Legitimate electrolysis machines on eBay part 2

Hair Removal Methods Do-It-Yourself Electrolysis
#41

Kree epilators have not been produced for maybe 20 years or so. My understanding is that they are “sparky” uncontrolable epilators. They started out a long, long time ago being galvanic epilators -VERY SLOW, but then somewhere in the 70’s, were produced as thermolysis only units. I don’t think it would be wise to treat an upper lip on a Kree for more than a few minutes. I think you can do better with a backup epilater if you could find an older Clareblend, Fischer or Gentronics brand or at best, another Silhouet-Tone. I love my Sil-tone VMC, by the way.

This Dr. Myron Heimlich, who James has shared his name with us many times, might have something for you or could give you more information about the Kree, that he services and knows very well. Have the model # ready. You can call him at 1-800-626-6025.

Dee

#42

thanks dee. i appreciate it, and i’ll give him a call. maybe he’s got something else i can use. i got priced out of the sb8 when it was up a couple of weeks ago. damn. mine is also close to 20 but, i guess because it is so simple, it just keeps ticking.

naomi

#43

Which machine are you using?

#44

One of the “problems” with electrolysis equipment is that it doesn’t break. So no one ever sees a need to buy a new machine the way they replace their home electronics.

#45

James;
I only have the Apilus Cleo 256. But for what I want to do, it does very well. I do not necessarily just use the default setting and I can make changes to many of the parameters. There are some settings that I do wish that I had more control over however. I used several of the more expensive Apilus machines at school, and I found that most of the modalities they offer, can be duplicated on my machine, if I only go in and manually set it up.
I have worked in electronics for over 30 years, and I just wish I had a little more control of some things.

#46

Yes, I agree that most of what the upper level machines can do is duplicatable in the lower end units, but the things that the upper level machines can do that the lower units can’t are a big difference in flexibility, and ease of set up… at least for the person who bothers to learn how to use the manual set up features.

#47

I was able to use most of the different models of Apilus Epilators at school, and I did find that the more expensive models had more programed presets available for use without having to go into manual settings. But I come from an extensive electronics background, and prefer to set my machines up manually anyway. I bought my machine to give me some practice before going to California for school, with the agreement from the company that they would give me full credit for an upgrade if I choose another machine.
Well, I did try the other machines, and even recorded the settings the machines set up when using the pre-programmed modes. But I did not find anything that really moved me to upgrade to a more expensive machine. I even considered the platnum machine, but did not feel it was worth that much more money. In addition, the platnum does not have the slower modalities anymore, so if you have a client that needs to use the slower modes of electrolysis, you need to use a different machine. So anyway, after all was completed, I found that the machine I had, really did meet my needs after all.
Now, I am adding an older Clareblend Ultrablend machine to my office. I just received my manual for it today. The machine is due to arrive on Tuesday I believe. I know what my settings with my apilus are using, and will quickly figure out how to pretty much duplicate the same with the Ultrablend. Except that the ultrablend has some waveshaping that the apilus does not. So that will have to be taken into consideration as well, at least if I decide to use it for Flash Modality.
I do like that it has the capability of independant switching of RF and Galvanic Currents. With the Apilus, it is either galvanic or RF first, duration of currents and amount of galvanic current that is adjustable. The RF is set to just one level at least on my machine. But granted, if you turn the RF much higher, you really are performing Thermolysis and not blend because it becomes the heat that kills the hair and not the chemical lye. So, I can to some extent see their reasoning for setting it up the way they did.
I see the Ultrablend has a expansion port in the back of the machine, but the manual does not say anything at all about it. It is just shown in the pictures. Can this unit be hooked up to a computer or something? What is the purpose of the port if anyone happens to know? I would be interested in finding out.

#48

Marthajoy, what does the port look like? Serial, parallel, 1/8", Coax, XLR/pedal type? My guess, without seeing it, is; if it’s a simple hookup, then it could be for a remote light/beep indicator. If it’s a more complex hookup (multi-pin) then it could be for a printer, or factory diagnostics testing QA/QC testing and troubleshooting on repairs. But these are just guesses, it could be for a multi-needle attachment all the same.

…Dee, speaking of upgrades, I always wonder in your upgrade to the ST VMC is there anything you miss about the Sequentium 328. The Sequentium is such a wonderful heavy duty machine. I love it’s sturdiness, straight forward organized keypad, and easy to read displays. And it just takes the standard handpieces to boot. I’m fully confident this machine will outlast all of the newer plastic cased machines. I think when ST went with the VMC casing, it was a reaction to what Apilus was doing, but I feel it was a step in the wrong direction. They should have stuck with the heavy steel casing. I know they wanted to bring in the whole visual aspect of setting up and monitoring the currents because it makes understand the whole sequential thing easier to understand and follow, and they needed to place the bigger newer LCD screen somewhere, but it’s too bad they just didn’t modify the Sequentium chassis a little. For as many of these machines that are out there, it’s one of the rarest machines to be listed on ebay. They’re never that available. I would like to think it’s because they are so solid and trustworthy, and people are happy with them. Forgive me everyone if I just happen to feel the Silhouet Tone Sequentiums were the apex of machine quality, design, and functionality.

