Testing the Dyson Corrale

After years of abstinence, I started to regularly reach for my straighteners again over a year ago. My Dyson Airwrap (in German) is still a staple, but its smoothing brush can't compete with a straightener. Apparently, Dyson is also aware of this and has launched its own in response: the Dyson Corrale. As usual, with a price tag that initially makes me gasp. Dyson hair products have never disappointed me so far.

Can the Corrale keep the winning streak going?

Hair straighteners

Dyson Corrale

Straightening iron

105

Hair straighteners

Dyson Corrale

Straightening iron

105

Overview

Big price tags mean big expectations. So let's take a look at the things that Dyson says set the Corrale apart from conventional straighteners.

It has a battery and can therefore be used cordlessly if needed. The flexing manganese copper alloy heat plates mean that hair can be straightened at a lower temperature, while other devices need more heat to achieve the same result. According to Dyson, the heat plates flex around the hair and gather it so that it no longer falls out of the sides. This higher level of control means that one slow and steady sweep through your hair is all you need. Straightening the same strands multiple times is unnecessary for smooth, shiny, straight hair.

I'm intrigued.

The package includes

• Dyson Corrale straightener
• Charging dock
• Magnetic 360˚ charging cable
• Heat-resistant travel pouch

There are no instructions in sight. Just a booklet about complying with regulations and safety information. There are also a few quick instructions on the boxes. Weak. So, I searched online for instructions, which was the first time I found out about this small, dangling thing with an aeroplane on it.

It's a flight-safe feature that adheres to International Civil Aviation Organisation regulations. Detaching the tag disconnects the battery so that you can safely store it in your hand luggage. The heat-resistant travel pouch is also designed to safely separate the tag from the device.

Aside from this feature, the Corrale also has an on/off button, plus and minus buttons for temperature regulation and a lock button to hold the plates together for compact storage.

Preparations

My hair is freshly washed and blow-dried. I assemble the charging dock, plug it in using the magnetic 360° cable and insert the tag with the aeroplane symbol. Then I place the straightener on top. The Corrale lets out a beep and a small red light comes on. Then device charges. According to Dyson, it takes 40 minutes to charge the battery to 90% and 70 minutes to charge it fully. I can confirm the latter. It's ready to go after exactly 70 minutes. I remove the straightener from the dock and switch it on.

Is it smooth (and straight) sailing?

There are three settings to choose from: 165°C, 185°C and 210°C. Wanting to use it to its full potential straight away, I started with the hottest option. It's what I'm used to with other straighteners. I can see how high the temperature's climbing on the display. Mere seconds later, a small tick on the OLED screen gives me the green light. The Corrale is up to temperature. After that, the display just shows the battery level and your chosen heat setting.

My hair glides over the plates without faltering once. And it's true: not a single hair falls out of the sides. That was always the most annoying thing about straightening my hair and the reason I had to go over each section about five times. With the Corrale, my hair is poker-straight after just one slow and steady sweep. But does it work using the lower settings too? My natural hair isn't wavy or curly, so I guess one of the two lower settings should be enough.

A few days later, I try the lowest temperature setting. To my surprise, I achieve similar results to the 210°C setting with just one sweep. But it takes longer because I instinctively run the plates over my hair a little more slowly. Only the ends of my hair refuse to obey, so I have to go over them a second time. But with a bit of patience, easy-to-tame hair can actually be straightened on the lowest setting. I decide on a compromise of 185°C for future straightening sessions.

All in all, my hair doesn't feel the slightest bit dry after styling. It's smooth and frizz-free, especially at the roots, where I usually have trouble with it.

If I leave the Corrale for longer than five minutes, it sounds a warning every ten seconds and the heat plates switch themselves off until I press a random button. If it's left for a further five minutes, it switches itself off completely.

According to Dyson, I can enjoy cordless styling for up to 30 minutes. But I only need ten minutes at most to do all of my hair at 185°C. People with curly hair might well need a fair while longer. I want to test out the battery, so I select the Corrale's highest temperature setting and touch it every few minutes so that it doesn't switch itself off. The battery lasts pretty much exactly 55 minutes. That's 25 minutes longer than Dyson's claim. But it seems to me that the active squeezing while straightening affects the battery, because I can't explain the difference otherwise. The battery level seems to drop more quickly when I'm straightening.

