Cloud Nine Micro Iron - small portable hair straighteners
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Cloud Nine Micro Iron - small portable hair straighteners.
UK price: £45
Pros: Small, well designed, safety features.
Cons: Expensive.
Verdict: Very effective up-market travel accessory that works just as well at home.
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Available from: Amazon
Product Review
Don't laugh, there was a time when The Kitmaster could have done with a nifty bit of hair straightening, when his pre-Raphaelite curls could have been put in their place with a quick session with such an unheard-of device.
Sadly those days are long gone and I've neatly trimmed fur patch just like all the others.
BUT, luckily I have a wife. And she has hair too.
Her hair is, in fact, long and a bit wavy. If she does nothing with it, a sort of triangle shape appears around her head reminiscent of a medieval German pikeman's helmet. When we travel I soon get used to this helmet-head look.
So she was the ideal guinea pig for this new Cloud Nine micro iron. It's basically a small set of hair straighteners. Six inches long to be exact. Evidently, they are "really brilliant" (copyright Mrs Kitmaster 2010).
In fact I am told that the small size doesn't hamper their effectiveness and they're indeed better than her old big ones.
Now here's the nitty gritty. They're darned pricey. What do you get for your £45? Well, Cloud Nine's fancy bits include clever black ceramic heat plates, with a ‘secret ingredient' according to the manufacturers. This adds shine and sparkle every time they are used. Hmmm. I haven't noticed but I'd better not say that in front of Mrs K.
But a good bit that does work is the swivel cord that stops the power lead getting in a tangle that I would be asked to unwind.
And the protective heat guard is a good safety feature. As soon as you've finished with them you can clasp them back together, slip on the heat guard and let them cool down anywhere safely. Even when they are switched on they go into ‘hibernation' mode after 10 minutes as an extra safety feature, in case you forgot you put them on... And there are various flashing lights that warn when it's warming up and when it's on.
How good are they for travellers? Well, the Cloud Nine is small enough for a handbag or sponge bag so they're very portable - and the plug is an ingenious Euro/UK hybrid that works for both types of sockets. Now why can't everyone make them like that?
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I purchased a pair Cloud Nine Micros 4 months ago I like them I have male short hair and there great the plug is bigger than the straightener but I suppose plugs are standard size and cannot be changed