Pictured from left to right: red Magnetic roller, red Hard Mesh roller, pink Perm Rod. I used pics to secure the mesh roller in place as well as to prevent the perm rod from flipping over. All three rollers/rods are the same size barrel diameter.
Looking closer at the perm rod, doesn't it look solid and heavy?
Well, to my surprise, it is not! It is light in weight and hollow. Wow! I did not see that coming!
Well, it gave me another idea. Why not drop some hair down the barrel and see what type of curl forms? I used a multi-purpose clip to suspend the large perm rod vertically. That proves that the rod is lightweight.
The results were interesting and cute. I used the Vitale Pro 3 in 1 Design Lotion for the vertical perm rod set.
I poured this Design Lotion into a spray bottle to dispense it on the hair for the vertical curl. It delivers a firm hold.
As for the perm rod versus rollers, I found that the harder and the thicker the plastic, the firmer the set regardless of the setting lotion. I actually used the NEW! Lotta body Olive oil "ready to use" setting lotion for the three top rod and rollers.
It delivers a softer set than the original Lottabody "Ready to Use" formula. The drying time is all about the same. I had to dry the mannequin head in an awkward position, so I can not confirm that all three rods and rollers got the same consistent dryer heat. I will update the drying time information in the future as I experiment with the large perm rods more.
But without a doubt, the cheaper and the thinner the plastic of the roller, the less firm the set will be. So I do trust the Diane brand for rods and rollers.
Three-inch magnetic rollers deliver volume and body to long, straight hair. This photo of Elizabeth Hurley is from www.shampooandset.com.
Magnetic rollers are called magnetic because wet hair clings to the plastic. So as you roll, if the hair starts to dry, then use water to re-wet it in order for it to cling.
The magnetic rollers range in sizes up to about 3 inches.
Rollers this size should be double clipped. Notice the clips? Roller pins as seen in the picture below can also be used. Roller pins are extra long bobby pins.
This picture of the back of a roller set client is from www.shampooandset.com It gives you an ideal of roller placement and the use of a net to hold the rollers in place. Also, look closer at the anchoring of the rollers. Can you see that two roller pins are used to hold the rollers in place? More than likely, the hair on the rollers are rolled as a flip set in order to keep the roots flat. Please see my separate article on flip roller sets. 
