MSRP
$39.99

CHECK PRICE

The Philips HP6401 Satinelle Soft epilator is one of the least expensive epilators that we have looked at. Given its price, we didn’t know what to expect when we had to review it. It’s a pretty basic corded epilator. The version we reviewed basically included just the epilator, one cap, and cord. It didn’t come with anything else.

Philips has designed this epilator to be used on the legs only. While it doesn’t include all the bells and whistles of other models, we were most interested in how well it works. How does it perform? Read our full review to find out.

What’s In The Box

There’s not a whole lot included with this epilator. The instruction manual is very clear, which is great for beginners. It does come with a 45 day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the product. We were a little disappointed that there was no cleaning brush or even a travel/storage pouch to store the epilator. Inside the box, you will find:

• Philips HP6401 epilator
• 7 foot cord
• Efficiency cap
• Instruction manual

Design

The Philips HP6401 is very easy to use.

The gorgeous print gives the epilator a nice feminine touch. Compared to other epilators, the first thing we noticed is that it is incredibly lightweight and small. It has a very flat design, which we prefer over bulkier epilators. With its incredibly small size, the epilator fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. Its smaller size makes it very easy to handle. We like that it’s compact enough to take it on trips. It can be used anywhere in the world with its ability to accept 100-220V.

You should be aware that it plugs into a wall socket and is not rechargeable. Because it is corded, you don’t have to worry about losing power while it is in use. Although this is a corded epilator, the seven foot or so cord should be more than ample for most users. It is lighter than rechargeable epilators, which is an advantage of not having a built in battery inside.

Even though there was no cleaning brush, this epilator is pretty easy to clean thanks to its unique design. It’s not a wet and dry epilator but we like how the cap can be snapped off and cleaned under a water faucet.

We have a couple of small complaints about the design. The gears are made out of plastic so we don’t know how long they will last with repeated use. Our biggest complaint about the design is the lack of a light, which can make it more difficult to see some of the missed fine hairs.

Tweezers

The Philips HP6401 Satinelle has 21 tweezers, which is one of the lowest numbers on a full sized epilator. Currently the Emjoi Ap-18 Emagine has the most tweezers at 72. The single head of rotating tweezers cover a small area, so it can take longer to epilate with this epilator than epilators with more tweezers. One of the unique things about this epilator is that the tweezers are not really covered, which brings them closer to the skin. Philips claims that this allows this epilator to remove hairs as short as 0.5mm, but we found that the ideal length was 3 – 4mm.

Plug Type

This biggest downside with this epilator is that it is corded and not rechargeable. We would have liked an option to use it cordlessly. This also means that it can’t be used in the bath or shower. In order to use it, you have to be near enough to a wall socket. This can be difficult especially when you traveling. However at a little over 7 feet, the cord is very long and thin. It’s not going to be able to go across rooms and you can’t really make the cord longer. The instructions do warn against using extension cords. While the cord can get occasionally in the way, it usually isn’t a problem. It can however restrict movement in certain places.

While we prefer a cordless epilator, there are a few advantages of having a corded epilator. You never have to worry about the battery running out as you can give yourself as much time as you need. This epilator never loses its power. With rechargeable epilators, you have to always remember to charge them and they can die while you are in the middle of epilating. Most of the rechargeable battery epilators run for about 40 minutes per charge and epilating at first can take longer than that.

Speed Settings

The Philips Satinelle HP6401 has two speed settings- low and high. To turn on the epilator, you simply have to slide the On/Off switch to the desired setting. The setting you choose depends on your hair type and the area you plan on epilating. You have to experiment with the best setting for you.

Speed 1 is for finer hair and Speed 2 is for more coarse hair. Philips recommends speed 1 for thin hairs and difficult to reach hair around bony areas. Speed 2 is recommended for larger areas with thicker growth. How fast does it go? Pretty fast. On speed 1, you get 600 tweezes per second. The head rotates 29 time per second. On speed 2, you get 733 tweezes per second. The head rotates 34 times per second.

Efficiency Cap

The Philips Satinelle HP6401 comes with only one epilating cap that supposed to be for sensitive areas. The cap slides off so it is easy to rinse. Using the efficiency cap is completely optional. We found the only purpose of it was to help keep the epilator vertical close to 90 degrees, which can be helpful at first.

Other than that, we found it pretty useless. It doesn’t actually cover the tweezer head or help pull hair out. It is a cheap piece of purple plastic. Psychologically, it’s also nice to have a perceived barrier between the epilator and skin. After a few uses, we took it off. It actually works better without it.

Noise Level

One of the biggest drawbacks to this epilator is that is super loud. When we first switched on this epilator, we were almost intimidated by the sound it made. The scariest part isn’t how fast it spins; it is the awful chainsaw sound it makes. It can almost make you hesitant to use it. One of our testers actually recommends using this epilator on an area with no hair to work up the courage to use this particular epilator.

It’s amazing that such a loud sound comes out from such a tiny little epilator. At 79 decibels, this is one of the loudest epilators that we have tested. It is just as loud as a men’s electric razor. So it’s loud, but not so loud that the neighbors are going to hear it.

Body Areas It Can Be Used On

Philips says that this epilator is only designed for use on the legs and not intended for use anywhere else. If you want to use this epilator in places other than your legs, it’s probably not the best epilator for you. Of course, that won’t stop people from trying this epilator in other areas. Theoretically, it can remove hair in other areas like the stomach, bikini line, underarms, and arms. Be warned that the underarms and bikini area are particularly sensitive to pain. For new users, we recommend getting this area waxed first and epilating the regrowth or keeping the area tidy with a good bikini trimmer.

Though some women have success removing hair on their face with this epilator, we highly recommend not using this epilator anywhere on your face. Not only is it difficult to use because of its size, it can pull skin.