As already mentioned, I can plug the cable either directly into the Corrale or into the charging dock. Dyson calls using the Corrale with the cable hybrid charge mode. Unlike I assumed, the cable hardly increases the charging time at all. However, the straightener still has to be fully charged between uses, as it also uses battery power despite the cable. This put a damper on my enthusiasm. Because, simply put, this means I can't just plug in the cable and carry on when the battery's empty. The Corrale's battery has to be charged a bit first. If I want to get the maximum runtime out of the Corrale, I have to fully charge it first and then use it with the cable.

The Corrale vs. conventional straighteners

Over the years, I've tested hair straighteners from a range of different price brackets and manufacturers: ghd, L'Oréal, Philips and Braun, to name just a few. I'd like to compare their key features with the Corrale's. A comparative study, if you will.

Cord(less)

Cordless styling is a big plus for me. Walking around the house or even sitting in front of the TV while doing my hair without being tied to the cable or plug socket is awesome. Personally, I only take a look in the mirror when I’m done straightening my hair to check that I haven't missed any sections. Apart from that final check, I work with my eyes closed. It was a completely new experience for me that no other product had ever offered before. I also appreciate that if I plug the cable in, the straightener doesn't really get in my way because it can rotate 360 degrees. ghds also have rotatable cables, for example. So the idea isn't completely new.

Flexible plates

The firmly gathered hair also gives me a lot of joy. So far, I've only ever experienced this benefit with the L'Oréal SteamPod(in German), but only because the heat plates had an added comb element. But with those straighteners, my progress was hampered by little tangles every now and then. Hair falls out of the sides of a lot of conventional straighteners and sometimes even gets caught on the edges of the plates.

Heat

I normally always use the highest temperature on conventional devices that don't use steam. Achieving satisfactory results with low temperatures and little effort is a new experience for me.

Curls

Those of us who like curling our hair with straighteners can also get our money's worth. If I press the plates together, the two ends form a V that doesn't get too warm. This means that I can hold the end steady with one hand while I'm forming the curl, so I can guide it neatly. The lack of cable and rounded design support this technique. So far, I've only come across a similar, less pronounced V on ghd models.

Weight

At 550 grams, the Corrale is much heavier in the hand than my 338-gram ghd straightener, for example, which is probably because of the battery.

Long-lasting styling

But probably the biggest difference I noticed was how long the styling lasted. With conventional devices, it often only takes a few hours for slight waves and frizz to reappear. The Corrale keeps them at bay. Even after a trip into the outside world, which is where all my efforts usually go to the dogs because of the humidity. The next day, I was faced with a snowstorm. But even that couldn't mess up my hair. It still looked freshly straightened after three days. Right down to the ends.

What I can't judge is whether Dyson's claim of 50% less hair breakage thanks to the lower heat is true.

Verdict

Unlike with the Supersonic or the Airwrap, Dyson hasn't revolutionised hair styling when it comes to straightening; it's just perfected it. It's quicker, simpler and your efforts last longer. However, I wouldn't say that you can't get similar results with much cheaper products. Even if they're not as long-lasting as the Corrale's. The Dyson is therefore a question of comfort and your budget. If you're thinking about buying one of the hyped-up ghd models, I'd say: pass on the ghd and go for the Corrale. For home use, I find it harder to justify 350 francs for ghds than 550 francs for the Corrale. The ghd models don't stand out enough from what's already out there.

While I think the Supersonic or even the Airwrap add value for a wide target group, the Corrale is the opposite. The group of people who benefit from the improved details is a small one. If you only straighten your hair every now and then, you don't need the Corrale. A more affordable model and a few more sweeps are enough, as long as you're prepared to accept the heat damage. The constant charging and the weight could soon become a nuisance for hairdressers. Those who reach for a straightener once or twice a week, on the other hand, could get a lot of enjoyment out of cordless, long-lasting styling.