The Sophisticate is quite an attractive looking hair dryer. That sounds like such a weird thing to say, doesn't it? Most hair dryers are very utilitarian looking and some are downright ugly. But this one actually looks pretty.
Looks aren't everything, though. If a product doesn't perform, not even its charming good looks can redeem it. So... does the Sultra Sophisticate deliver?
Oh yes. It does.
The Sophisticate by Sultra is a an ionic dryer (1600 watt) with ceramic infrared heating technology that's supposed to dry the hair quickly without damaging it. It has heat settings for fine, normal and thick hair and two speed settings, as well as a cool button for air without heat.
It also features a 9-foot no-tangle cord and a removable nozzle.
I've used this for a few months now and I can honestly say that I've never used a nicer dryer. For the longest time I used a Solia Thermal Ionic Dryer and I loved it, but this I like even more.
I have very thin, fine hair that goes flat very quickly. For this reason, I dry my hair upside-down to give my roots a little lift, even if it only lasts a few hours. When I used my old dryer, my hair would look like a rat's nest after I flipped my head back up. With the Sophisticate, that doesn't happen!
It dries my hair very quickly (I use it on the thick hair setting because it's faster and I use it without the nozzle) but it never makes it feel dry, fried or tangled. And as much as I loved my old Solia, that's something I couldn't say about it.
A quick note:
I've been extra careful about reviewing hair tools since my experience with the Hana Elite, and I'm glad I took a few extra weeks to test this one because the same thing happened. After using this for about a month and a half, it just quit working. No warning signs, no evidence that anything was wrong... Just dead. Kaput. I plugged it in, flipped the on switch and nothing! I tried every thing I could think of to get it working again and it just wouldn't turn on.
I never abuse my hair tools. I turn them off, unplug them and put them in a safe place the minute I'm done using them. I don't drop them or get them wet, I don't bang them around and I don't leave them plugged in so I have no idea why this keeps happening to me! I think I'm the grim reaper of hair tools.
Luckily, I was able to get a replacement and reassurance that Sultra takes the quality of their product very seriously. Not only do they have a two year warranty, but the reported rate of defect is less than 1%. Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket!
I'm happy to report that the replacement dryer is still going strong and hasn't showed any signs of stopping.
With that out of the way, here are my observations about the dryer after a thorough testing.
What I liked:
- Gorgeous sleek black styling with subtle floral accents. A dryer worthy of display.
- Dries hair quickly without making it feel dry or fried.
- Gives a very smooth, shiny finish to the hair without making it flat.
- Does not damage my hair.
- Multiple heat and speed settings independent from each other. You can have low speed and high heat, high speed and medium heat, and so on.
- Long cord is very handy.
- No frizz with this dryer!
- The two air speeds are perfect; just enough force but without the hair-tangling tornado.
- This dryer is extremely loud. It sounds like a jet taking off and I'm slightly worried about holding it so close to my ear.
- The dryer is on the heavy side, but not uncomfortably so.
- It dries my hair quickly, but not as quickly as my Solia did.
- Like I mentioned above, mine suddenly stopped functioning without warning. However, it does come with a two year warranty.
- The price. $245. It's around the same price as a comparable dryer like a T3, but that's a lot of cash either way.
- It's pretty big so it may be awkward to travel with it.
Would I buy this again? Well... I like it enough to buy it again and I'd do it in a heartbeat if it was just a bit less expensive.
The Sultra Sophisticate Power Dryer is available at Sephora. And hey... it ships for free!
(This was sent to me for review.)
