Advice on used electrolysis machines

Hair Removal Methods Do-It-Yourself Electrolysis
#1

I’m looking for advice on buying a used electrolysis machine. I would start out as a DIYer but would be interested in getting certified once I decide that it’s something I want to do long term.

I’ve been having a bit of trouble finding a good used machine. Ideally, I’d like to spend around 1k but am willing to go up to 2k for the right machine.

I’ve talked to Dr. Heimlich at Texas Electrology Supply and he quoted me a price of $1,200 for a used Silhouet-Tone ST 100. That seems a bit steep to me for that machine so I am looking for some words of wisdom from the community here.
I’ve also been looking at a brand new ST 250 which seems to sell for about $2,500 but not sure it’s a worthwhile investment at this point since I first want to determine if this is actually something I want to be doing.

I recently found this machine on ebay which seems to be in the right price range:

Should I be concerned about the voltage difference? Would I need something more than a voltage converter to plug into the wall if I were to buy a machine that was made for 240V. I’m in the U.S.

Any advice is much appreciated.

#2

You should be concerned about the voltage difference, also the current frequency difference. Machines made for UK power systems dont work horribly well on US power systems.
If you’re canadian, I can recommend kijiji especually kijiji quebec, where there seems to be a glut of used apilus machines on the market. WARNING: apilus support of older machines ( especially 13.56 mhz machines) is pretty non-existant at this point, and they do have a high failure rate.

If you are concerned over reliability and you can get a little bit more money for your budget, I can recommend looking up Skip MAhler of the instantron Compay and purchasing a spectrum elite, which retails new for $3049 and has a high reliability. Spectrum Elite epilators almost NEVER come up on the used market, so they do tend to retain their value.

#3

Thanks, I thought that a machine made for the UK market probably wouldn’t be the best idea.

Unfortunately, I’m not Canadian otherwise I think I would’ve already found a used machine to buy.

Any thoughts on the used Silhouet-Tone ST 100 for $1,200
or a new Silhouet-Tone ST 250 for $2,500?

#4

Not really. I’m not the biggest fan of the ST-250 but that is just preferenee, as for the 100 I’ve never used one.
ST-250’s come up on the used market pretty commonly, oftn for under $1000 but I dont know how often in the US, they are more pletiful here in canada where they are made… I DO like the Silouette Tone VMC, but like the apilus, they have zero manufacturer support.

#5

Never seen that brand over here, but from what I can see online, the ST-100 is closest in functionality to the SX-B you were looking at before – the ST-100 perhaps also has cataphoresis, which is not at all necessary. In that sense, I would think you’re looking at a very straightforward epilator that does exactly what it needs to do and nothing more.

Is the $1,200 price tag a bit high? If you’re only using it for practice and DIY, then absolutely too high. If you’re a professional looking for an inexpensive machine, then it’s a very decent price.

When buying any second-hand epilator, one of your major considerations should be the ease of finding replacement accessories as these will typically be the first components of a machine that need replacing over time. That would be the footswitch, the probe holder, the indifferent electrode, and all the necessary cords.

I can be sure to always find replacement accessories for my SX-B, but I have no idea about an ST-100 or ST-250. I should think you can, but you would need to do your research.

#6

Fortunately, the Frequency range on the SX range is 50-60Hz, so you won’t have a problem there. I have a UK SX-B machine myself. However, the voltage is still only 220-240V, but using it connected to a step-up transformer will suffice; as I’ve done this before.

The newer Sterex machines have dual voltage (these are the blue interfaced ones, as opposed to teal); otherwise exactly the same. I’ve spoken with Sterex HQ in Birmingham, England, the older ones can’t be retrofitted, unfortunately, due to using older internals.