Cura LUXE Hair Dryer

This is T3's latest hair dryer, and although I've only owned this for a few weeks, I feel compelled to write a review since I haven't come across many. I owned the T3 Featherweight 2 and it lasted me a little over 4 years before it spontaneously died. I was a little disappointed by this fact because my previous CHI hair dryer lasted 10 years but the technology in this model was intriguing enough for me to purchase another T3. So the relatively standard features that you get with this are the 5 heat and 2 speed settings, cool shot button, and the lightweight/sleek design. The newer features are the digitally controlled heat settings, the cool button locks in so you only need to press it once to activate/deactivate (vs holding the button down), it comes with 2 concentrator nozzles (one is wider to allow more airflow and the other is narrower for concentrated styling), and it has something called a "Volume Booster" which apparently deactivates the ions to give your hair more volume (works somewhat). It is also important to note that the buttons are now located on the back of the handle, so you don't accidentally press on them when in use (this used to happen to me quite often). One small thing that I noticed is that it takes half a second to get up to temperature when you use it. Everything I mentioned earlier is nice but the technology that sold me is the Auto Pause Sensor. For those of us who dry/style our hair in sections, this is an awesome feature. Every time you put down the dryer, it will shut off after a few seconds, and when you pick it back up, it starts right back up again (and it retains the heat settings you had previously chosen). This works with a sensor located on the front of the handle where you would hold it, so if your finger is no longer covering it, the pause function kicks in. This might get in the way if, for some reason, you don't hold the handle in a way that covers that sensor, but this has never been a problem for me and I absolutely ADORE this feature. In comparison to the older model, I would say that this dryer is a bit more compact, and there isn't too much of a weight/noise difference. I'm not sure if its a placebo effect, but I find that it dries my hair slightly quicker than the older model. I also get the impression it doesn't get as hot but it doesn't hinder performance. I do think it doesn't get quite as It comes in the same type of packaging the other T3 dryers come in. The dryer and the packaging is sleek and beautiful which I would expect for the price. For the time being, the Cura LUXE is only available in black. Unfortunately I find the finish be a fingerprint magnet. The concentrator nozzle is meant to be fit upright and once it is clipped in, it holds tight and it does not move around. In order to remove it, you pull downwards and it will pop off but not super easily. Overall, I'm very pleased with the performance of this dryer. The big thing here is the price. It rings it at 250$USD (320$CAD) before taxes which is a pretty penny. I was willing to pay a little more for this model for the extra features since there isn't really anything else like this on the market. If money is no issue, and you find these new features useful then I would recommend you give it a try. I deducted one lippie for the price.