Black Gold features an extra-large barrel and the highest heat capacity on the market, making it ideal for quickly and easily taming thick hair
4.5 out of 5
Model Name/ Number: HT1096BG
Price: 45$
Heat Settings: low: 175°F / high: 215°F
Hair type/ texture: thick hair texture, medium to long hair length (unless you purchase the attachments)
Hairstyle: with its above-average-sized barrel, it creates greater volume at the roots and adds bends to the ends
Pros: detachable compact design, versatile with many attachments available separately, lifetime guarantee, reaches high temperatures, and has a long cord
Cons: lacks a gentle low heat setting for touch-ups, has a thick handle that’s hard to grasp, and operates noisily
How it stands out: with a very large barrel and the highest heat capacity, this hot air brush is excellent for taming healthy, thick hair with ease
We all know that thick and unruly hair needs high temperatures to style and straighten. While high amounts of heat can be damaging, it can also be very beneficial for the ones that have trouble taming their strands. If you fit in this category, Hot Tools Black Gold is to your rescue.
This tool has the capacity to heat up to 215°F, providing a professional quality blowout. Even the low heat setting is 175°F, which is hotter than the maximum heat of most hot air brushes.
This tool is recommended for medium to long hair since its barrel is 2.8” (one of the largest on our list). Its oval shape is great for creating volume and ionic technology and charcoal bristles do an incredible job eliminating frizz.
Below we share our experiences with Hot Tools Black Gold One-Step. If you’re curious about the competition, check out the article about best hair dryer brushes.
Barrel Size And Shape
Classified as a large-sized tool, Hot Tools Black Gold One-Step has a 2.8” barrel. This size is one of the largest on our list, and it makes “Black Gold” a perfect fit for medium to long hair. We all know that large barrels are able to cover more area in one go, which makes them faster and more efficient. But they’re not the most effective when it comes to short hair since they can’t come too close to the roots.
“Black Gold” also is oval shaped instead of round, which makes it perfect at boosting volume and creating loose waves, combined with its large size. But it’s not as good as round barrels at creating defined curls.
Detachable Design
“Black Gold” is the new generation of its previous model, Hot Tools 24K One-Step, which didn’t come with a detachable design.
This improvement is definitely worth mentioning since it makes a huge difference in the quality of your session. Not only it make the tool much more compact and travel-friendly, but it also becomes much more versatile since it comes with different head options. These different heads include medium and small-sized barrels, which makes this tool suitable even for the shortest hair types.
Bristles
If you think that the bristles wouldn’t affect the quality of a blowout so much, you might want to think again. The longer and softer the bristles, the easier the detangling process will be. On the other hand, hard bristles are better at styling the strands than soft ones.
“Black Gold” has average-sized bristles; 0.6″ nylon and 0.4″ tufted. They’re also quite sturdy and hard. So, this tool is not the best at detangling (it’s not the worst either), but it has greater styling qualities.
Temperature
– Heat Settings
It’s important to pay attention to heat when it comes to hair tools. They have the power to damage your hair unless you make the wise choice suitable for your hair type. While high temperatures can be beneficial for thick and unruly hair, it can burn fine and fragile strands very quickly.
“Black Gold” is on our list as the best hot air brush for thick hair for good reason. This tool gets hot, up to 215°F on high setting. This number is the highest on our list and it’s not to take it lightly. It will cause damage to your strands if you have fine or fragile hair. It will work magic though, with thick and unruly hair, especially with afro hairstyles.
Like most hot air brushes on the market, it comes with 3 settings including high, low, and cool. The cool shot option is worth checking out since it seals your styling session and makes it long-lasting. Even though it comes with a low heat option, the low setting, with 175°F, is higher than most tools on our list.
– Handle Temperature
The handle of “Black Gold” has an average maximum temperature of 87°F and 80°F in low setting. These numbers are comfortable to hold, even for longer periods of time.
– Cool Tip Temperature
The temperature of the cool tip, on the other hand, gets as hot as 118°F, which may get uncomfortable if you use it for more than 30 minutes at a time.
Performance And Durability
Hot Tools is generally a reliable brand, known for its sturdy and long-lasting material, and “Black Gold” is no exception.
They’re so confident about the durability of their tool that they actually offer a lifetime guarantee. While detachable hot air brushes usually compromise in the sturdiness department, “Black Gold” is strong enough to endure most conditions. It also has unique black gold material that can distribute heat evenly and avoid hot and cold spots, which helps avoid heat damage. Combined with activated charcoal barrel and ionic technology, it provides long-lasting and frizz-free results.
Ergonomics
– Weight
We know that heavy hair tools can be frustrating if used every day or for long periods of time. Hot Tools Black Gold has an average weight of 15 oz, so you don’t need to worry about arm fatigue.
– Handle Size
The diameter is 5.5 inches at its thinnest and 7.5 inches at its thickest part of the handle, which is also the largest on our list. This might be a bit uncomfortable for small hands.
– Length
With a length of 13.5″, this hot air brush is shorter than average, making it easy to maneuver and store.
– Noise Level
Hot air brushes are noisy tools and we know that for some home stylists, it can be an issue, especially the ones with a sleeping family member in the next room. Hot Tools Black Gold is the loudest hot air brush on our list. With a dBA as high as 95, it may be too loud for sensitive ears.
– Cord
It has a 9 ft (102″) cord which is one of the longest on our list. This can bring great comfort if you don’t have a plug right next to your mirror.
Price And Guarantee
With an average price of $46 ($24 extra if you purchase an extra head) Hot Tools Black Gold is an affordable tool. It’s a great value-for-money product with its durable material and quality blowout.
On top of that it stands out with its lifetime limited guarantee. Most other hot air brushes come with a maximum 5-year guarantee but Hot Tools Black Gold takes the game to the next level with this offering.
Other Models From Hot Tools
“Hot Tools” hot air brushes have come a long way since they started producing the “One-Step” series. The Hot Tools Black Gold is a successful accomplishment that overshadows its previous versions, yet there’s one other version worth mentioning.
Hot Tools 24K Gold is a very useful alternative that works with fine and fragile hair instead of thick hair. While their barrel size and shape are exactly the same and they both have the high-quality material that Hot Tools offers, their heat levels make these two versions very different from each other. “24K” offers a super gentle yet effective blowout that is safe for even the most fragile strands. “Black Gold”, on the other hand, has the opposite quality, taming even the unruliest hair with its high levels of heat.
You can find the details in our Hot Tools Black Gold vs 24K Gold One-Step Blowout & Volumizer Comparison
Competition
Conair The Knot Dr. Oval Dryer Brush is the biggest competitor of Hot Tools Black Gold. They both have similar prices and barrels, but Conair has the capacity to detangle hair more effectively, while “Black Gold” focuses more on bringing the best style. “Black Gold” gets much hotter (215 °F), making it better for thick hair, but Conair The Knot Dr. has a more reasonable heat level of 180 °F, which makes it more versatile for different hair types. They both come with different head attachments but Conair The Knot Dr. offers more options such as a paddle brush head and diffuser.
