Flat Iron Frenzy - CHI vs. Sedu

Here’s an interesting showdown between two powerhouse professional flat irons. Do you Sedu? Or CHI? Ok, so for this round it’s the CHI Ceramic Original 1” versus the Sedu Ionic Ceramic Tourmaline 1”. Up for comparison will be temperature, materials, convenience, reviews and cost.

Temperature Rising

CHI offers a set temperature of 370 degrees, which the iron achieves within a matter of seconds. At this fixed setting, CHI users get intense heat that can straighten in almost every hair type. However, some users may find the CHI temperature setting too hot for their hair and complain of damage, while other find that is not effective enough for their thick locks.

Sedu offers five variable temperature settings between 240 and 410 degrees. The lowest settings are ideal for fragile or bleached hair with the higher temperatures suitable for thicker and coarser styles. So, you get styling versatility without damage? Sedu, please. For more info on styling temperatures, refer to my last post.

CHI – 0, Sedu – 1

Material World

This post is beginning to sound a lot like the CHI vs. SOLIA comparison! Maybe I should do SOLIA vs. Sedu. Either way, CHI uses ceramic plate technology which is an improvement over tradtional metal plates, since ceramic technology provides moisturizing heat without damaging locks.

Sedu, also uses ceramic plate technology, improving it with the addition of tourmaline. Tourmaline is a mineral/semi-precious stone that emits potent negative ions to soothe the frizziest strands, infusing them with far infrared heat helping strengthen and protect hair from the inner core to outer layers.

Tourmaline helps Sedu edge out CHI, but this was a close call, ceramic technology is definitely a major asset for both styling tools. I’ll give CHI half a point for a good effort, and Sedu a full point for ceramic and tourmaline.

CHI – ½, Sedu – 2

The Greatest of Ease

Flat iron styling is both a skill and an art form. Getting sleek straight hair or voluminous curls takes practice, but having a versatile tool is the easiest place to start. With flash heating and swivel cord, the CHI is ready to go within seconds, but achieving your perfect look might take awhile. Slim, small and weighing in at two pounds, the CHI Original makes curls, waves, and flips but without the ionic boost from tourmaline styling is a slower process.

The Sedu also offers flash heating and a sleek design, but has slightly more rounded edges meant for versatile styling, giving customers greater styling ease in a third of the time. And the Sedu is about a half pound so it’s extremely lightweight, and has a 9’ swivel cord for maneuverability.
This round is a tough call, both irons straighten and style but Sedu wins for speed. So CHI gets ½ point and Sedu a full point.

CHI – 1, Sedu – 3

Judgment Day

Using the reviews on Folica.com, the CHI and Sedu get different marks. Both flat irons have almost the same number of reviews, hovering around 1300. The CHI ranks 4.14 out of 5 stars while the Sedu receives 4.53 of 5 stars.

To get to the bottom of what customers really thought, I read through the first 15 pages of reviews on both flat irons. Most CHI customers seem to either love their product or completely hate it. The top complaints on the product were durability and hair damage. Many users loved the product while others claimed it broke within a few months or damaged their hair irreparably, and with only 1-year worth of warranty coverage, CHI customers seem to be left disappointed with broken flat irons.

The reviews on the Sedu fare better, with most customers seeming thrilled with hair health and styling capabilities. There are still a few reviews complaining about mechanical problems but since the Sedu warranty covers two years there seems to be a lot more general customer satisfaction.

CHI- 1, Sedu – 4

Cost

Right now the CHI is available on Folica.com for $79.99 making it the cheaper of the two irons. The Sedu retails for $169.95 but is currently $108.95 and comes with a free iron holder (a $20 value). Both irons receive free shipping from Folica.

The CHI is available in salons and on a number of websites, while Sedu is only available through salons and online at Folica. CHI wins for cost and availability.

CHI – 2, Sedu – 4

And the Winner is…

Sedu wins for temperature settings, tourmaline plating, styling convenience, customer satisfaction and warranty coverage CHI comes in second, again.

The final score is CHI – 2, Sedu – 4.

I use Folica.com for most of my information; you can go there to purchase or go to the brand pages for a complete listing of where to buy.

http://www.chiretail.com/

http://www.sedubeauty.com/