Hot Tools Pro Artist 2-in-1 offers an extraordinary tool with its two barrels in a single tool, providing a versatile styling experience
Model name/ number: HTIR8002G
Price: $45
Shape: 2 in 1 wand
Available sizes: 1” and 1.5” on the same tool
Best for: all hair types and lengths
What we like: versatile, affordable, fast yet gentle, 7-year warranty
What we don’t like: heavy, strange smell, poor material quality
How it stands out: a very versatile tool with an innovative design with two barrels in one tool
Rating: 4.4/5.0
Hot Tools offers something different with its innovative design and it’s the only tool in the market that has two barrels in a single tool. You can just twist and switch between 1” and 1.5” barrels according to your needs. While 1” is for tighter locks, the larger 1.5” one is for the ones that want large and voluminous beach waves. This is a wand-shaped tool so the style that it creates is more casual with an undone finish, rather than being perfect looking. As you can imagine, this is a very versatile tool that appeals to all most styling needs and hair lengths. It also has a very wide range of heat settings which contributes to this quality. It has a maximum temperature of 430 °F, and is more than enough to tame unruly strands. Its minimum temperature of 250 °F on the other hand, is very gentle and provides a session that is safe from heat damage. The 24K Gold material is great at distributing the heat evenly and avoiding hot and cold pockets. This allows you to style your hair with less passes and protect your strands from too much heat exposure. It’s quite an affordable tool with only $45, especially considering the fact that you’re basically getting two tools. While it has great value, we can’t really say that it has the best material quality. It’s a quite bulky tool with 9.8 oz and not the sturdiest in the market. Despite not being very durable, it comes with a 7 year warranty that puts minds at ease.
Whether you’re seeking the best curling iron for fine hair or the best curling iron for long hair, rest assured, Hot Tools Pro 2-in-1 Curling Wand has you covered.
Below we share our experiences with “Hot Tools Pro 2-in-1 Curling Wand”.
Shape
Hot Tools Pro Artist 2-in-1 is a wand-shaped tool with a twist, literally. You can turn and change this tools barrel width, yet its shape remains the same. It comes as a straight-barrelled wand and leaves out the holding clamp on purpose for a more relaxed look and natural results. But it can’t provide the perfect ringlets that spring irons create, as the tips of your strands doesn’t get exposed to the same amount of heat as the other parts. That said, as a wand-shaped tool, you need to hold the tips of your strands while styling, which requires more effort and makes this tool less beginner-friendly. It also can’t provide the precision of a spring iron, and its results are not as long-lasting.
Size
When it comes to size, Hot Tools Pro Artist 2in1 is truly extraordinary. It comes with two barrel width options but in a single tool. So, when you purchase this tool, you actually get two curling irons, and one of the options most likely will fit your needs. The first option is 1”, and is the most versatile number in the market. It can create a big variety of styles and appeals to almost all hair lengths. The 1.5” is for the ones who want to create larger and more voluminous waves. This size won’t really work on shorter strands but it is a great curler for longer strands.
Its barrel length is 5” and is quite short. While this is a good thing in terms of handling and manoeuvring the tool and also makes this tool quite compact. But it limits the area that it can cover at one go, so if you have longer strands, it may take you a little longer to style your hair.
Heat and Variable Settings
This tool comes with 10 different heat settings, changing in 20°F increments. This is quite average compared to other curling irons, but its range is impressively above average. Its maximum temperature of 430°F is very powerful and perfect for taming thick hair that needs strong heat. It also makes this tool very fast and efficient. Its minimum heat setting is 250°F, which is a very gentle number. It’s a perfectly safe curling iron for even the most fragile strands and it won’t cause heat damage. As you can guess, it’s a very versatile tool in terms of heat as well.
Material and Performance
Hot Tools Pro Artist 2in1 has a 24K Gold barrel. Gold Is known for its even heat distribution. It avoids hot and cold pockets and allows you to style your strands in less passes. This helps to eliminate the risk of heat damage as your strands are exposed to high levels of heat for less amount of time. It also heats up quite quickly which helps with the speed. This tool is seriously fast, especially on the highest heat setting.
We can’t say that we’re very impressed by the material quality of this tool. It’s not very sturdy to hold, and actually gives off an unpleasant smell while being used. This is not the tool that you choose for its luxury material but for its high levels of performance and versatility.
Features
One feature that really stands out about this tool is its memory recall. It can remember the last setting that you used and brings you back to it automatically. This can be very handy for the busy minds.
It has a 2-hour auto shut-off feature which is much longer than the usual 60 minutes. This is a good thing if you use your tool for longer periods of time and you would like to keep it on. But 2 hours is a bit too long to be fire safe, in our opinion.
It doesn’t come with ionic technology which is disappointing, especially for the ones with frizzy hair. This is a feature that emits negative ions and eliminates frizz from the strands.
It has a super smooth barrel and the hair just glides through it while styling. It helps create better beach waves.
It comes with a glove to protect your hand from heat while styling your hair, this is a very useful accessory for wand-shaped tools as you have to hold your hand very close to the heated barrel.
It has dual voltage to make sure that you can use this tool anywhere in the world.
Ergonomics
Hot Tools Pro Artist 2in1 is a heavy tool with 9.8oz. This is something to consider if you struggle with holding your tool, especially if your strands take a long time to style. It also makes this tool less travel-friendly as it will be less compact to carry around.
It has a digital display and buttons to change the temperature which both make this tool much easier to operate, especially if you’re not very experienced.
Its handle is not the slimmest, but still very comfortable to hold. It may be a bit uncomfortable for very small hands but otherwise not a problem.
It comes with an integrated counter rest which keeps your hot tool away from the surface, protecting you from fire.
It has a swivel cord which is 8ft. This is a relatively long cord, compared to most in the market, and more than enough to feel comfortable.
It has a very comfortable cool touch finger grip and this tool is very easy to handle and maneuver.
Price & Warranty
Hot Tools Pro Artist 2in1 is not a luxury product and its material quality is quite mediocre. But its very affordable price compensates this. With only $45, it’s perfect for the ones on a budget, especially since you get two different tools at once. Despite the fact that it’s not very durable, it still puts minds at ease with its 7-year limited warranty, which is much longer than the usual 2 years. Overall, we think that this tool has great value for money.
Competition
If you need a very versatile tool like Hot Tools, but you would prefer the material quality to be as high as possible, we really recommend checking out Drybar The Mixologist. It comes with interchangeable brush heads, so the styles that you can achieve has even a wider range since you get a wand, a spring iron and a waver all at once, and has an even larger range of heat settings that appeal to all hair types. As a luxury tool, it obviously comes with a big price tag of $199 and is definitely an investment. But you get three tools at once which have the highest material quality in the market.
Hot Tools also offers Pro Artist 24K Gold Curlbar that’s easy to use. The curl bar shape makes it easy to wrap your hair around, so you get nice, even curls every time.