With only one cap, the Philips Satinelle tends to work best on the legs. Other epilators come with different caps for epilating different areas of the body. While its smaller size makes it easy to fit under the arms and even on the bikini line, because of its shape it can be a bit cumbersome to epilate these areas. The cord can sometimes get in the way. It’s really designed for flatter areas.

A number of women have had success epilating their underarms with this epilator. It’s smaller size does help with this area. However, since there is no light on this epilator, the underarms can be especially difficult with this epilator because you can’t even see what you are doing even with a mirror. You have to go by feel. If you are epilating the underarms, be sure to raise your hand above your head and pull the elbow back to ensure skin is taut. Work the epilator in different directions to ensure all of the hair is pulled. Because of the shape of the head, it is difficult to move the epilator in this area.

With the bikini area, there are the same problems.

Performance

Although it is half the cost of more expensive epilators, the Philips Satinelle performs very well on the legs. More so than with other epilators, your technique is very important with getting the best results. It’s a good idea to exfoliate a few days before and use this shortly after a shower. Dusting the area with a little baby powder will help dry the area, providing the optimal hair removal environment.

You not only have to get the right angle but also use the right amount of pressure to avoid going over areas repeatedly. There can be a tendency to go fast, rubbing this epilator quickly all over your skin. This will result in a lot of missed hairs. You have to apply a little pressure and move over the area you want to epilate very slowly until it removes all the hair.Like most epilators, this epilator does require time and patience. Compared to the Braun Silk Epil 7681, it does take longer to epilate and more passes. Because its head covers a smaller path and there are a fewer number of tweezers, it can take some time depending on the area you are epilating.

Philips claims that this epilator can pick up hairs as short as 0.5mm, but we found it tends to pick up hair that is between 2 – 3mm a lot better. You might have to go over areas 4 – 5 times. Although it plucks out the majority of hair, any hair that is too short or too long can be missed. It also can have trouble with thin soft hair. It can pick up thinner hair but you have to angle it correctly.

All of your hair isn’t always growing in the same direction. The trick is to always epilate in the direction against the hair growth. On the legs, this is usually an upwards direction but you still have to pay attention to your hair growth. On the outer thighs, you want to use and upwards diagonal direction. Just like you are tweezing or waxing, always pay attention to the direction of your hair. Always have the button on the face of the epilator facing in the direction you want to go. In areas where the hair growth changes direction, you have to try from all directions to find the best direction. Moving the epilator in a circular pattern can help.

Pain

We didn’t find the Philips Satinelle any less painful than the other epilator we tested. Anytime you pull hair from the root, it is going to hurt. All epilators hurt. With 21 tweezers, it plucks less hair per rotation so it can be a little less painful than other epilators with more tweezers. There’s no getting around it, when you first epilate, it will hurt but it does get better. It is normal for skin to be red and irritated after epilation. This will subside.

There are a few things you can do to make the pain more manageable. The amount of pain you experience is really dependent on the length, thickness and density of your hair. If you have thick hair, it can be painful the first time. Always remember to shave or trim the area you want to epilate. If shaving, wait 2 – 3 days until there a bit a re-growth and then epilate. Epilating in smaller sections makes the pain more manageable. After a few minutes of using it, your body adjusts to the sensation and the area will get numb.

The most painful area for most women on their legs is the back of the calves and near the ankles. The skin around the bony parts of the legs such as the knees can also be very sensitive. The more you epilate, the less it hurts as skin tends to grow back lighter and sparser

Cleanup

We were disappointed that there was no cleaning brush included with this model. However, it is not actually necessary since the head is washable. The head snaps right off and can be washed under hot soapy water. There is a marking on the head that shows you the direction to push the head to take it off. After you dry it completely, it just as easily snaps back on. Before you can use it again, the head must completely dry since it can’t be used while wet. It can be difficult for the head to dry completely.

It is important to know when epilating, the hair that is plucked does fall on the floor. Since this is a corded model, you can’t really epilate in the shower. It can be helpful to lay down newspaper or a towel down to collect all the plucked hair.

What Others Are Saying

The Philips HP6401 Satinelle Epilator is one of the best reviewed epilators in its price range.

Although it is designed for the legs, Maggie was told when she bought it that it works well on underarms. Though she wished it was rechargeable and had more tweezers, she was happy with the product. She didn’t think it hurt much but says it depends on each individual. For best results, she advises that you should not forcefully push down on the epilator.

On Amazon, this epilator is consistently one of the best sellers and is averaging 3.9 out of 5 stars with over 500 reviews.

Summary

In summary, we were really impressed with the Philips Satinelle. At under $40 dollars, it’s a perfect way to see if epilation is for you without spending a lot of money. It’s great for anyone who is on the edge and doesn’t know if epilation will work for them. It’s also great for anyone that just wants a great epilator with no frills. There are no fancy features, but it works for basic epilaton. On the legs, its performance held up well when compared to more expensive epilators. If you’re on a budget, it is just a great value.

Some of the more expensive epilators come with a host of attachments, accessories, and features which can be helpful. With the Philips Satinelle, you don’t get much. It’s missing a carrying case. There is no light. Philips has even left out the cleaning brush. It is just a corded epilator. However, the most important thing is that this epilator effectively removes hair from the legs and gets the job done. At this price, who could ask for anything more.

There are a few drawbacks. This was one of the loudest epilators we tested. We found the efficiency cap to be useless. It is a little inconvenient that you have to plug it in to use it. If you are interested in epilating your underarms or bikini line, it might be a little more beneficial to go with a cordless model with specific attachments for more sensitive areas. It’s a little to clumsy for epilating these areas.

Still, for the price, the Philips Satinelle comes highly recommended.