Almost there, but not quite (Philips HP6433 Satin Ice Mains Epilator)

Member Name: tingrid

Product:	Philips HP6433 Satin Ice Mains Epilator
Date:	06/09/02 (3739 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: pain-free on normally sensitive areas, nice design, don't need to clean the whole house after using it

Disadvantages: not pain-free on sensitive areas, not very practical, cord and plug attached to the epilator

I got two presents for my birthday from my BF this year. One was a Photomosaics jigsaw puzzle featuring Winnie the Pooh sat on the floor eating honey from a pot with his paw (I don't care what you think, it will look nice in the yet-to-come children's bedroom lol), the other one was the Philips Satin Ice 2 in 1.

He was not desperately trying to tell me something, as I already had one of these 'electric pluckers' as he calls them, I have had 2 since I started needing to get rid of those unwanted hairs. And I had been using it regularly, once a week. He just heard me moan that my old (5 years old) epilator was overheating, and I was considering buying one of these 'new generation' epilators myself.

I had heard about this particular epilator before, as its concept struck me as being quite original : it has got a cooling device that is supposed to help provide an 'extra gentle epilation' as it says on the tin er box. I did not quite know how it worked though.

Mine is the 2 in 1, or HP6435/PB, which means that it comes with 2 heads : an epilating head and a shaving one for sensitive areas such as armpits and bikini lines.

I think it is a bit of a shame that the only 2 most widely available models of this epilator are the 2 in 1 and the most basic one, as there are 3 or 4 other models that have more attractive options. One of these, according to the booklet included in the box, comes with a device that can be put on the epilating head in order to reduce the number of disks that come in contact with the skin. This is designed to be used on sensitive areas, those same areas you would use the shaving head on. The thing is, I do not need the shaving head anyway, as I use wax on sensitive areas, but I would have used that special device provided the much advertised cooling system worked (but more on that later). My point is, if that cooling system does work, then it might as well be put to use on sensitive ar

eas instead of a shaver that is going to leave my arm pits like a door mat or BF's stubble.

For those who use a shaver on sensitive areas, the 2 in 1 package is the best option as it costs less than those disposable razors in the long run, the 2 in 1 costing just £8 more than the basic Satin Ice (but then you are missing out on exfoliating head and disk-reducing device, if indeed these models are available in Britain). Anyway, enough about the shaving business, this is an epilator.

The box contains : the epilator with its cord and plug attached to it, one epilating head (one shaving head as well if 2 in 1 of course), the skin cooler device, its freezer cassette and protective sleeve, a small comb, an instruction manual, some information about guarantee, advertisement about other Philips Beauty products, and a pouch in which to store everything neatly.

The instruction manual is full of useful tips and clear explanations (with drawings) as well as warnings.

I read the said manual, and discovered that I would have to wait 6 hours before I could try my brand new toy, as the cooling system in its cassette has got to be left in the freezer for that amount of time before it can be used efficiently. The cassette is made of frosted white plastic, it is a nice round shape with a bit sticking out to allow you to open it. This 6 hours business may sound like a drawback but it isn't, as the cooling device in its cassette can be put back in the freezer, where it can stay until the next epilation.

After exactly 6 hours and 12 minutes I dug for the device among lamb chops, fish cakes and green peas, and freed it from its cassette. I got worried just a wee bit for a second, because the metal bit at the end of the cooling stuff, the very bit that was going to be in contact with my skin and hopefully numb it, was so cold that my finger almost got stuck to it when I touched it.

The cooling device looks like an epilat
or, o
ne of those new generation ones, all in curves, more like a smooth pebble than like a packet of cigarettes or a match box. It has got a head that is smooth and made of some kind of dull grey metal. Inside the 'shell' there is some liquid, I don't know exactly what it is, but it works very well because the whole thing was very cold. I am not sure of its effect on the environment though?.

Once the cooling device has been taken out of its cassette, it has got to be transferred to its protective sleeve, which I think is meant to keep your hand from freezing and the device from warming up. This step I found a little bit tricky the first time, as I was afraid of breaking something, you know how it is with new toys.

