Review (4/5): Bargain priced, easy-to-use IPL hair removal
The latest craze in hair removal is IPL: Intense Pulsed Light. Owing to improved light technology, hand held devices that can provide the requisite intensity light to perform IPL at home and at an affordable price are now available.
I've tried a number of these IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) devices for hair removal. Compared to the others I've tried, this one is bargain-priced, and seems to offer similar functionality. About the only thing you give up is a LCD counter of the number of flashes. Since this thing is rated to half a million flashes--more than enough for pretty much anyone's lifetime--an LCD counter of the number you've used is pretty pointless.
Operation is pretty trivial: You plug in the power supply, (the hair removal tool is NOT battery operated; you must have it plugged in), you choose the power level (five settings, chosen by rapidly pushing the power button)) and then you aim it at a body area with hair you'd like to remove. It is recommended that your body is freshly cleaned and that the hair be shaved before starting. You can choose either on-demand flashing (via the button on the side) or else continuous flashing when skin contacted is detected. Switching between the modes is accoplished by a long press of the button on the side.
The light is extremely powerful and could damage your eyes with continued direct exposure. Therefore, you should never look directly into the light and a cheap pair of folding protective eyeglasses are included in the box.
The light is triggered by a touch-sensitive metal area in the front of the device. Using very slow-motion photography, I was able to capture a snapshot of the light (see photos). But the light duration is extremely short.
You run the tool over the area where you want to remove hair, and make sure you exposure all the hair follicles in that region. You will not see any immediate results. The light signals your hair to stop growing, but it requires multiple treatments over several weeks before you will be expected to see results. Eventually, you should find a substantial reduction in the hair in the treated areas.
In the box, you get the tool, a power adapter, a cheap pair of sunglasses, and an inexpensive disposable shaver.
This device only offers one mode: Hair removal. Other IPL devices offer other modes (skin rejuvenation and acne treatment). Whether that's a loss depends on whether you believe those other modes really work anyhow. The jury is out.
One thing you don't get with this tool is any attachments that can make it easier to address certain body areas. Some IPL removal tools include these. The actual value of such tools is subject to debate and the fundamental functionality (which is a flash of high-intensity light) does not change.
On the whole, this device promises acceptable IPL hair removal at a bargain price. Compared to other devices that promise the same functionality, it costs as much as 80% less (at time of writing). Assuming it works equally well, it represents major value.
Pros:
** Hair removal IPL, simple to use
** Extremely inexpensive relative to the competition
Cons:
** No digital counter of the number of uses on LCD
** Mediocre aesthetics
** The wall plug is wide and the plug direction is such that it will take up multiple spaces on some extension arrays
Note that the model of this device is Ai05. This model (and others from the same manufacturer) are available from multiple brands on Amazon, so you may want to shop around.