I actually bought the Nicky Clarke NCS15 Frizz Control Ceramic straighteners for my flatmate as a Christmas present as she has very thick, naturally curly hair which she has been trying to blow dry straight for years.

She noticed that steam straighteners weren't very effective on her hair as apart from not being gentle and ripping half her hair out, the steam also tended to make her hair frizz, countering the straightening effect.

So I browsed through the old Kays catalogue and saw these little beauties listed at £35, reduced from £50 so I thought 'ooh these must be decent' and click clicked on my mouse to place the order.

When they arrived I had a little peek and could see they were coloured silver with little lilac details (eg the buttons) and had long slim ceramic plates. There are 2 heat settings, I assume the higher one is for those with thicker hair.

On Christmas day they were greeted with a lot of enthusiasm and off she went to give them a try (bearing in mind it was first thing in the morning and the frizz was in effect with a vengeance!)

Cue more squeals of delight as the plates heated up almost instantly and as she slid them through her hair a miracle occurred!
In place of the frizz appeared beautiful, silky straight hair! She no longer looked like Monica in that episode of Friends where she went to Barbados and all her hair frizzed out!

The ultimate test came when we went on holiday to Spain as the humidity and messing about in the sea all day aren't exactly conducive to beautiful hair and previous experience had taught us that steam straighteners are a no-no on holiday.

So out came the Nicky Clarke's and lo and behold, they actually worked! My flatmate was over the moon! No more faffing about for 2 hours with the hair-dryer trying to look half decent for a night out, 5 minutes and she had salon-beautiful hair!

I was near to tears myself as I'd had a bit of a styling disaster so I was firmly sat on the chair while my mate ran the straighteners through and I was transformed!

I found that as well as having lovely hair, the style also lasted through the whole night which is completely unheard of for me.

So all in all, these straighteners are great! The only downside is that they get very VERY hot and they make your hair very hot as well so there is a very real chance of burning yourself as you work your way round, even on the lower setting.
I personally think this is a small price to pay for hair that stays straight and healthy-looking.

I have also recently checked the price of these again and Kays was selling them for about £20 so I will definitely have to invest in a set for myself. As I bought these for her the Christmas before last and are used a great deal, these have definitely stood the test of time. After 2 years of daily use, the plates are now starting to give out. they don't make the hair as smooth and still leave some frizz, as well as pulling out a little hair. But at the price is now so low, I think they are excellent value!

my mum first bought me some Nicky Clarke NCs15 Frizz Control Ceramic straighteners, and when I first got them I never used them because they just looked cheap. Then I started to use them, and I love them. They're just perfect for my long thick hair. I am on to my second pair because after about a year the wiring went all funny, and they would just turn off if the wire wasn't in a certain direction. I've had the new pair for about 4 months and they are fine. One of my friends has already bought the same ones, and another asked me to buy a pair on the net, so here I am. I always get asked what straighteners I use because my hair is so straight. I love them to bits, and think they're better than GHD's!!

Nicky Clarke NCS15 Frizz Control Ceramic Straightener - I have had these for almost a year and so far I have not had to replace them once. They are extremely resiliant, I have dropped them many times and they have fallen into a bucket of water and still work fine. The 6 heat settings are very useful if you're in a rush or if your hair tends to burn easily and the wide plates are a big bonus compaired to other hair straighteners, however they are hard to reach close to the roots of hair. The only downside is that my hair often catches on the edge of the plate because it is only slightly raised. Apart from this, it is a great product and I would not use anything else unless mine broke.

I've only had these straightners about a year and a half and in that time I have had them replaced twice. However, i do really like these straighteners but if my current ones break again, i won't be getting a third pair.

These straighteners are generally very good. I was thinking of replacing mine as they are not working properly and my friend has had to replace hers twice.