The Supersonic r weighs just 0.7 pounds—30 percent smaller and 20 percent lighter than other Dyson dryers. If that wasn’t light enough, the curved handle redistributes weight in a way that makes longer styling sessions noticeably less fatiguing.

It comes with five magnetic, RFID-enabled attachments that auto-adjust heat and airflow to your saved preferences. In testing, that meant faster transitions between attachments and less stopping to fine-tune settings. At $570, it costs even more than the Nural and skips the Scalp Protect mode I appreciated there. Still, if precision, speed, and a lightweight build are what you’re looking for, the Supersonic r is at the top of the market. Read my full review here.

While not the world’s first wet-to-dry straightener upon its release in 2023, the Airstrait was nevertheless a sensation. “No hot plates, no heat damage” was the promise, with heatless plates that grip the hair for tension while a 45-degree-angled jet of air dries as the tool moves down. At $500, it was more than twice the price of even the highest-end flat iron, and has since spawned all manner of dupes, most notably Shark’s Flex Fusion and new Glam multistylers with wet-to-dry attachments. However, nothing quite compares to the Dyson, which is relatively lightweight at just over 2 pounds, significantly quieter than Shark’s versions, and has a color LCD screen and sensors that stop airflow when they don’t detect hair in the plates. Thermistors regulate the airflow temperature, measuring up to 30 times a second to ensure it stays consistent (maximum 285 degrees Fahrenheit). I also appreciate that it will automatically turn off after three seconds of inactivity, so I can put it down without it blowing everything off my bathroom counter.

As with all wet-dry stylers, there’s a learning curve—the air flows down, so it won’t reach your roots. To dry them, you’re supposed to lock the plates together and turn the tool on its side to use like a hair dryer. When all your hair is dry, switch to “cool mode” for a shiny finish. You can also smooth your hair afterward using “dry mode,” though both wet and dry modes are not one-stop shops for my 3a curly hair—the poofiness is still quite noticeable, so I need to use a traditional flat iron afterward. However, the Airstrait worked perfectly for former WIRED reviewer Brenda Stolyar’s more wavy hair, so your rate of success will likely vary by hair type. Read her full review here. —Kat Merck

Our favorite cordless flat iron in our guide to the Best Hair Straighteners, the Corrale is innovative but not without some quirks. Unlike most straightening irons that essentially just mash sections of hair between two hot paddles, the Corrale’s manganese copper plates are segmented, which allows them to curve around each section of hair, negating the need for pressing hard or cranking the heat up to max temperature. (Which in the Corrale’s case is 410 degrees Fahrenheit—two other settings dial in 330 and 365.) According to Dyson, sensors regulate the temperature up to 100 times a second, ensuring consistency and reducing the need for multiple passes. I did find I needed to make fewer passes on my 3a curly hair with the Corrale, and it worked just as well as any titanium iron for a glass-smooth finish. It’s also got a nifty chip you can flip to disable the battery and take it safely onto an airplane.

Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano also tested the Corrale and was frustrated with its battery life, which I estimated to be around 30 minutes, right on par with Dyson’s claims. I use a blow-dry brush to dry my hair, which gets my hair smooth enough that straightening it doesn’t take long, so I’ve never had the Corrale battery run out on me during day-to-day use. What I did have an issue with, however, were the segments’ creating rough edges on the plates, which tended to pull and snag my hair. The segments’ movement also makes somewhat of a crunching noise, which adds to the effect of feeling like I was pulling my hair out. If this doesn’t bother you, though, I found the cordless feature to be more convenient than I was even expecting, and because of this, the Corrale is the only straightening iron in my test arsenal that lives full-time on my bathroom counter. —Kat Merck