Everything is ‘smart’ these days: smart meters; smart TVs; smartphones.
Little wonder, then, that Braun packed smart technology into its Silk-Epil 7 7-561 SensoSmart Epilator – an intelligent, cordless electric epilator that performs real-time analysis, guiding your use of the epilator with a visual feedback system.
Sounds impressive – but the real question is, how well does it remove body hair? In the review, we find out.
Braun Silk-Epil 7 7-561 SensoSmart Key Features
- SensoSmart technology ensures correct application of pressure
- Gentle but effective epilation for comfortable, long-lasting results
- Can be used wet or dry
- Convenient, cordless operation
- Extras, including shaver and trimmer cap, skin contact cap, facial cap and pouch
- Bright integrated light reveals fine hairs
- Easy on underarms and other sensitive areas
- Braun premium brand quality
Braun Silk-Epil 7 Overview
SensoSmart For Perfect Pressure
Unique to the Braun Silk-Epil 7 7-561 is SensoSmart – an intelligent, pressure-sensing system that guides your application of pressure. Push too hard – which not only increases the likelihood of skin irritation, but causes undue strain on the motor and battery – and a red light illuminates, reminding you to ease off a little.
MicroGrip, Big Results
Small hairs are a big problem. They’re hard to spot, hard to remove, and for something so tiny, can suddenly look awfully big under bright light!
That’s where the Braun Silk-Epil 7’s MicroGrip tweezers come in. A series of carefully arranged, individually hinged tweezers – long and widely spaced to easily grasp hairs down to 0.5 mm in height – open, then close against fixed-position stops, grasping and pulling out short, troublesome body hair.
This provides a distinct advantage over waxing: no more waiting for hair to grow long before removing it!
Follows Your Body’s Unique Contours
A bidirectional pivoting head moves with your body’s angles and curves, allowing you to efficiently epilate even challenging areas such as knees and under the arms. As compared to a disposable razor or basic trimmer – both of which require constant attention when tackling tricky spots – the Silk-Epil 7 is far more comfortable and effective.
Doesn’t Just Pluck
The included trimmer and shaver head attachments – a comb guard and foil shaver – make quick work of larger areas. We found the shaver suitable for legs and the bikini line – but everybody – and every body! – is different, and your results may vary.
Wet or Dry Operation for Comfort and Speed
If you’re in a hurry, don’t worry – the Braun Silk-Epil 7 7-561 provides a fast and effective epilation experience when used dry.
But given the Silk-Epil’s one hundred percent waterproof design, you’d be remiss not to try it in the shower!
Epilating under warm, running water, or immediately after showering, is even more comfortable – those with extra-sensitive skin prefer it over dry epilation – and once incorporated into your regular routine, it saves time, too.
A Hair Highlighting Guiding Light
Braun’s Smartlight – a bright, circular light emitting diode (LED) sits above the Silk-Epil 7 7-561’s large power button, shining a beam of white, diffuse light in the epilator’s path to illuminate every hair.
Though we’d still recommend using the Silk-Epil 7 in a well-lit space, the Smartlight makes it easy to see hairs that might otherwise escape your notice.
Braun Silk-Epil 7 7-561 SensoSmart Epilator Pros and Cons
There’s no doubt that the Silk-Epil 7 7-561 is a great epilator, and a far superior choice to manual shaving and tweezing. Let’s recap everything we love about the 7 7-561, and touch on what we would like to see improved.
Pros
Prevents use of excess pressure.
We were initially skeptical of Braun’s SensoSmart feature. It sounded a bit gimmicky—but seeing it in action changed our minds.
Using an electric epilator is different than tweezing by hand: a certain amount of pressure is necessary to guide the epilator, but too much force can be irritating to skin, and provides no additional benefit.
With regular use of the SensoSmart system, you’ll develop a deft touch – and the Smartlight helps ensure that you won’t miss any stray hairs.
Works well on super short hairs.
0.5 mm is approximately the size of a grain of sand. It’s also how short of a hair the Silk-Epil 7 7-561 can remove, thanks to its unique Microgrip tweezers.
The ability to pluck even fine, small hairs means less time spent waiting for hair to grow to a certain length.
Designed With Comfort in Mind
The pivoting head and complete waterproofing, which allows you to use the Silk-Epil 7 7-561 in the shower, make it one of the most comfortable, skin-friendliest epilators on the market.
The majority of users report that the Silk-Epil is vastly preferable to plucking and waxing – and regular epilation usually produces long-lasting results, with hairs tending to diminish in number, and regrow more slowly.
Trims and shaves, too.
We loved the add-on trimmer and shaver. Though perhaps not on par with a dedicated electric shaver, they’re great for quickly removing or trimming hair from larger areas, or where you might prefer that some hair remain.
Cons
Of course, perfection in any product is impossible to achieve, so here are the few minor flaws we could find.
Uses a 2-pin plug.
Though it’s likely that you’ll be charging and using the Silk-Epil in the bathroom where 2-pin shaver plugs are located, a standard plug, or even an update featuring USB charging, would be welcome.
With that said, a 2 pin to UK 3 pin plug adapter is easily picked up for just a couple of pounds. And if you ever take this with you on holiday or travel, it means the 2 pin will work in those shaving socket power outlets.
Superfluous extras.
Some of the included caps seem unnecessary, and most people aren’t using them. We’d have preferred they be offered separately and the epilator sold at a slightly lower price. That said, at a hair under (no, that wasn’t a pun), Braun’s Silk-Epil 7 provides good value for its performance, and reliability, with which most users report high satisfaction.
Braun Silk Epil 7 Conclusion
If you’re tired of messy wax and tiny, annoying tweezers, consider the Braun Silk-Epil 7 7-561 SensoSmart Epilator – it’s far cleaner and faster, and gives equal or better results. Treat it as a time-saving investment that provides increasing returns the longer you use it.
Though it’s the baby sister of the superb Braun Silk Epil 9, it works exceptionally well, with a slightly lower price.