You may well know that GHD and T3 are leading brands for high end flat irons and offer some of the most competitive qualities in the market. While GHD faces competition from many quarters, a big chunk of the market is now being shared by makers like T3 who are able to produce the same level of results and luxury for a reduced price. Whether the big wigs are willing to admit it or not, pricing drives sales and cheaper brands like T3 have been laughing all the way to the bank at the expense of falling sales for Good Hair Day. Their Platinum Plus Pro flat iron is obscenely expensive but we concern ourselves with quality than pricing and so we went ahead and paid through the noise to sample its best side.
We picked the Lucea T3 because it is doing well in the market and continues to sell many months after its release. We wanted a more affordable product with a track record to compare to the luxury GHD. That said, the T3 is a high end product and does not come cheap by any chance. Hopefully this post could reveal the facts and fiction surrounding the celebrity hype of the brands and these products in particular. Is it just influencer marketing or are there real perks for using the pricey hair tools? Read on to find out the truth about GHD vs T3.
GHD Platinum Plus Pro | T3 Lucea |
PROS | PROS |
Very fast heat up time under 20 seconds. More expressive with color and design. 30 minute auto-shut feature. Intelligent temperature control. | Customizable intelligent heat controller. Digital ionic technology for healthy hair. Easy on the eyes gorgeous design. Refresh mode. |
CONS | CONS |
Pricey. No temperature adjustment. Feels a bit hot when used for a long time. | Not easy to set up. Touchscreen is less intuitive and prone to inadvertent operation. |
CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE |
GHD Platinum Plus Pro Flat Iron
The Platinum Plus is comparable in size to the T3 Lucea and the plate widths are similar. They are both expensive but that’s about the end of their similarities.
The GHD Platinum Plus flat iron is a pricey offering by the giant hair and beauty brand Good Hair Day with the signature wishbone hinge design and some advanced plate heating technology that try to justify its almost obscene pricing.
The power button on the ghd is on the back side conveniently placed for avoiding inadvertent pressing of the button. The product is minimalistic to say the least and will come with the power button and no much else in the way of controls. This is one of the attractive features of the GHD family of products other than the compact design and aesthetic finish.
Straight out of the box you can tell that the GHD Platinum Plus is a cream of the crop styler worth every last penny you invest and more. It has this miraculous amazing appearance about it that makes users fall in love from the first moment. It has nothing but awe for the audience compared to the T3 stylers that have extra flashy audio visual interfaces for users to interact with the product.
The Platinum plus Pro also comes with more colorful options to choose from with the classic black and white to cobalt blue. GHD has a way of making the same product differently for every personality which is a secret that has seen their sales volumes thrive. In contrast, most T3 models endure the one design and fewer choices for color usually ranging between rose gold and white.
The Platinum has been exceptionally effective for time with a momentary 20 second heat up time and even better styling time average of under 20 minutes with stellar result. In actual practice, we were able to get the styler ready in just 10 seconds which is record shuttering.
The T3 Lucea Flat Iron
The Lucea might be a tad slower than the Platinum Plus in heat up time but it is still a premium hair tool with many perks over your plane jane drugstore straightener. The relatively premium pricing on these T3 products does not seem to deter sales and their popularity keeps on an upward trend.
The New model Lucea takes the guesswork off the table with bespoke initial settings to tell the intelligent controller just what you need. Once you have finished your order then you can do your thing and just like that you emerge with awesome results to last you another day. It includes day two refresh mode to restore your styled hair among other settings.
These additional features make the T3 Lucea a little difficult to use for first timers compared to the GHD on and off button with the less intuitive touchscreen input. Once you get over the learning phase though, it is a key to the endless possibilities and custom experience of the new Lucea ID.
DESIGN
The GHD is a more advanced product justifying its price with some solid features such as the predictive Ultra-zone technology which uses a high speed sensor to measure the temperature over 250 times a second an correct accordingly. We were able to ascertain the volume and shine in hair results when using the GHD was superior to ordinary models all else kept constant. Stylists we spoke to say the Platinum has a way of relaxing hair more than many top tier products they have tried before. Interestingly, the results from the GHD are not dramatically better than the T3 despite the significant cost difference between the two.
The T3 Lucea is a powerful feature rich flat iron that deserves attention when looking for durable and high value salon tools that work with all hair types. It may require a second pass to get the level of perfection that the GHD does in one pass but it can get there also. What’s more, the GHD also does require a second brush from time to time as one pass styling remains a wish rather than reality. We could say that the GHD feels more comfortable to use on hair every day compared to the T3 which becomes furiously hot.
STYLING FEATURES
When using these products to straighten hair for some time, you will notice that the T3 Lucea feels warmer than the GHD even when the temperature on the plates is actually the same. This has to do with the handle insulation and design and so the GHD is better ergonomically compared to the T3.
For those looking for a more powerful option to regular GHDs then the T3 Lucea is the mane tamer that will likely leave your strands silky and shiny.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Extras is the middle name of GHD and the premium priced Platinum Plus Pro has tons of them. It is the flagship release for GHD moving into the business of adding curling and waves in the mix of hair straightening. It features a more intelligent temperature control and offers natural styling without damage to hair. GHD will save you time on heat up and styling making it an ideal choices for fuss free styling.
We are not saying the T3 is any less qualified as a smart investment. It is slightly cheaper but offers more power and control over the temperatures. It has all these features and yet the touchscreen smart input does not make it feel cluttered. It can also lock, curl, flick and wave in minutes for salon worth results that last a full day and beyond. It also features a safety shut off measure for when you forget to remember to unplug it.
VERDICT
The two products under review today are comparable for end results. That’s the only way that we could decide which one is more worth it for its price because in the long run the two designs are very different.
We saw earlier that the Platinum will win the fast startup race but the T3 has more intelligent features and options. If it comes down to price, both of these are quite expensive and do justify their high price points with quality and solid features that you can depend on for healthy results every time.
Both stylers can straighten and add curls and waves among other styles. The GHD misses out on temperature tweaking but makes up for that with super-fast intelligent microchip control. Both claim!