I have also heard the talk about the T3 dryer... Luckily they had it at the trade show I was at and also their flat Iron... so I was able to try both. Honestly the dryer is nice, but it gets VERY hot. With my damaged hair, I don't think this would be a good thing. And also, yes, it is VERY expensive. I was also looking at the RUSK Speed Freak dryer - which is 2000 watts.This one also gets very hot. Seems all the new "speed" dryers have a high wattage, and the temp. can get up there - so it might not be the best thing on dry/damaged hair. The VS dryer is 1875 watts - so it's still a decent amount, but with the temp. settings and ion switch - I love the results. I couldn't believe that I got them from such a common brand. I love it more than any high end dryer I've tried. The T3 flat iron has these little grooves on top that you're able to wrap the hair around to get a curling effect - but I like to be able to touch the ends of the iron, so with this one that is out b/c it's VERY HOT!!! lol You also have to use it differently than a regular iron... you clamp it at the root, then wrap the hair around it and then slide it down to the ends. I noticed that if you don't do it EXACTLY right, you get crimps. Although I haven't used the VS iron that came with the dryer... it seems a heck of a lot easier (and cheaper) than the T3.... plus you really don't want to use an iron to do your whole head from start to finish... you want to use it as a touch up so that you are safeguarding your hair against damage.