Braun 5270 X'elle Body System Epilator
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Customer Reviews of Braun 5270 X'elle Body System Epilator
Customer Review: Have realistic expectations and you won't be disappointed
Summary: 5 Stars
For reference: I'd traditionally have to shave once a day to once every other day and I'd never had experience with epilation or waxing. I have owned this product for almost a month.
First off, what it WON'T do:
1) It will not give you silky smooth legs to the touch.
2) It won't get every hair every time, and it may miss finer hairs completely.
3) It won't be like eating ice cream in the park (pain factor).
4) It will NOT last weeks.
5) It will not look nice immediately (need time for the redness/bumps to go down).
But it WILL:
1) It will give you VISIBLY nice legs for about a week at a time.
2) It will become more efficient as time goes on (first time ~3 hours, now ~0.5 hours) and it will dominate coarse, dark hair.
3) It will go from feeling like fire ants are devouring your legs to a vaguely uncomfortable sensation within a few uses.
As for the product itself:
1) The light is extremely useful for spotting finer or missed hairs.
2) It is comfortable to hold and feels solid, plus the kit is nice--I like that it came with a little brush to clean it.
I would recommend:
1) A pumice stone, loofah, etc. to exfoliate--some ingrown hair is kind of inevitable with this thing, but I got those shaving, too.
2) Rubbing alcohol or witch hazel to clean the tweezers (and to prevent infected ingrown hairs, so far all mine are just caught growing along the surface but not "impacted" if you will).
3) Taking some advil before your first time. I know some people are recommending an alcoholic drink, but booze tends to dilate blood vessels near the surface of the skin and (in my non-expert opinion) I can't help but feel this'd be the same as taking two steps forward and one step back.
4) If you have a bigger bathroom, you may need an extension cord since you'll probably want to do this over the tub to avoid a mess..
Final/qualitative remarks:
I haven't worked up the chutzpah to use it on my bikini line or underarms (tried the latter once and it started to bleed), but those take only a couple of minutes to shave in the first place... I mostly like being able to throw on shorts or a skirt without worrying about my legs. Every time I'd get goosebumps after shaving, I could practically feel the hair growing and my legs would no longer be smooth. Epilation eliminated this problem and I find it fantastically rewarding to see the hairs ripped out by the root (you can see the little bulb on the end, so it's definitely not just ripping it off at the surface). I also love the fact that this thing costs less than a single wax job around here; I'm very satisfied with my investment. If you've got a reasonable pain tolerance (for the first one or two uses, especially) and you're committed, you'll probably love this thing as much as I do. :)
Customer Review: Not as scary as it seems, but the shaver sucks
Summary: 3 Stars
I think the other reviews have mostly covered the epilation side of this, but: It really isn't as scary as it seems. I'd heard from a few people who'd previously tried epilating that it's excruciatingly painful, they all gave up on it almost immediately after they bought it, &c. And i'm not great with pain myself, so i was nervous.
But it's not that bad. It does hurt, i can't deny that, but it's tolerable. The best way i can describe the sensation is this: When i was younger i would steal my father's electric shaver to use on my legs, and since i didn't know how to use it very well i would push it too hard into my skin in an effort to shave closer. I pushed it so hard that i could feel the blades on the other side of the grill nipping at my skin. That's what epilating feels like.
I do have a few pain-management tips if you find that it's too much:
1. Take some ibuprofen or naproxen 15 minutes before starting.
2. Stretch your skin taut, as far as it will go (don't hurt yourself obviously). This is especially helpful around the calves.
3. (And this is the most important one!) Don't be delicate! You will probably feel the urge to take quick little nips and then pull the epilator away -- don't do this, it just makes it hurt more (plus it takes longer). It seems counter-intuitive, but keep it in contact with your skin the whole time. Do one little spot at a time, in tiny circular or back-and-forth motions, and when it's completely finished move slowly to the next spot.
OK, aside from the actual act of epilating:
- The epilator feels fine in your hand. It seemed bigger in the picture to me than it really was, so if it looks really chunky to you too, don't worry.
