getting the Sedu Straighter (the European Version so you do not have to deal with coverters or adaptors).
My sister has the American version and it works AMAZINGLY in terms of heat setting and quick straightning of your hair, and it has never burned or singed her hair, like this Solano one will.
More customer reviews for Solano Sapphire Hair Straightener (Mini)