Mantaray

#49

The port looks like it is probably a db25 connector which has 25 pins, 13 on top and 12 below. Similar to what a computer uses for a parallel port but which some devices use for a serial port. It has enough connections that it could function for a lot of things. Maybe to tie multiple units together, or to be able to add external equipment in order to add more versatility? It could be as you say to print out, but what would it print out if that were the case.
It does not seem to have a hair counter or even have a sense circuit, so I am not certain what a printer would print out. It would be interesting to figure out what type of signals might be present on this connector. But the manual says nothing about it except to show it on drawings of the Ultrablend epilator.

#50

It turns out that the area marked expansion port, is just a coverplate. So no real connector is present. But one could be installed if desired I guess. Oh well, at least the item arrived and seems to be in one piece, even though it was so poorly packaged, that the Fedex Driver wanted me to check it out before signing for the package.
It does seem to have just about everything. I put a $0.60 cent RCA connector on one of my own footswitches, and now have two footswitches to use with the machine. So that independant control can be used. The probe for the use of air, has a date on it, which may mean that it is older than presented. The date is 12/96 which would be just over 10 years old. I am about to take it to my shop and put it through some tests with my electronic test equipment, to see how well it works, and how well regulated it is. But from the front panel, it does seem to be working ok.
Luckily, it is built strongly with a metal chassis.

Update:
Found noise inside was a loose RF Board. On the underside of the board is the RF Power Transister that had all four leads broken off of. Took a meter and checked out the transister and it seemed to be ok, just no longer connect to the circuit card. So I took wires and made new leads to the Power Transister. Now the unit works. It could have been broken in shipment, or it could have been broken prior to selling, but at least it is now working.

#51

Chuck,
Be glad that you did not buy this machine. The RF does not work. My guess is either the oscillator or the output amplifier is broken. But will know more after I check it out with my electronic equipment. Galvanic and indicator lights all work, but not Thermolysis at all.

See message above as to what turned out to be the reason it wasn’t working. I can already see a modification that I would like to make to the unit. A fine tune knob for the timing, so that high speed thermolysis can be adjusted better. Oscilloscope can give me an accurate reading on the pulse width, but it is extremely sensitive when trying to get short duration pulses. That should not be too difficult to accomplish. Still want to check out its operation more before putting into use, but at least it is now working. Something as easy as a second variable resister of lower value in series for fine adjustment, or using a multiturn potentiometer should do the trick, as least in that regards. As far as the RF waveform, I found instant on/off when used in Flash, but when used in Blend it does have a slope to the RF as well as Galvanic currents.

#52

Since you’re going to be modifying it, I’d definitely put a multi-turn/ jog dial on it. I’d replace both pots. As you know a high quality pot gives much smoother increases without jumps. I don’t know why they didn’t in the first place. It’s actually a good thing this machine ended up in your hands, most anyone else, it would be in Paypal claims dispute by now. I do strongly think however, you should contact the seller with a certificate of inspection and try to mediate a partial refund. That works in many cases when things do not function as they should. If I’m not mistaken, is this the same unit that was sold by the L.A. spa that didn’t want to ship? Maybe they had a point, maybe they knew something. Hmmm. Hard to say.

One thing I would find an invaluable modification would be adding a tone/ light satellite indicator. I have one mounted on my lamp that I can glance up at to see the red (therm) and green (galv.) states. It’s better than glancing a few feet away and having to re-focus the eyes.

It must be great having a second machine to snoop around the insides. I would love getting into an Instantron just to see how it all works.

Just a question for anybody: Is the Clareblend brand in any way related to Mike Bono? That triangular logo with the waves is also on the cover of his book.

Mantaray

#53

Ah, you can’t get anything by our HairTell Readers. Although my dear friend Michael Bono had no stake in the corporation, he was in fact hired to, and did in fact, design their logo.

