CHI

CHI flat irons from the early-to-mid 2000s are legendary in the r/BuyItForLife community, with dozens of users reporting irons lasting 15–25 years with daily use. However, there is a strong and repeated consensus that quality declined significantly after the brand changed ownership, making newer CHI products far less reliable. The community's enthusiasm is largely nostalgic and era-specific.

Vintage CHI flat irons (pre-2010) are genuinely BIFL, but the brand's current ownership produces a noticeably inferior product — buyers today should temper expectations or consider alternatives like GHD.

Vintage CHI flat irons are held up as near-BIFL icons, with countless users reporting 10–25 years of daily use from pre-2010 models. The ceramic plates, durability, and effective heat are consistently praised.

• Pre-2010 models routinely last 15–25 years with daily use
• Lifetime warranty honored — broken unit replaced after years of use
• Ceramic plates heat quickly and glide smoothly without snagging
• Effective on thick, curly, and coarse hair types at higher heat
• Travel hairdryer praised for performance across 15+ countries over 6 years
• CHI steam iron noted as solid performer alongside premium Rowenta models

The community is nearly unanimous that modern CHI products do not match the quality of older models following a change in ownership. Newer irons are described as lasting only a couple of years, a sharp contrast to the brand's former reputation.

• Brand sold, and post-sale quality widely considered significantly worse
• New models reported to last only 2 years versus 15+ for vintage units
• Some users note newer plates have design flaws that snag hair
• GHD and Dyson cited as superior current-market alternatives
• Steam iron noted to eject steam wastefully when upright

One highly upvoted commenter summed it up bluntly: if you have a CHI from twenty years ago it still works, but after they moved production elsewhere they became a two-year product.

A user who bought a new CHI after their beloved older one broke noted immediately that it just wasn't the same — the classic models from the 2000s had something the newer ones simply lack.

Multiple users described their CHI irons lasting so long they had become heirlooms — one person bought theirs secondhand in college and is still using it a decade later, another inherited hers from a sister.

A commenter whose iron just died after 25 years noted they were sticking with CHI despite the quality concerns, unsure what else could match that kind of longevity.