Review (2/5): The best epilator I have tried - but the battery sucks
Update:
After a year and a half of occasional use, the battery has significantly worn out. I have queried Google, yahoo, and Amazon looking for the battery and cannot find it for sale anywhere, including on Braun's web site. I have also tried emailing Braun several times but have never received a response. Six months later, I am going to try emailing them again, but I don't expect to get a response this time either since they seem to not give a (explitive). It's not like the battery is not easily replaced; two TORX screws, pull the unit out of the casing, and the battery is right there. Apply dielectric grease or vaseline on the seals, put it back together. It's not hard, so they should make the battery available for purchase via their web site!
My recommendation? Despite my initial 5/5 review, I have to knock a few stars off. You can save a good amount of money and get a corded Braun that will last much longer than this unit.
------
This is by far the best epilator I have ever tried. My first one was an Epilady coil epilator. Remember those? Very effective, but very painful the first few uses, and I never could manage to use it on my legs for more than a few seconds at a time.
I've tried these rotary "tweezer" type epilators from other companies - Emjoi for example - and wasted money on them. I could not manage to do my legs with them because they were so painful so they went largely unused.
Enter the 7281 - I can't get over how well this epilator works. Unlike the crap brands, this unit is not made from cheap loose-fitting pot metal. The "tweezers" use a plastic and stainless steel tweezer to get a really tight grip on each hair and pulls it out. I will not say it is painless, but it is every bit as effective as the old "coil" type epilators, with much less pain. This is the very first epilator I have ever been able to manage to use on my legs and do it all in one session.
The pros:
- It is extremely effective; almost as effective as waxing
- The Braun 7281 is far less painful than other epilators; I successfully cleared my legs in one session!
- The massaging head really does help reduce pain. I have tried it without any head, with the basic pivoting head, and the massaging head. It does not eliminate the pain but it does greatly reduce it. The pain reduction is definitely noticeable.
- Once you clear an area keeping up with it is painless
- The light makes seeing missed hairs extremely easy
- It is fully washable - a major win since oil buildup is the bane of epilators
- The shaver is okay; I tried it on my underarms (even with the 7281 I am timid to try epilating there)
- It really does work very well in the bath/shower/steam room!
- As far as epilators go, the Braun SE7281WD is very quiet. Note: "very quiet" in this context is a relative term!
----
The cons:
- The power supply is an odd size "wall wart" - Wall Warts are evil as they cover 2-3 other outlets when in use. If anyone at Braun is reading this: please switch to a power supply similar to laptops, which does not cover more than one outlet and the transformer can sit on the floor. That would be a great product feature. Just remember: wall warts are the devil!
- Even as well as this unit reduces pain, if you don't keep up with an area and let it regrow, it will be more painful than if you keep up with it. This con is not specific to the Braun 7281 but to epilation in general.
----
The price: I listed this as people would most likely complain about the "high" price of the Braun. However if you consider that before you buy one like this you have already bought at least one or two other epilators, or have been waxing up to now, please consider the total cost. This unit is cheaper than all the wax I have bought added up, and is cheaper than the previous epilators I have tried. Given all of that and just how well this unit works I would say that it is definitely worth the selling price.
----
Update: I now regret going with the 7281. A little over a year after purchase battery life significantly decreased, and now a few months later I'm lucky to get a couple of minutes on a charge. I opened it and found it uses a Li-Ion cell, so I searched for it online (Sanyo UR18500L) and I cannot find ANY reliable sources for the battery - and I am NOT going to pay Braun's inflated price for spending less than five minutes to replace what should be a $12.00-$15.00 battery pack. What a fraking waste of money.
I emailed them and included my update above. Oh - and finding a link or form to email them was not very easy or obvious on their site. You need to drill down through support FAQs then say no it didn't help then you finally get a form which gives you neither feedback nor emails you a copy of your inquiry so obviously it goes into a black hole where it will be ignored.
(Hint: replacing the battery pack takes less than five minutes; remove two torx screws, pull unit apart. Replace battery pack. Grease seals with either dielectric grease or vaseline. Reassemble in reverse order. The only problem? The battery cell is a nonstandard voltage, and I cannot find the exact battery nor a compatible size/voltage match ANYWHERE.)