Customer Reviews

Emjoi AP99 Optima Epilator

5 star:		(108)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I've used a few other "epilators" and I liked this one least for several reasons. I found the tweezing plates revolving in 2 directions, as opposed to one, rather uncomfortable. Also, the plastic pieces at ends (bordering the tweezers) were sharp and often scratched my skin. The biggest reason that I don't care for this product is it's size and shape. It's small and thick and difficult to hold comfortably, often grazing my fingers during use. While this wasn't painful it was certainly annoying. Of the products commonly found on the market, I prefer the emjoi "Gold Caress." It's easier to hold and use, and it's less expensive. (The Gold Caress, however, doesn't include a shaving head.)With this model you also have the choice of AC or rechargeable. Hope this helps.

I love this product! I was so sick of shaving that I decided to give this a try. I have a low pain tolorance and I have to say that it did hurt ALOT the first 2 times. (I admit I had a glass or two of wine before doing it the second time lol) but after that the hair is much finer and since it grows back at different speeds its not as concetraited in one area...which is why it hurts. I use this all the time now. My legs are soooo smooth. I usually do this once a week while watching tv. It actually lasts for 3/4 weeks or so however since hair grows back at different speeds and depending upon how much of the hair was taken out by the root or if it just broke off I like to use it weekly. It doesnt hurt at all now...although I read someone used this on their underarms. I tried it and will NEVER do that again...that was painful!!! the bikini line is less painful than that. This product works great and I'll never go back to shaving!!!

I've always considered myself someone with a high tolerance for pain...but after getting this thing, I may have to rethink that. First off--the thing works. You want to get rid of a huge amount of hair from the root, this little baby will work wonders! You want it to be painless...FAT CHANCE. When I first used it, I did not em-joy the amount of pain issued by this little bugger.

The first time you use thing thing, the only thing coming out of your mouth will probably be AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH! (and if you're creative like me, a whole lotta expletives as well!) You *will* have red, and possibly bumpy skin afterwards...and if you're really lucky, you may even have a few little pinpoints of blood where more stubborn hairs used to reside. But rest assured, all of those pesky side effect will go away--and yes, the pain does get less each time you use it afterwards. If you have a low tolerance for pain, can't pluck your brows without crying, or can't even pull a hair on your head, it probably would be best to stick to a razor or nair. I've had my Emjoi for over 2 years now, and I have graduated into bikini area and underarms Emjoi-ing...a good tip is to use the Emjoi, then take a good warm shower. I've found that Tea Tree Soap and a good lotion after the shower helps the pain subside greatly as well.

First let me say I have very dark, very coarse leg hair and even after shaving you can still see the hair on my legs and a couple hours after, it is already prickly again. So this product does work with coarse hair...I'm not sure about fine hair. Anyways, I hated it so much, and started waxing. I then began to hate that...letting your hair get that long stinks, and $50 a visit began to drive me crazy! After doing some research I decided to invest in this product and have never been happier. I received it a little over a week ago and my first experience with it was painful. Let me tell you, the first time you use it, it kills! This may be because I have such coarse hair though. After thinking about it, I also think it is the same pain level as waxing, however, it seems worse at the time because you are doing it to yourself and can stop and agonize over how much it hurts instead of someone just ripping away. Anyways...a week later...as with waxing you do have a very tiny bit of growth...not even noticable but I have always just glided a razor over it but it's not necessary. I just decided to use the epilator again real quick to get a little more growth that has started and it didn't even hurt. You just need to learn to pull your skin really really taught. The only negative is I found it very hard to get my knees, but I feel like I'll catch on soon enough. Also - if you've ever noticed, with waxing they usually start half way between your knees and ankle... do the same when epilating because it is much more sensitive around your ankles! So if you do experience a lot of pain during the first time...don't give up! Take it out again a week later and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Just don't let the growth get too thick again or else you'll go through the same amount of pain as you did the first time. By epilating every week that shouldn't happen.

