Both GHD and CHI are technical innovators in the manufacture of flat irons. CHI have integrated 'Nano Silver' technology, which they claim will not only help the CHI flat iron to out perform other brands but will also sterilize and kill bacteria. GHD brought about a revolution in the consumer market for hair straighteners when it pioneered the introduction to the market of the ceramic heating element and plates. But, who makes the best flat iron?

The follow compares the GHD 1" Mk4 to that of the CHI Turbo 1". Both the GHD and CHI do very well in flat iron reviews and ratings, and both seem to have a loyal customer base, so finding if one is superior to the other isn't easy. So, let's break it down into categories to find out which rates better than the other.

Design

The CHI Turbo flat iron now has a re-designed, ergonomic (so they claim) grip that makes for easier, less tiring hair straightening. Despite a revamped grip the CHI Turbo hair straigthener isn't the most stylish on the market. Also, the controls are on the side of the grip - this might make it easier to turn on/off etc. but sometimes the switches seem to get in the way and worse, you can accidentally turn them on/off when using. The new GHD Mk4 really does have a new sleek design. The controls are on the top side of the bottom grip, which is better - so they're on the inside. Also, the rounded barrels make it easy to create curls, flicks and waves. When it comes down to look and feel, the GHD wins hands down.

Heat-up Time

Both the CHI Turbo and GHD Mk4 flat iron heat up in seconds. And both have variable heat control. But the GHD comes out on top again with regards to temperature control: the Mk4 comes with shiver mode to combat condensation that can cause damage to the iron if the room temperature is below 5 degrees C. So, this round goes to GHD too.

Power Supply

The GHD comes with a 9 foot power cord but the CHI comes with a 10 foot power cord. One complaint when using a flat iron is that the power cord is too short - especially when trying to straighten at the back. The CHI Turbo uses only 20-25 Watts of electricity, less than the GHD Mk4 flat iron; so it's cheaper to run. However, the GHD does come with two additional features that some may or may not find useful; it has auto multi-voltage for International use - you just plug it in - and it has a sleep mode that turns the flat iron off if it is not used for 30 minutes.

Price

The CHI Turbo 1" flat iron isn't cheap retailing for about 120 dollars. The GHD is very, very expensive and usually retails for nearly twice the price of the CHI Turbo. It really is hard to justify the cost of the GHD Mk4; many simply aren't going to pay that much for a hair straightener.

Which straightens hair the best?

That seems an almost impossible question to answer. Both the GHD Mk4 flat iron and the CHI Turbo flat iron get an average rating of about 4 out of 5. Each seems to have loyal and happy customers and there seems to be very few owners of one flat iron who switch over to the other.

Should you buy the GHD flat iron or the CHI flat iron is difficult to answer. Personally, I believe the GHD Mk4 to be a much more up-to-date styling tool than the CHI Turbo and, in the ideal world, I would buy it, but I do feel that the GHD, though being an excellent tool, is still overpriced.