My xwife's Chi quit after a year, so we tried the Sedu... which works great for her long wavy hair, and she insists the heat output is far superior to any dept. store brands, and the difference is obvious.
So after 9 months of every other day use of the Sedu, she tells me the green light is intermittent, and has to move it just right to get it to stay on. I decided enough is enough and took it apart which was no easy task, they are pretty well sealed up, but for the price and such short time of use I wasn't going to throw it in the trash without trying. Anyway, when I saw the cord assembly inside it showed me exactly why the iron wasn't working. In order to allow the cord to swivel, there is a conductive rod type connector that fits into a stationary thin circular strip of metal. This conductive rod actually turns with the cord as it swivels, and over time this rod will arc (short) against the metal strip and slowly destroy it! This is why you have to have the cord in a certain position, because that thin metal strip is being eaten away and it will only make contact when the rod is moved against it just right. Therefore, this design will never last once the thin metal strip starts to be zapped away. What I decided to do was remove the rod and plate assembly, and I soldered the incoming power wires directly to the circuit board, carefully marking the + and - side as they were not labeled. I then used epoxy to carefully secure the wires into the assembly and the rest of the unit back together. Now with the cord secured and power always reaching the circuits, she's been using the iron again with no issues. In summary, if you buy this iron, SECURE the cord at the base somehow to prevent the inevitable loss of connection. The swivel feature is great, but unless they fix the design it's not worth it, and you'd rather have an iron that works well but doesn't swivel than an iron that swivels but doesn't work.
Why are these "professional" hair irons only good for ~1 year? It is unfortunate one shoddy design in the unit ruins the whole thing.