The TS2 Super Smoother has a comfortable, ergonomic design and is just the right weight -- heavy enough to be substantial, but light enough to wield it easily through your hair. With the smallest and narrowest brush head and shortest handle of the straightening brushes I tried, this hair styling tool is compact, easy to run through thick, coarse hair, and grabs hair fairly close to the scalp for root-to-tip smoothing. Keeping hair sections small will yield the best results. Despite having to run the brush through multiple small sections, the straight, stiff, slim plastic bristles made for fast brushing and quick results.

Heat-up time was far from speedy, however. It took several minutes to reach temperature on any of the four settings, which range from 320 to 400 degrees. With the same pesky placement of the power button and temperature controls on the grip part of the handle, I constantly switched the brush off mid-styling, which made an otherwise great experience a tad annoying.

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The Dafni was designed by an engineer dad and his curly-headed daughter, and the thought that went into the design is noticeable. The brush head bristles distribute heat evenly, which makes for faster styling on larger sections of hair. Most brushes can handle one-inch sections of hair, but I found this brush worked well with two-inch sections -- good news for those with thick piles of hair.

There's minimal chance of burning yourself with this brush, thanks to cooling technology that keeps the back of the brush from heating up. Even the power button location is thoughtful: It's close to the bristles on the brush-head neck, well away from your grip.

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The Luma is very similar to the Dafni -- the designs are almost identical. Like the Dafni, the Luma's chunky solid inner bristles with small nibs on a broader shaft are surrounded by a ring of narrower bristles with no nibs. This bristle combination achieves satisfying results, gripping hair tightly to the heated base for a smooth glide from root to tip for sleek, no-bump locks.

Because it's so similar in outcome and design, but slightly more affordable, the Luna gives the Dafni a run for its money.

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Jose Eber's high-end styling products are known for delivering amazing results. My expectations were high for this brush, and I wasn't disappointed. My fine, coarse volume of hair always requires the hottest setting on any styling tool, and this brush heats up almost instantly to 450 degrees. The rounded, bulbous bristles grab wide sections of hair, which reduced styling time significantly.

The matte plastic material feels firm in your hand for no-grip-slip styling. And, a huge bonus? The power and temperature controls are underneath the handle -- no accidental power-off moments. If you can palette the higher price tag, this brush is totally worth the investment.

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I confess, my expectations for this As-Seen-on-TV straightening brush, available at a drugstore near you, were not high. I'm humbled to be wrong. Conair continues to reign in the styling products arena.

This square-headed brush and patented Diamond Brilliance Shine System lived up to its promises, leaving my hair with incredible shine. Of all the brushes, this one got closest to the scalp, reducing frizz and volume at the root. The brush's flexible bristles and detangling comb section translated to zero pulling on my hair. Its ionic technology banished all frizz. It heated very quickly on each setting -- low, medium and high.

It was this brush that truly convinced me I need both a flat iron and a straightening brush in my hair styling arsenal. I finally understood what Gibson was saying about each providing two totally different looks -- the flat iron for pin-straight hair, and this hair straightening brush for soft, shiny, lustrous hair with just a touch of body. Consider me a hair straightening brush convert.

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