We sell ghd, so treat this with the scepticism it deserves - but we also work with these tools every day, on other people's hair, and we have opinions about where the money is and is not worth spending.
Where ghd is genuinely worth it
The temperature. Every ghd styles at 185C. That is not a marketing number - it is the temperature at which hair restyles reliably without the damage you get from the 220C plates sold in supermarkets. Cheap straighteners get hot, and hot is not the same as good. The single biggest reason clients' hair looks fried is a cheap tool run too hot.
The plate consistency. A ghd holds that 185C across the whole plate, pass after pass. A cheap styler has hot spots, so you go over the same section three times to get it straight - which is three times the heat damage for one result.
Where it is not worth it
The colourways. A limited-edition pink ghd is the same tool as the black one, for more money.
Upgrading from a working ghd. If you have a ghd gold that still works, a chronos will not change your life. Buy a good brush and some heat protectant instead.
The most expensive one, by default. ghd Sculpt interactive styler at $629 is the best tool ghd makes. It is not five times better than a ghd original styler at $319. Most people are well served three rungs down the ladder.
The honest recommendation
If you have coloured hair, buy the platinum+ ($381.56) - the predictive heat and colour protection genuinely matter when you have paid for the colour. If you have not, buy the gold ($298.75) and stop thinking about it.
And whatever you buy: use heat protectant. It costs $50 and it is the difference between hair that survives five years of styling and hair that does not.
Crew Stylists, Queenstown - authorised ghd stockist. Free NZ shipping, two-year warranty.