- It hasn't got a battery, it will only run off the mains. The cable it comes with is probably long enough for most people, but if you're like me and your tub is on the opposite side of the bath room from the wall socket (and you don't want to get hair all over your floor), you might need a short extension cord.
- Contrary to the other reviews, i have found the shaver attachment to be extremely poor. I am not a regular user of electric shavers, but i have tried a couple over the years, so i feel i have a basis for comparison. This one is just awful to the point of being useless. It will trim the hairs, eventually, so they're short enough to epilate, but it will take AGES (it'd probably be faster to use cuticle scissors...). It will NOT get close enough to do the job of a normal shaver.
So if you're thinking to yourself (as i was), 'oh hey, this is a sure thing, even if i don't like the epilator i'll still have a perfectly good shaver!', you should probably rethink it. It's fine if you just want the epilator, but don't factor the shaver into the equation at all, because it's worthless.
Customer Review: No more WAXing, PLUCKing, or downright SHAVEing.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had my X'elle for 3 months now. I purchased mine for $58.99 on amazon when it was the deal of the day.
The epilator is sturdy and the light is a definite plus. It's very easy to switch from the epilator head to the shaving head.
Braun was nice enough to supply us with a little brush that helps to clean the hairs from both the epilator head and the shaver head. The bag is very cute and compact which is great for travel. It holds everything including the manual.
After 3 months of use, my light tends to turn off (from the vibration i think), but all I have to do is push down on the piece and it comes on again. I'm thinking that pushing it down connects the light to some sort of circuit under neath the part. Not a big deal.
40 spinning tweezers at even the low setting looks shockingly fast. The epilator head design is very unique and trustworthy. 3 months of use and it still hasn't pinched my skin with the tweezers. Not even on my elbow or knees.
If you're a regular shaver like me, than brace yourself for the pain. I was only able to get through with one leg the first time and it must have taken a good 10min with the breaks i gave my poor leg. Rest assure that it is very painful only the first few times. Once you make it a habit to epilate once a week or at the sign of hair growth, then the pain is bearable or nonexistent.
The messaging rollers don't help much but it's better to have that attachment on then with the regular attachment on the epilator.
The clear trimming attachment for the shaver is very useful to get the hairs down to the right size before epilating. It helps to reduce the pain caused from tugging the hair. Also it helps the tweezers get a closer grip when the hair is short.
I've only used it on my legs, arms, and upper lip so far. Not able to muster up the courage to epilate under arms or bikini area, but that's what the shaver head is for :-)
Do not epilate before making a public appearance. Your skin may seem fine, but the redness will kick in after a few min. Best used before sleeping.
I run the epilator with an alcohol pad to disinfect it before use. just hold the pad against the back portion of the roller and turn the epilator on on low.
The only reason not to get this epilator would be to get a cordless one so you are not restricted to epilate in areas with an outlet, or a wet & dry epilator so you can epilate in a nice warm shower when your pores are open, hence less pain :) But with all that in mind, this is the cheapest and a very popular epilator for the lack of those options.
Input: 100-240 V ~ /ac
50-60 Hz/7W
Output: 12 V m /dc 0.4 A
UL Class 2 Power Supply C
^ is a bit of what is listed on the plug of the power cord.
Customer Review: Beauty Is Pain...and this thing is pretty freaking beautiful
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this epilator in preparation for my wedding--for which I have found myself doing all kinds of things I never bothered to do before. In terms of hair removal specifically, throughout my life I have tried shaving, plucking individual hairs (SOOO time-consuming), and waxing. This is the first time I've ever used an epilator, and I have to say, all things considered, I'm extremely pleased.
Being blonde, I have relatively light body hair, but I still find it quite irritating--especially in light of the fact that I will be spending the majority of the honeymoon in a bikini, and the idea of running back to the room to shave is not one that pleases me.
