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When it comes to curling irons, I’ve always been a bigger fan of curling irons than those with clamps that hold the hair in place, simply because the latter are more time-consuming. But then I saw the Beachwaver ($99) all over TikTok and found the twist-free, auto-rotating design to be absolutely magical. It took the basic curling iron to the next level. Yes, there’s a tiny clamp, but the fact that it rotates for you seemed like a real time-saver. Eventually, I decided to give it a try to see how it worked in real life.
Then T3 released its version of the automatic curling iron, called the T3 CurlWrap (was $200, now $130). This version has a ton more bells and whistles (including a curl timer that beeps when it’s time to release the curl) and is admittedly a bit cuter. I was just as intrigued. But which of these hair tools actually works better? Let’s find out.
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Olivia Dubyak for PureWow
Both the Beachwaver and T3 CurlWrap have the same general design to curl your hair using automatic rotation technology so you don’t have to do the twisting yourself. They both have buttons to twist your hair left or right, with a clamp release to release the curls when they’re done. I personally think every brand should have a curling tool like this because once you get the hang of it, it takes a lot of wrist strength off of you (which I appreciate since I type all day).
The Beachwaver
Beach surfer
In total: 92/100
The Beachwaver is the original curling iron with automatic rotation and has gained a large following thanks to TikTok. The design is very straightforward and it only has three buttons: a power button and right/left arrows that allow you to choose which way you want the cylinder to rotate. There is a short clip on the bottom of the cylinder so you can clamp your hair (lightly or you’ll get a crease) and then use the right or left arrows to wrap your hair. Then you just release the clip to loosen the curls and move on to the next section.
This curling iron has a ceramic barrel which is great for smoothing out frizzy hair, concealing split ends and giving your hair a more moisturized and healthy look. When I first started to release the curls I was a little worried because I had used a 1″ barrel so they looked a bit like Shirley Temple curls which is not my style. But I am someone who needs to let her hair cool and set for a while to make the curls last longer so I trusted the process until the end. When I ran my fingers through about 20 minutes after I was fully curled I was really impressed with the result. They look very bouncy yet relaxed and despite the name not beachy which is something I like when I want stronger curls. What I also love about the curling iron is how well it gets to the root of the hair so it creates more volume.
The curls lasted all day and still looked pretty and intact even after five hours. Note: I used texturizing spray on my hair before curling and then used hairspray after combing it out. The shape of the curls definitely faded after a few hours, but not so much that it changed the look of the style. In fact, I even slept on it and the beachwaver side still left some curls in the morning.
Picture 1: directly after curling, picture 2: 5 hours after curling (left side of hair: Beachwaver, right side of hair: T3 CurlWrap)
Olivia Dubyak for PureWow
Disadvantages
There are a few flaws with the Beachwaver that I noticed, such as the cord. It feels very plasticky and is difficult to extend because when you coil it up for storage, it keeps its bent shape. I can’t stand having to deal with the cords of hair tools, so this really annoyed me when styling.
My other big issue with the design is the recentering of the barrel. With each curl, the clamp has to be at the top of the straightener and I have to manually rotate it back to the starting position. I would love it if there was a reset setting to automatically rotate it back up, eliminating that extra step when moving on to the next section of hair.
While I love the simplicity of this hair tool, it could benefit from a few adjustment options that would allow people to better utilize everything this curling iron has to offer. For example, an option to practice the clamp and twist process without heat while learning to master the twist with the product would be phenomenal. On my first try, I ended up with a lot of kinks and weirdly shaped curls because I was constantly turning it the wrong way and moving the clamp too much.
This brings me to my final personal pet peeve: the clip can leave a deep kink in your hair if you just leave the clip right at the bottom of your hair ends. I found that it looks much better if you just loosen the clip slightly so it doesn’t press down so hard.
$99 at Beachwaver
$99 at Amazon
T3
In total: 93/100
I love all of T3’s straightening and blow-drying products, so I knew I had to try this, especially because I loved the Beachwaver’s function so much. The CurlWrap is an automatic curling iron in a class of its own. There are literally So many setting options including nine temperatures, a home button to reset the barrel angle, a practice function to try out the curling process without heat, a voice function that gives you styling tips during use and a curl timer that beeps when it’s time to release the curls.
The CeraGloss material that the barrel is made of straightens my hair really well, especially when I let it air dry and it has a few frizzy strands. While the barrels on both straighteners are 5.5 inches long, the clamp on the T3 is a bit longer and wider, which is fantastic for longer and thicker hair.
When I first started using CurlWrap, I loved that I could use the tool’s practice mode to figure out how to properly use the arrows without heat. This allowed me to get beautiful curls right away without leaving any unnecessary wrinkles.
The curls with this curling iron were very beautiful and looked effortless. I didn’t comb them with my fingers at the end, but rather shook them out to make them fall better. Since my curls don’t hold that well with this curling iron, I didn’t want to pull on them too much or fiddle with them so they wouldn’t fall straight.
While the device’s endless number of options and buttons is great in theory, it can be a little overwhelming at times. After multiple uses, I really only use a couple of these buttons (aside from the power and barrel direction tool, which are a must-have, I still use the home reset button and one of the nine heat settings). I thought I’d use the timer, but I realized I end up ignoring the beep and releasing the curl intuitively depending on how big or small the section I’m curling is.
There are two things I don’t like about this ceramic blend material: my hair slips out of the clip more easily (especially if I use a smaller section) and my curls don’t last as long as others, no matter how pretty they look. I do get volume at the root if I just release the curl, but by the time I’ve finished my whole head, the volume at the root is already gone.
$200; $130 at T3
$200; $130 at Amazon
Conclusion
If you have fine hair that doesn’t hold curls that well, your result with the T3 will really be the 10-minute version (yes, that was a Taylor Swift joke). I got more wavy, relaxed curls with this device, which is great if that’s what you want, but I personally wouldn’t use it if I was looking for a full head of curls that would last all night. If you have coarse hair that needs some frizz tamed, you’ll Love the T3. My friend with thick, textured hair used this and wanted to steal it from me.
For girls with fine hair who want full curls, the Beachwaver is a great choice. While you don’t get all the extras and cuter looks as the T3, the finished product lasts longer and looks curlier (it’s also available with a 1.25″ barrel).
It’s clear that these devices were neck and neck in terms of design and curling results, and the T3 was my top choice due to its thoughtful design. Even though the curls didn’t stay in their full form for as long as the Beachwaver did, they still had a pretty undone look. Personally, I will use either device depending on the look I’m trying to achieve, and no matter which you choose, you’ll love the convenience of an auto-rotating curling iron.
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