(2 weeks ownership so far.)Ordered for my daughter and she loves it.Without knowing any construction details, she says it works much better, quicker and smoother than her first unit (which was OK while it worked but then failed after less than 5 uses:Conair CS4JCS Ceramic Hair Straightener, 3/4-Inch Plates).I selected it based not only on the features and reasonable cost but on the lack of failure complaints from previous reviewers. I'm simply hoping that this unit will prove to be reliable in the long run.It certainly looks and "feels" professional grade as compared to the other unit, and the heating plates "appear" to be actual ceramic blocks (versus "coated" like the other unit seems to be), if that makes any real difference.