I have always been tough on hair dryers, and was hesitant to spend this much for a dryer thinking I would have to replace it in 6 months (like every other dryer I've owned). What a surprise! Yes, it's a bit heavier than my old dryers, but it dries my hair in half the time with NO FRIZZ. I used to dry my hair, use my flat iron, apply tons of product, and know that some days my hair would look great, others, well... the curl, and worse yet, frizz would be back in no time. Now I spend about half the time on my hair, and it is in SO much better condition.
Unlike the other ionic dryers I've used, this has a switch to turn the ion feature on and off. When I want the extra volume (the ionic drying tends to flatten my hair) I just hit the switch and I have TONS of volume. No wonder this came so highly recommended by the spa I go to.
As far as the real cost of the dryer, this is my 14th month with the dryer and it still runs like it did when it was new. Considering I usually spent 40-50 dollars on my old dryers (which I replaced every six months), I think this is actually turning out to be a great bargain as well.