Probably the thing that most concerns people about the idea of an epilator is the potential for pain: I mean, what seems like a billion hairs at once will be simultaneously ripped out of your skin by the roots. Ouch. Considering, though, that that's what happens with waxing anyway, I would say it feels about the same. Actually, on the legs, I would say it hurt less.
I did take advice I read beforehand, though, and used it on legs I waxed relatively recently--so the volume of hairs there was relatively low. Even so, I would liken it to the feeling you get when an electric shaver accidentally grazes your skin. I did NOT use the provided cooling glove.
On the UNDERARMS, however, I experienced the greatest, most cripplingly unholy pain I have ever experienced in my life. The only thing that I can think of that even comes close is getting pierced--with a needle, not that stupid gun at the mall. It's that same stomach-dropping, light-headed, don't-forget-to-breathe-or-you-might-faint all-consuming-death pain. (Incidentally, I am a big baby with things like this--I just do them anyway.) Seriously, I had to keep checking to make sure it was just the hair--not tattered pieces of flesh--being ripped off. (For those of you wondering, no, I have never given birth, so that may very well be worse--but I DID find myself needing to employ everything I have ever seen on TV about breathing through the pain.)
Because of this, I skipped the "beginner" head (which hurt just as much but accomplished far less in the same time), and went straight to full power with the advanced head to get it all over with ASAP. BUT, now my underarms are delightfully hair-free!
SO, in conclusion, I definitely recommend this product for anyone looking to win the war on annoying body hair. IT REALLY WORKS, removing hairs I could barely even see, and the little light is awesome.
I would also recommend that, if you are worried about the pain, you take some VERY deep breaths and begin with the underarms...because next to that, legs, and yes, even bikini area, seem downright pleasant. :) Good luck!
Customer Review: SO much better than waxing!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had my bikini area waxed three times this year. Can we just say, I also had my arms waxed for the first time a few weeks ago, which was considerably less painful. I was highly considering plunging into waxing my legs once summer was over. I didn't want to go around all hairy in between waxing while I waited for my hair to be long enough to be waxed. I was waiting for "pants" weather. However, after talking with a friend who epilates, I decided to try it.
I spent much of today reading reviews on this site and others. I narrowed my search down to the Braun Silk-epil X'elle and the Epilady Discrette. The Epilady was rated #1 by Consumer Reports. This Silk-epil X'elle wasn't tested by them. The Braun they did test came in #3, but was since replaced by the EverSoft, which I don't even see on this site.
I pretty much read equally positive reviews on both epilators in consideration. I was 50/50 in my decision. It finally came down to the fact that I couldn't find a store nearby where I could go and buy the Epilady, yet I could drive to Bed, Bath & Beyond and use my 20% off coupon to buy the Braun. So, I did.
I can't wax my legs yet, since I just shaved them today, but I did try it on both my arms and bikini area. As for my arms, almost pain free. Little pricks here and there, but it was really quite a breeze. The bikini area ... NOT so pain free for sure, but SO much better than waxing! I'm sure it helps that I just had my bikini area waxed three times, so there was less hair to start with. With waxing, a large section comes off all at once with one big, "OUCH!" every time. With epilating, I can control how much is taken and just do a teeny bit at a time if I want.
I used the "beginner" SmartStart Head, which pulls out less at a time. It takes longer, but is easier to start with until you get used to it. I'm confident that if I can handle epilating my bikini area, I can certainly handle my legs. I would have had to wait another 3 weeks to get my bikini area waxed, by the way, because I'm suppoed to let all the hairs grow to a certain length to get optimum results. My waxing gal says 6 weeks. Yet, with epilating, I can do it whenever there are any hairs long enough, which is WAY sooner than 6 weeks so far. Also, it's free and I can do it in the privacy of my own home. Not sprawled out for a stranger to see my "privates"!
Another reviewer stated that she didn't like the SmartLight feature. I, for one, thought it was great. I have blonde hair, so having a light to show me wear all those little buggers are is wonderful.
If you've done any waxing and you know what that feels like, epilating is so much better. I can't comment on any other epilators, but this one seems to be a great one.