Hot Tools’ solid and affordable 24K Gold curling iron offers the widest range of barrel sizes for the most precise needs
4.3 out of 5
Model name/ number: 1103 (½”), 1109 (⅝”), 1101 (¾”), 1181 (1″), 1110 (1¼”), (1½”), 1111 (2″)
Price: $50
Shape: traditional spring iron
Available sizes: 0.5″, 0.6″, 0.75″, 1″, 1.25″, 1.5″, 2″
Best for: all hair types and lengths
What we like: versatile barrel size options, 7-year warranty,
What we don’t like: minimum heat is not very gentle, heavy
How it stands out: very generous amount of barrel width options for the shortest and the longest strands at the same time and all types of styles
Hot Tools 24K Gold Curling Iron is a solid and simple tool with great performance while appealing to those on a budget. It’s a tool that won’t disappoint you with its fast and effective styling capacity, nor with its material quality. It also is quite elegantly designed which is extraordinary for this affordable price. What really stands out about this tool is its extraordinarily wide barrel width options to appeal to every single hair type and styling need. It’s the only curling iron on our list that has a 2” and 3/8” barrel width option. Its maximum heat setting is 430°F and very effective on unruly strands. For fine hair that needs much lower temperatures to be on the safe side, it offers a minimum heat setting of 280°F. This number is on the limit of being too hot to be safe from heat if you have very thin or damaged strands. Yet its 24K Gold material is known to provide gentler heating than titanium, which is reassuring to know. It also distributes the heat evenly, and we can say that its results are very long-lasting, compared to most spring irons. That said, it comes with a holding clamp and provides ringlets that are perfect looking and the results have a finer finish than a wand-shaped tool. If you’d rather have a more casual look with s-shaped waves, this is not the right tool for you. It has a very long cool tip which makes it easy to handle, but we have to say that it’s quite bulky with more than 9oz.
Whether you’re seeking the best curling iron for short hair or the best curling iron for long hair, rest assured, Hot Tools 24K Gold Curling Iron has you covered.
Below we share our experiences with “Hot Tools 24K Gold Curling Iron”.
Shape
Traditional spring iron is the most commonly found shape when it comes to spring irons and Hot Tools 24K Gold is no different. The biggest distinction of this shape is its holding clamp. This attachment holds the tips of the strands in place while styling your strands, close to the heated barrel. This way, all hair gets exposed to the same amount of heat which provides greater precision than wand-shaped tools which leave out the clamp on purpose for more casual results. The clamp also is great in terms of making this tool beginner-friendly. It means that you don’t have to hold your strands with your second hand which makes the styling much easier.
Size
When it comes to size, this tool has a very impressive range of options to choose from. It comes with every single barrel width option that can be found in the market from 0.5” to 2”.
If you have very short strands, we recommend choosing one of the smallest options, either the ½” or the 5/8” one. They’re much easier to handle and the curls that create are much tighter. They still give a good amount of volume to short strands and can come closer to the roots. The 5/8” one is for strands between chin length and shoulder length, and the ½” one is for even shorter styles.
If you have strands between shoulder length and armpit length, it’s good to go for one of the more versatile options which are 3/4”, 1” or 1 ¼”.
The ¾” one is still for the ones that prefer tighter curls that are retro-looking.
The 1” one is the standard size in the market which is also the most versatile one. It literally fits every hair type and can create the widest range of styles. So if you’re confused as to which size to choose, this would be the safest option.
The 1 ¼” one is still considered to be quite versatile but creates larger locks and has the capacity to add more volume to your style.
The 1 ½” one is considered very large and appeals to strands that are armpit length or even longer. It creates large curls and has the capacity to heat up more than the smaller alternatives, which helps with the speed of your session.
2” is seriously large and is the only option on our list with this size. This one is specifically for the very long and thick strands that need high heat to tame. The curls that it creates are really large and voluminous, to the extent that someone with shorter strands can’t appreciate it.
