Philips Care & Control HP8344/00

Awesome! – I love this hair straightener. It's so easy to use. Very fast warm-up time and easy to select what temperature you wish to set it at, thus avoiding burning your hair - especially if your hair is very fine like mine! I've had a few straighteners over the years but this one by far is the best. Show reply

Works great! – It heats up relatively quickly, and straightens my extremely long hair without fail. Some previous straighteners i have used don't straighten properly as my hair is very wavy, however this one does its job. It's easy to use & doesn't snag on hair.  Show reply

Does an amazing job! – I have long hair and sometimes it becomes really difficult to set hair before going for a party. This straightener has helped me a lot. It’s best for my hair and situation as it heats up pretty fast and is easy to use. The end result is perfectly salon styled hair. Well worth the money.  Show reply

Really great straightener – Love its locking feature to close the plates and it's a good straighter with fast heat up time and works well. Doesn't get my hair slick straight but it's still much better than my old straightener.  Show reply

I love my Philips Hair Straightner – I have fine hair but a lot of it, this product never snags on my hair as I straighten and never fries my hair. It heats up quickly and never leaves hair looking partially straight. I really think this is a good value product.  Show reply

Literally cannot live without it – I am satisfied with this product! It's simple and easy to use. It does not snag on hairs when straightening which is the main point. It works perfectly on my thick hair. It heats up relatively fast  Show reply

average – heats up quite fast but and best thing about it is that it locks the settings and when using it you won't accidentally touch or adjust the settings by mistake. would recommend for light use though cause it tends to snag on hair after a while of operating. very easy to use.

Could do the job alright – My hair is thick and a little bit curly. The product could do the job alright. Didn't find anything bad about it. Neither do I find it exceptional. Heat up speed is ok.  Show reply

decent straighener & nice design – I only straighten occasionally but the best thing is as it is narrow it can be used to do waves/ loose curls. It's light and manouvreable so that helps too. It goes over hair very smoothly, possibly too smoothly as it is hard to grip the hair if that makes sense. The buttons lock automatically after putting in settings so accidentally placing… Read more ·  1

fingers on the controls while straightening isn't an issue.

Not a super effective straightener if you just want it done fast and hot; is probably better for people who don't want to damage their hair or want a straightener for styling loose curls/ waves.

Average product – Average product. Liked Sleek design and digital temperature feature. Less hair damage. Less weight. Digital settings are good. Should keep pressing the buttons. I had problems with the lock control.

The good, the bad & the ugly – The good features of this are the locks – first one is the setting lock – like so many other straighteners the controls are right where your fingers grip which constantly reduces heat or switches off, this one you are able to “lock” the setting which maintains heat. The other one is the plate lock - locks the plates together when closed for… Read more

storage – Simple but good, helps protect the plates.

The bad (for me) is it just doesn’t heat up enough to straighten my hair (yes, that would make it “gentler on hair” but ineffective for me). I have to go over a section of hair, over & over again for it to straighten even a small section. I have thick, strong hair which this straightener does not suit. It may be better for someone with thinner, finer hair. Therefore the “ionic conditioning” feature was lost on my hair - I found the plates did not glide smoothly & had to work it repeatedly on the same section of hair which creates static - more “ironic” than “ionic", so I’m thinking maybe this feature is more of a creative marketing concept rather than an actual product development.

The ugly is the price. The RRP is $99.95. It is priced at Myer for $89.95 and I purchased it on sale for $44.95 & so glad I did not pay full price. It’s not worth $90-$100. It is a cheap, plasticky straightener with a couple of useful features.

I also have the Remington Smooth Finish straightener which is the cheapy in their range & is a much better straightener than the Philips & it retails for only $29.95. Is it worth paying an extra $70 for a couple of features?

PS Will someone ever square up the bottom plate so that your hot straightener doesn’t flop around – obviously the people who design them are all bald.