The Shu Uemura S Curler vs the Original/Classic Curler: Do You Really Need the New One?

When I first learned about the Shu Uemura S curler back in June, I went, "what for, Shu? You've got a great curler already!", and then I suddenly remembered the SOLE gripe about their iconic, classic, silver lash curler: it can pinch badly if your eyes are not wide enough. Brilliantly, the people from Shu decided to create a sidebar-free mini lash curler to cater to all eye sizes and shapes thus eliminating skin pinching and ensuring all lash strands are primped to a perfect curl.

The S curler vs Original curler: section-by-section versus curl-all-at-once. Both result to a flattering, long-lasting curl
I finally met the new curler who seemed to say, "mover over!", when I placed it alongside the original one. Weirdly enough, after toying with and trying both tools, I have to say it's hands down to the classic curler.

Huge Problem: it may not pinch but it pokes

I find the S-curler very hard to use. It has this supposedly helpful white pad you put against the eyelid (versus the very similar Urban Decay Revolution curler which has no pad at all) to serve as a feedback signalling that the curling pad is already at the perfect position-- near the base of the lashes. But I find it didn't help me at all. Worse, there were instances I had part of the curler poking my eyes! I know it shouldn't be that bad; it was obviously my amateurism getting in the way of properly experiencing a well-meaning product.
Since I was already tearing up from getting part of the curler in my eyes, I was no longer pressing the white pad on my lids. Think my lashes still had the curl of their hairy lives? Noooope. I've never seen something as silly as irregular curling-- some section curled near the base, others in the middle of the lash length. Not flattering at all!

Pros and Cons of The S Curler

I'm presently loving the classic curler more than new one only because I'm such a noob dealing with non-sidebar curlers. It might take a while before I learn the ropes but I can already confirm the new curler's pros :

gives a rounder curl versus the classic curler
allows you to curl the shorter inner and outer lashes
perfect for curling falsies including the fancily wide ones
a good tool for makeup artists because it works universally
more compact than the original curler
a few pesos more affordable than the original curler (P1000 vs P1095)

Cons include:

practice needed; in my case, LOTS of practice needed
time-consuming
not for the impatient
white pad gets easily displaced when cleaning the tool (you can always put it back though. just be wary of permanently losing it!)

The S curler is among Shu Uemura's newest products along with the Tokyo Lash Mascara (both will be available in the U.S. website by September 3). It's a great tool if you want to be OC about having to curl every bit and strand of your lashes but can be a pain if you've never ever used something like it before. (A makeup artist I met had a hard time using it on herself but she swears by the design idea being outstanding. She's used something like it, only it wasn't angled but was tweezer-like). If you're already in love with the classic, original curler and you don't really plan to do other people's makeup, trust me when I tell you you don't need the S curler.