#54

Mantaray;
Yes, this is indeed the same unit. I had nothing but problems with them. First I was told that they would be glad to sell it to me for the $310 and I agreed to pay her an additional $100 for shipping, and that UPS would package it up for her even. She was to return a phone call with instructions on how to pay for the unit method wise, when she would not even answer my calls. Then it suddenly appeared again on ebay this time saying they would ship. I was told it would cost me $60 to ship, when others farther away were told $50, which does not make sense to me, but I went ahead and paid it. Almost a week after paying for the unit, it still had not been shipped, and I asked this time for a tracking number. Finally it got into Fedex for shipping. It arrived yesterday in a single layer flimsy box, taped to high heaven, with only a single layer of bubbly around the epilator itself, and everything just loose without in filler. The Fedex Driver asked me to check things out as quick as I could, as he could not stand there all day. Very understandable. So, I opened up the box, and took out the epilator, and noticed a noise inside the unit, which did not sound good, but powered it up, and all the indicator lights and meters seemed to be working ok. So I signed for the shipment; and starting checking out everything else that was with the unit.
Later, I took the unit to my shop to check things out, and found, that no matter how high the thermolysis knob was turned, there was nothing coming out of the probe port. So now I decided to open up the unit and see what is going on inside. What I was hearing was the RF circuit board flopping around, as it only had one corner of the board connected to anything. At first I figured that another support must have broken off. I then decided to remove the board and to take a look at it. That is when I noticed the RF power Transister mounted to a bracked under the board, with all four leads broken off. I removed the bracket and noted the position that it should have been in relationship to the circuit board. I used a meter to check out the junctions of the transister, and found that it was not open or shorted and that the junctions seemed to be good. The transister happens to be a 2N5641 stud mound power transister used with VHF phones in the 7 Watt class. I took some wire and soldered to the board where the leads should have been, and then placed the transister in the orientation that it belonged and soldered the wires to the tabs that are on the side of the power transister, thus giving it leads again. Reinstalled everything and now the unit seems to be working as expected. The boards are all marked either with a date in 95 or 96. Which indicates to me this unit is 10 years old when she told me it was 7 years old. But that is just another little item compared to everything else.
Do I believe that it was broken in shipment or was it broken before would be difficult to prove one way or the other. But it certainly was not packaged in any way, to be taken across town leave alone 1200 miles. How hard would it have been to stuff some newspapers inside to keep it from bouncing around… Tina the manager is certainly untrustworthy in what she says.
I do not know a whole lot about this Ebay thing other than how to order and pay for items. How would I go about the documentation you are talking about.

#55

Marthajoy, look for my private message.

#56

Here we go, A Fischer CBX and an Apilus Senior. These machines, both being really good, will share common bidders. And, the auctions end so close together. I think the Senior will get the high bids, and someone may end up with a bargain for the Fischer. Who knows? Both machines are great, and both worth an easy $1,000 to $1,500.

Fischer CBX

Apilus Senior

Granted, most would give the Apilus the nod, but you gotta love those woodgrain sides. Like a '75 Ford Ranch Wagon.

Mantaray

#57

The Fischer CBX shares a VERY similar mother board with the Apilus, and can feel almost identical to the big A’s

#58

A very good machine on ebay. The seller is listing this machine:

Sequential Servo-Blend (known as the ‘SB’ line)

…And lists it as made by Esthetronic. This machine, by any name, is the Silhouet Tone SEQ-1, Sequential Servo Blend, the Silhouet Tone swan logo is clearly on the front panel. Anyway, this is a great machine. It can apply the current in several different ways, and it is a good, high quality unit. It is the machine that ST brought out to introduce their ‘sequential blend’ method. It can apply alternating AC and DC currents in a manner that optimize both, and actually really does apply a type of blend that is a little more comfortable than traditional dual current blend. It can also apply the usual currents or just one sole current. It is a highly adaptable machine that could be used by a careful and educated beginner or a full-on professional. It’s timer for thermolysis goes down to the one-hundreth of a second (.01), but I think the power the machine puts out in pure therm, flash power, can’t really keep up with that short of a duration. Thus, anyone trying flash with this machine will probably keep the timer at around .05 or .06 seconds for good three-hit hair releases on regular #3 type hairs. Good for a beginner, but shy of the needed power for a good flash operator demanding sub-.01 second release strengths.

The machine has a lot of built-in bells and whistles, as Silhouet Tone used various revisions/incarnations of this machine as the precurser to the Sequentium 328, the flagship Silhouet Tone epilator until the introduction of the VMC unit. I think the main differences between this machine and the Sequentium 328 is that the 328 is capable of more thermolysis (flash) power, and the 328 can keep custom programs stored even when the machine is turned off. This Servo Blend, I think, loses it’s memory once power is turned off, so custom programs have to be re-entered. Not to worry though, with all it’s available highly useable programs.

I’m sure Dr. Heimlich of TES will watch this machine, as may a few pros that want a good backup, so closing above $600 is likely. I would definitely give the seller extra to package it extremely well, because it could cost much more than that to get it fixed. I would seriously consider bidding in the $900 dollar range. More than that, and a used Silhouet Tone Sequentium 328 would probably be a better buy at around $1,300 …That is, if the unlicensed beginner (or pro!) could find one.

Once again, a decent machine made available to the masses by the great unlicensed state, New York. This is kind of a trend if you follow machine availability. Keep an eye on it. Below $500, and it’s a fantastic deal.

Mantaray

#59

Apilus II Buyer Beware! Does anyone have any ideas on why this particular machine has been sold multiple times on ebay by the same seller who doesn’t answer my emails concerning quality and accessories. I have been trolling ebay for a good machine and I was surprised to see this one listed yet again. I couldn’t find the first auction number but I’m pretty sure that this is the third time. 280090623366, 280096156151

#60

I’m not sure, but I think on one of those sales, a new bidder came along with zero feedbacks and won it. This spells trouble with such a high dollar item. The actual sales sometimes fall-through. Is this the one whee they kept the bidders manes secret? If it is, I don’t like that. Too easy to contain fraud. People can’t email the winner to give advice or warn.

Mantaray