Compared to other epilators, this one is great at removing hair. It has two heads, so it seems to be twice as fast. The little roller bar that is meant to dull the sensation does dull the prickly feeling, but for me epilators are not painful anyway. Also, it got most of the little hairs that the other Emjois often miss. The heads pop out very easily, so this is the easiest to clean of any epilators I have used.
Now the down side. Terrible ergonimics! It is very short, about half as long as other epilators, and very wide and squat, since it has two heads. The cord is placed right on the side of the squatty little thing, so it is always in the way. There are no thumb grips or any other things that might help. I found that the cord got in the way, especially for the underarms and bikini areas. I dropped the thing three times in one session, and kept getting my fingers in the way of the tweezer heads. If it were not superior in hair removing abilities, I would return it due to poor ergonomics. If you have any kind of grip problems, or large hands, I can't imagine you would be able to use this. Go with the Braun silk epil, it works about as well, and you can get a grip on it, or the Emjoi Gently Gold Caress, which is rechargeable. Don't give up on epilators because of this poorly designed little thing.
Emjoi, fix this design and you will have a great product.

Just received my new Emjoi Optima and am very pleased. I've owned a Gently Gold model for about 3 years and will never go back to shaving. I'm writing this review to compare the 2 models, for anyone who is trying to decide which one to buy. The Gently Gold works great, but I prefer this newer model. I think it is faster -- and epilating can take a long time. I love having the interchangeable shave head, too. Even when I've taken my time, I have often found myself looking down at my legs when I'm at work, looking at a wide swath of hairy leg. Today, I epilated, then quickly finished off with a shave, and I'm sure it's the smoothest my legs have ever been. The Gently Gold is rechargeable and can be operated without a cord -- a nice feature, but only lasted for about a year.

A general comment.. I never wait 5-6 weeks between epilating. By doing it once a week, there's really very little discomfort. So why not just shave? Can't explain why, but I just don't find epilating to be as tedious as shaving. When your hair grows back after epilating, it's never stubbly, just soft.

When my Emjoi Gently Gold Caress broke (after years of use - I whole-heartedly give it five stars), I bought this, thinking more expensive means better. This was unfortunately a bad assumption and I really wish I'd just bought another Gold Caress.

The Optima doesn't fit well in my hand and the cord often comes out while I'm using it on my legs since my hand is brushing up against the spot where the cord is attached to the epilator (if you're going to make a non-cordless epilator, make the cord permanently attached!!!). Also, because it's a bit uncomfortable to hold, I am not always able to hold the skin of my underarm taut and the skin gets pinched (one time it drew blood).

In the end, I do still use it and it is better than the Braun I bought in between the two, but I wish I had the Gold Caress instead. It fit well in my hand and because it is cordless I could use it without an outlet nearby.

I can say I own just about EVERY hair removal product out, and this is my all time FAV! I find the size and shape refreshing. It fits right in the palm of your hand to be held in a cupping manner rather than a traditional razor and most other electric removers. It is quick with amazing results. Though like any tweezing method it can be a lil bothersome at first. With regular use that lessons. After only using it twice for the underarms I find it painless and literally just as fast as shaving with a razor if not faster and no messy shaving cream/gel. To top it off, the hair grew back baby-soft. Since I have dark hair after shaving with razors the hair below the skin shows through the top layers of skin making a dark appearance, whlie this item leaves my pits looking clean!!! I love that it comes with changeable heads so you can clean up any hairs that you decided were too sensitive to be removed by the foil shaver head. I recommend this product highly.

I have had many different types of epilators before from rubber band types to coiled metal springs, none of them ever pulled out much hair and the i ended up just tweezing most of them anyways. My sister had this emjoi optima epilator sitting on the bathroom counter and i just happened to try it. I was super suprised to find that it got all the hair on my face. I hate shaving so i tried cold laser and electrolysis treatment but none were permanent, all they did was make my face all red and turned the hairs white. This little emjoi epilator gets out any hair that you could tweeze with a tweezer, the only hairs left are the ingrown ones which of course is under the skin and cant be pulled unless u get a needle and lift if out. BELIEVE ME when i say this emjoi AP99 also known emjoi optima gold is the BEST DAMN EPILATOR U WILL EVER GET !! Just make sure u clean between tweezers when u see build of dead skin, so easy, i just hold a toothbrush on the lower outer edges on both sides while its on and it cleans itself. I cant say enough on how good this thing is, and im not exxagerating cuz i hate bull crap reviews on worthless products like anyone else.

I owned the Emjoi gently gold caress for about a year before upgrading to this model. It is much faster to use than the single rotating tweezer model. Of course that means it's pulling out hairs faster, so I found it a bit more uncomfortable. Still, the time saved was worth it. I recommend this for anyone who wants to use this type of hair removal.