While the width of its barrel has so many options to choose from, its barrel length is average-sized and would fit all hair lengths.
Heat and Variable Settings
We all know that different hair types have very different temperature needs to have an efficient yet heat-safe styling session. Hot Tools 24K Gold has a maximum temperature of 430°F, which is considered to be more than enough to tame any type of hair, even the thickest and unruliest one. So, no need to worry about this tool’s efficiency. But its minimum temperature of 280°F is on the edge of being too hot for very soft strands. It still is safe enough to use, combined with its gold barrel that makes the session gentler. But if you have extremely sensitive and damaged strands, we still recommend to seek for a tool with a minimum temperature as low as 200°F.
Material and Performance
This tool has a 24K Gold material, which is not something we come across often. Gold makes things much gentler for the strands, with its even heat distribution capacity. It avoids hot and cold pockets and provides a smooth styling session. It also heats up really fast. These qualities not only provide a safe yet speedy session but also ensure more long-lasting results. The fast heating though, may not be the best for beginners as it leaves less room for mistakes.
This is a simple tool with average material quality. It will not give you the same feeling as luxury tools when you hold it, but it’s a solid enough tool that will not disappoint you, especially considering its very affordable price. It’s sturdy to hold as well as being elegantly designed. It also heats up fast and smooths strands effectively and we think its rice vs performance is really high.
Features
As we said, this is a pretty simple curling iron with the essential features, but doesn’t really come with any extras that make a tool luxurious.
It has a super smooth barrel which helps your hair glide through, which provides slightly more undone results.
It comes with dual voltage to make sure that you can use your tool anywhere in the world.
It doesn’t have ionic technology, which is a feature that we love. It basically emits negative ions and eliminates frizz from your strands, so if you have frizz issues, we really recommend aiming for another curling iron that provides this.
Ergonomics
We have to say that Hot Tools 24K Gold is pretty heavy with 9.2 oz for the 1” barrel option, and even more for the larger sizes. This can be frustrating for the ones that use their tool for longer, as it can get difficult to hold it up. This is a very common problem amongst hair tools and definitely something to consider. It also makes it less travel-friendly and bulky.
Its handle is 0.9” which is very slim. This is great news for the ones with small hands, not so much for the larger ones though.
It doesn’t come with a digital display or audible warning to let you know when your tool reaches the right temperature, which are both beginner-friendly features. It has buttons for temperature control that allow you to twist and choose though, and is quite easy to use.
It has an 8ft swivel cord which is long and deems it comfortable to use.
It comes with an integrated counter rest to make sure that your tool doesn’t melt the surfaces while it’s heated.
It has a very long and comfortable cool touch finger grip, which we love. It makes the tool much easier to handle. But it’s important to note that its holding clamp gets a bit too hot while styling and some users report that their thumbs get burned too easily.
Price & Warranty
Hot Tools offers a simple and solid curling iron for a very reasonable price. Its material quality average and performance levels are similar to luxury standards. So, in our opinion, $50 is a very fair price for what it is. It may not be as sturdy to hold as its pricier alternatives, but it’s very ergonomically designed with an extra-long cool tip. In any case, it comes with a 7 year warranty which is extraordinarily long.
Competition
If you have long and medium-to-thick hair and prefer not to purchase a large curling iron, the 5.4″ barrel length of Hot Tools will not meet your needs. Babylisspro Nano Titanium Extended Barrel Curling Iron features a titanium barrel that is 2.5″ longer than Hot Tools, and it also offers the same temperature range.
However, if you’re a fan of Hot Tools products and have thinner hair, you might consider the Hot Tools Pro Artist Nano Ceramic Salon Curling Iron/Wand. Its Nano Ceramic surface provides a much gentler styling experience.
Hot Tools also offers the Marcel version of this spring curling iron, known as the Hot Tools Pro Artist 24K Gold Marcel. If you prefer the traditional Marcel-style handle for more precise control over your curls, this wand could be a perfect choice.