The epilator itself is very curvy as well, but it is also very thin, as the cooling device is to be attached to it, on its belly as it were. I know, difficult to picture that, difficult to explain as well believe me, just imagine a kangaroo/epilator with a baby kangaroo/cooling device on in its pouch/on its belly. Better ? The head has got many more epilating disks than my old epilator. There is a button on the back of the epilator (now I don't know what that could be in term of a kangaroo, maybe a kangaroo with one of these small bags on its back ??), and there are 3 settings : 0 (stop), I (first speed, advised for knees, ankles and 'areas with little hair growth'), II (second speed, 'for larger areas and/or areas with stronger hair growth'). Speed II is so much faster than on my old epilator, I really felt the epilating process was sped up.

It is reasonably loud, as loud as you would expect such a machine to be.

The epilator works on the mains, and there is one significant flaw according to me. The cord cannot be unplugged from the epilator, it is permanently attached to it, meaning that you have to carry the whole thing (epilator + cord + plug) to the bathroom to clean it (if like
me you do
n't epilate in the bathroom of course), and the plug is incredibly heavy, in consequence of which you have to hold the cord so that the plug is not pulling on the epilator. I do feel that in the long run it might come as a problem, as the point where the cord connects to the epilator may become more fragile. The good side of it is, there are no problems of the epilator freeing itself from the cord during the epilation, which my old one used to do.

The whole thing, epilator + cooling system (kangaroo + baby kangaroo) is quite bulky and heavy, probably quite a bit heavier than a 'normal' new epilator, but it holds well in the hand, like a computer mouse, it just fits in the hand perfectly.

The main feature of this epilator does not lie in its disks or its speed, but in its 'revolutionary' cooling system. Does it work then ?

I found it a bit tricky at first to have both the epilating head and the cooling head in contact with my skin, but it only took a little bit of getting used to. The cooling head is cold enough to numb the skin, but obviously not cold enough to let the skin stick to it as it can happen with very cold metal. Another thing that I noticed when first using it was that the epilating head being the first one to touch the skin when you apply the epilator to an area for the first time, it hurts because the first square inch of skin or so has not been numbed yet. I now apply the cooling head on its own first, and then both heads. The numbing was very effective on my calves and shins, so effective in fact that I did not know whether the disks were pulling air or hairs !

Its having been so effective below knee level, I then decided to put the Satin Ice to the true test : the Thigh Test. I normally would use wax on this area, as it is very very very sensitive. You see, I was considering buying the Satin Ice epilator myself because I thought I could use it on my thighs as well. It is not ha
lf as bad below
the knees, as I have been using an epilator for about 12 years there, and I got used to its being reasonably painful. But enough suspense : it failed miserably. It hurt maybe just a little bit less than with my older epilator, but it was still too unbearable for me to go on using it on this area.

I was really disappointed, as I thought the cooling system idea was great, but don't take me wrong, it does work very well on normally sensitive areas.

Then it was time to clean the epilator and cooling system, which by that time was still as cold as it was when I took it out of the freezer. The epilating head slides off easily, a bit too easily actually, as it happened once while I was epilating. There was an unexpected blessing, I don't know whether the engineers meant it to happen though : in between the epilating head and the cooling head, there is a small space, and in that space lots of hairs were trapped, because/thanks to the condensation (I know, it is not exactly yummy is it ?), which I though was great, as it meant I did not have to hoover the whole bedroom.

The small comb is there for you to clean the disks and the epilating head; as for the cooling device, it can be washed under the tap, then put back into its cassette and into the freezer, provided it is perfectly dry. I only just resisted the temptation to try putting it back in the freezer without it being completely dry, as I would have liked to know why it was not a good idea.

Finally, a word of warning aimed at those who may be lured into buying this product because of what it says on the box, under the drawings which aim at showing how the disks remove unwanted hairs, roots and all, instead of just cutting them as a shaver would do. It says : ? Smooth up to 4 weeks? and ?Regrowth of hairs is soft and downy?. Now, several of my friends use epilators, and we all agree on something : smooth up to one week would be more accurate. I suppose it
depends on how peopl
e define the word ?smooth?? Hairs are far from being soft and downy either, although I have been epilating for over 10 years now. They are certainly sparer, no stubble, but no baby?s hair either.

In conclusion, this epilator is perfect as a first epilator (as women who start epilating are usually surprised by how painful it is), and it is a nice change (pain-free !) for those who have owned one before. It is very good when used on normal to sensitive areas, areas on which epilating was completely pain-free for me, but do not expect miracles from it, as it is not that good anymore on very sensitive areas. Message to Philips engineers : nice try, you are getting warmer, keep up the good work and you will crack it one day but let it be soon, please.

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