I've had two pairs of GHD but when the second pair broke I couldn't afford another so tried the Babyliss Pro 230 and they're as good as the GHD but a third of the price (�30 on Amazon). They go hotter than other straighteners (and have adjustable temp if 230degrees is too hot for you) and are ceramic, tourmaline etc. Basically, they do the job as well as GHDs. Perhaps some of the negative comments on here are about the standard Babyliss ones (not the Pro 230) that don't get as hot, so don't work as effectively.