The CHI Original is a classic for good reason. It performs! (I have the basic, original classic black 1" version)

My hair is a few inches past shoulders, very fine, sorta thin, and wavy/curly (if you know hair type classifications, I'd fall into the 2C category).  The CHI heats up quickly, and it does get plenty hot -be careful! :) The iron glides through my hair quickly and easily, never snagging, never requiring more than two passes to get a section completely straight. Because it straightens quickly and easily, I feel it causes less damage than other irons that might take more effort to straighten. 

The long cord is great as it allows you freedom of movement. 

My only beef with this product, and why I docked it a star, is that there is no heat control on the iron. For most people, this is probably not an issue. Even with my fine hair, even though it gets very hot, it seems fine. BUT I worry that some people with finer hair than I or hair that is chemically treated might find it too intense and too high a heat to use safely on a regular basis. 

I recommend this iron - just remember to use a heat protectant spray and deep condition regularly! 

I have been using this iron for a year now and I think it's pretty great! It heats up super fast (less than a minute) and distributes the heat along my hair very evenly. I have naturally curly, frizzy hair and just one pass of this iron is enough to give me super sleek hair. I love that the shape is perfect for curling too, and the casing feels sturdy.

The only downside I've experienced is that lately my hair has been getting caught and pulled between the plate and casing. I don't know if this is a design flaw or just wear and tear from using so often (I use this every other day), but it has gotten to the point where I may be looking for another iron. I never had issues with this one in the beginning, so I may try another CHI and see how that goes.

This flat iron costs an average of $79.99 depending on where you purchase it and does not have adjustable heat setting. For me, that is one of the biggest drawbacks to this product. This iron does heat up quickly to a temperature of 392 degrees but this is not good for individuals who need adjustable settings. There is no automatic shutoff mode on this iron. The ceramic plates are squeeze sensitive so you can control the pressure, but I found this created more hair damage over time, especially with the limited heat setting. The overall quality of this iron is not what I would expect from CHI, it felt cheap in comparison to its other products and other brands in the same price range. I would not recommend. 

This is the one that started it all. But it is just your basic flat iron. The technology hasn’t advanced so it’s not the best one on the market but it still gets the job done beautifully. This is a great flat iron for virgin hair and hair that just needs a little straightening. I wouldn’t suggest this one for anyone who has color treated, damaged, dry, or super thick and curly hair. There is no temperature control which is key if you have any of the above hair types. If you’re new to the straightening game or you have pretty straight hair and just need it for a few places then this is great. Otherwise invest in a better one like the Brazilian Blowout Flat Iron... that one is the best one I’ve ever used.

I have very thick coarse hair. I loved the high quality hair straighteners used in salons. But I never could find one that got very hot. I think I bought 2 that just took me so long to get enough heat to give me a sleek, straight finish. My hair stylist recommended the CHI to me and did warn me that they are very expensive, but worth the investment. I LOVE this product. It gets super hot but you can adjust the temp control. It has a setting from about 176 to 356 F.

I LOVE my chi! Chi flat irons are literally the only flat iron that will straighten my stubborn hair. They are definitely worth the money, especially if you have stubborn wavy/curly hair like I do. I don't feel like this flat iron really damages my hair either. I bleach my hair, and I can tell the majority of the damage comes from that. Over the year, my household has bought 4 chis (1 broke, 1 for me, 1 for another, and 1 back-up). We've bought them from various places, including JcPenney's and Ulta. I highly recommend this flat iron to anyone wanting actually straight hair.
CHI Original 1" Ceramic Hairstyling IronJCPenney

I have had my CHI for probably 6 years and it is still going strong *knock on wood*. My daughter and I share it so it gets plenty of use as she has super thick, tight curly biracial hair. And my hair is very long and thick and also curly. It works quickly so that I’m not spending crazy amounts of time straightening. It unfortunately has the temperature control right where I hold it so it sometimes gets turned way down accidentally mid straightening which is annoying. But I’ve also used the flat iron to curl my hair. It’s small enough to get all my daughter’s baby hairs when she needs help without burning her which is always a bonus too!

Chi was my very first iron. I loved it and used it until it fell apart. However I am no longer a follower of the CHI ceramic iron hype after years of it breaking and burning my hair. For a curly girl who rarely straightens her hair now, CHI original ceramic iron is very damaging to my hair as it does not have a temperature gauge to turn down the heat. Also, the ceramic plates (compared to titanium) snags on my hair (curly,thick,course) and does not get it as smooth as one with titanium plates on the first pass. I always have to go over my hair 2-3times to get it smooth (which causes more damage). I would only recommend this type of CHI to someone with fine and/or straight hair.

Every CHI straightener I have owned has worked so well!! It gets hot extremely quick and it only takes me like 15-20 minutes to do my hair instead of 45-60 minutes with my old straightners. I have very long, thin hair so its hard to find good products for my hair type but I am so grateful I was able to get a CHI on sale for only 60 bucks at Burlington!!

I got the CHI straightener initially because it was a hyped up product when it first came
out. It was great and worked like every other product, but it seemed to not burn my hair as much as others did. It was sleek and easy to use. but I dropped it once while it was hot and it cracked. The ceramic plate broke and the glue that was holding the plate also burned into my run in the bathroom. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if that was my skin. I haven’t bought another since, and honestly at such a high price point I don’t plan on it.