vetted ten.
Menu

ghd Chronos Max review

No. 9 of 10 in our hair straighteners ranking · Updated · How we rank

Our verdict: The ghd Chronos Max ranks 9th of the 10 hair straighteners we compare, with 8.3 out of 10.

ghd Chronos Max

8.3/10

The ghd Chronos Max is a corded wide-plate straightener with a single fixed 185°C heat. It suits long, thick or curly hair that takes a lot of passes with a standard iron.

Check Price on Amazon

Why it's here

  • 43mm plates cover thick or long hair in fewer passes
  • Motion-responsive heat control holds 185°C
  • 2.7m cord and universal voltage
  • Auto sleep after 10 minutes of inactivity

Keep in mind

  • Among the most expensive irons here
  • Wide plates are awkward on a fringe or short hair
  • Fixed heat gives fine hair no gentler option

Why the ghd Chronos Max scores 8.3

Each bar shows where it places among the 10 hair straighteners in this guide, so a full bar is 1st of 10. How happy owners are counts for most of the score.

  • How happy owners are10th of 10
  • How many rated it10th of 10
  • How new it is1st of 10

Why it sits behind the BaByliss Midnight Luxe 235

The BaByliss Midnight Luxe 235 (8.4) beats the ghd Chronos Max (8.3) because it leaves owners a little happier and has been rated by more owners. The ghd Chronos Max is the newer design, but not by enough to close the gap.

About the ghd Chronos Max

The Chronos Max is the wide version of ghd's Chronos. Its ceramic plates measure about 4.2cm across, with thinner edges than the older ghd Max and a high-gloss finish. The edges are curved, so you can twist the iron to make waves and curls. A wishbone hinge responds to how firmly you grip.

It has no temperature settings. ghd's HD motion-responsive heat control holds a styling temperature of 185°C and adjusts to how you move the iron. A chime sounds when it is ready, and a ring on the handle glows. Expert Reviews found it ready in under 30 seconds. It comes in black or white. The John Lewis listing gives the weight as 480g and describes it as straightener only.

What owners report about the ghd Chronos Max

We found little written owner feedback for this exact UK model that we could open. The retailer page we read shows only a rating, with no review text, so we report no owner patterns here.

Reviewers who have used it say it is quick and leaves a glossy finish. Expert Reviews straightened Type 3 curly hair in under 20 minutes and found the result lasted into the next day. A reviewer with fine, long hair at Get the Gloss needed two passes per section. The recurring complaints are the single heat setting and the cost.

Who the ghd Chronos Max suits

It suits people with long, thick or curly hair who straighten often and want fewer passes. The wide plates cover bigger sections, and the fixed 185°C is a sensible temperature for most coarse or curly hair.

Look elsewhere if your hair is fine, bleached or damaged, because there is no gentler setting: Cloud Nine The Original Iron covers 100°C to 200°C. The wide plates also struggle with a fringe, short hair and tight curls, and Expert Reviews found them too broad to curl mid-length hair. For a simple narrower iron, ghd Original Hair Straightener is the alternative.

Questions about the ghd Chronos Max

Should I get the ghd Chronos Max or the ghd Platinum+?

It depends on your hair. The Chronos Max has wide plates and one fixed 185°C setting, which suits long, thick or curly hair. The ghd Platinum+ adjusts its power to hair thickness and styling speed using sensors.

How do you curl hair with the ghd Chronos Max?

Clamp a section, then twist the iron as you glide it down. Expert Reviews says the curved edges allow curls and ringlets. The wide plates gave little curl on mid-length hair, so they work better on longer hair.

Is Cloud Nine better than ghd?

Not outright. Cloud Nine The Original Iron has 11 settings from 100°C to 200°C, which suits fine or damaged hair. The ghd Chronos Max has one fixed 185°C setting and wide plates for thick or curly hair.

Is the ghd Chronos Max worth it?

For frequent stylers with long, thick or curly hair, yes. Expert Reviews recommends it for speed and shine but calls it expensive, and says occasional stylers may not need it.

What is the difference between the ghd Chronos Max and the ghd Max?

The Chronos Max has thinner plate edges and high-gloss plates, with motion-responsive heat control at 185°C. Expert Reviews describes it as the more expensive of the two.

Other hair straightener picks

The other badge winners in our hair straighteners ranking.

All 10 hair straighteners, compared

  1. 1 ghd Original Hair StraightenerBest Choice 9.2 Check Price
  2. 2 Remington Keratin Protect Intelligent Straightener S8598Value for Money 9.0 Check Price
  3. 3 Diva Pro Styling Intelligent Digital Styler PRO211 Onyx 8.9 Check Price
  4. 4 Cloud Nine The Touch Iron 8.8 Check Price
  5. 5 Remington Shine Therapy S8500Best Budget 8.7 Check Price
  6. 6 Remington PROluxe S9100 8.7 Check Price
  7. 7 ghd Platinum+ 8.5 Check Price
  8. 8 BaByliss Midnight Luxe 235 8.4 Check Price
  9. 9 ghd Chronos MaxThis review 8.3 Check Price
  10. 10 Cloud Nine The Original Iron 8.3 Check Price
See the full hair straighteners ranking

The ghd Chronos Max on Amazon

ghd Chronos Max

The ghd Chronos Max is a corded wide-plate straightener with a single fixed 185°C heat. 8.3 out of 10.

Check Price on Amazon

How we score it

Every score here comes from our ranking model; no editor sets the order. Too few review sites cover hair straighteners for their verdicts to lead, so this ranking is led by owners. It ranks products by how happy owners are, holding back any product few owners have rated until more agree. How many rated it and how new it is only settle close calls, and value for money earns its own badge rather than a higher place. We compared 25 models for this guide before settling on these ten.

Brands can't pay to be included or to move up. We last checked these picks in October 2026.

How we rank, in full

Where these facts come from