I always tend to purchase NEW equipment. It is like the used car business…What is wrong with it? Why is the owner selling it? If it is “distress” merchandise they will always take less or it may never sell. Give them your number and let them know to contact you when they are ready to sell. The older it gets the less you will have to pay for it because the seller is finding out there are not too many people looking for an item like that. I would also check with FDA and/or FCC to find if this machine was cleared for sale in the USA. Many foreign products were never cleared by FDA, consequently, they are illegal and/or will be confiscated by customs.
Electrolysis machines are like stereo equipment. They don’t tend to break, but they are easy to have fixed at any one of the regional service centers. An electrolysis machine is essentially a radio. The computerized versions are radios with a computer motherboard added. The value of the machine is not effected the way a car might be. While use of a car hastens the day various parts need replacing, to the point where driving a car in circles around the United States for a year (one would circle the the continent at least once every month) would leave a one year old car in the position of a 3 to 5 year old car. Meanwhile, buying my used Apilus Platinum (which has removed a whole lot more hairs than many would in the space of 3 to 5 years) would be in no more need of costly service than a well maintained 6 month old machine.
For our Australian viewers, a Sterex blend machine for $350 (US); I assume the seller means free shipping in Australia.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160332883591
A refurbished Clareblend Ultrablend for $1000
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320369686606
The Sequentium 328 is actually a very nice epilator. I’ve been the recipient of treatment with this model and did well.
THe Sil-Tone Sequentium [color:#CC0000][size:14pt]VMC[/size][/color] is the model above this one and is even better, but all in all, this would be a very nice professional epilator for use if the price stays under $800.00.
THe Clareblend is a good basic epilator, but I would think a professional electrologist who has a very busy practice would want to step up to the higher end computerized epilators that can function in the faster forms of thermolysis, such as microflash or picoflash (27MHz) technology. This unit would be good for a serious DIY’er. I do like that the seller has emphasized the need for training and that it is for professional use only. I’m not for DYIing on facial and neck areas, but lower legs and arms may be fine depending on the person working the machine and the degree of knowledge they have about performing electrolysis.
Dectro/Apilus Junior Plus
Ebay Item # 260409071781
http://cgi.ebay.com/Dectro-Apilus-Junior-Plus-Epilator-for-Electrolysis_W0QQitemZ260409071781
A Silhouet-Tone Servo Blend machine for $500
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Silhouet-tone-Servo-Blend-Electrolysis-Machine_W0QQitemZ120419868849
What is a good price to pay for this machine or one like it??
The Apilus Jr.
The Apilus Jr. sells for $2700 new from Allied Health and Beauty. The one on eBay right now is low mileage, and is the current Jr. model. On the other hand, I have seen Seniors, Senior IIs, SM and SX-500s go for less than $1000 which do more but have more miles and/or are older models, and it took a LOT of looking to find them.
If you are a professional, it might well be worth the current bid. If one is a home user, I’d wait for a better deal. The Silhouet-Tone Servo-Blend is currently at half the price of the Apilus Jr. and might be a comparable or better machine, though it may not do flash or microflash (James? 
)
I am not sure that the servo-blend does a version of MicroFlash. Off the top of my head, I would say that it only does plain Thermolysis. It is still a good machine, just not the most advanced for a business.
For our Aussie friends, an Apilus Platinum on a classified site I just stumbled upon by accident. It is about $6600 USD.
http://sydney.gumtree.com.au/c-Stuff-for-Sale-other-APILUS-PLATINUM-PURE-ELECTROLYSIS-W0QQAdIdZ128793039
Here’s one for you James… set phasers to “scam”
http://cgi.ebay.com/Electrolysis-Machine-Originally-Cost-8000_W0QQitemZ330330174338
And the venerable Instantron Elite makes another appearance. Of note is that it has the exact same dead LCD segment my first Elite had, I wonder if it has the same shielding issue as well.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230344908538
Can you believe some poor fool paid $500 for that “Super Phaser Gold”?
It will still cost about $60 to get what is needed to do real electrolysis with it, and one still can’t do blend or thermolysis on it. Not a wise investment… then again, the original sucker paid $8,000 for it.
I am betting neither of these two are HairTell Readers.
I’d be willing to bet the same
Now that I look at it again, is it me, or does that oval gold globe-grid logo on the machine have a passing resemblance to the AEA logo?
Yes, that globe sure was designed to look a lot like the American Electrolysis Association Logo.
By the way Vicky, how much did it cost to fix your Instantron?
Technically, I didn’t fix it. It worked fine, just the reading on the meter was off when the HF was enabled. I was quoted $80-100 if I remember correctly (including a general refurb as well.) From what I was told, there was a shielding problem with some of the early Elites, later Elites (I have a later one now) work 100% fine.
Well, except that I have used a temporary fuse to test it (I bought it and found there was no fuse inside.) If anyone knows what fuse type the Elite uses, I would love to know. A friend who is an electronics engineer couldn’t figure it out and said it was a rare, odd size.
I was thinking of buying a Silhouet Tone ST-250. The VMC is mentioned a lot, but it is way more expensive and I just need one for self-use. Anyone have any pros and cons to share about the ST-250? It looks good on paper. Thanks!