Epilator question

[Ilovewaleswhenitrains]

Do the "blades" on an epilator wear out. I have had my current one for 4-5 years and I'm not sure if it is as effective as when it was new.

Any experts out there?

I don't think mine is as effective now either, but I assumed it was because the blades had picked up grease over the years and therefore couldn't grip as well. I've been meaning to post to ask whether it is possible to degrease it somehow (before I electrocute myself by setting it running in a bowl if vinegar or something equally stupid)!

My cheap & cheerful Lidl one wore out after a few years. I think the blades got blunt & it got more nippy & less effective.

The current (much more expensive) Philips one is still going strong after three years.

Can i ask a question about them ? I tried one about 20 years ago, am i that old?! and it really hurt. Do they still hurt bad? Does it last as long as waxing? I only did that once as it hurt too much! I must be a wuss. Does the hair have to be quite long?

Pend, I also had one about 20 years ago and hardly used it because it was so painful, iirc it only had 5 tweezers, the one I have now has 40 and I dont find it especially painful.

I took the head off of mine and scrubbed it with a nail brush and some detergent to get rid of grease & hairs, not sure if you're 'supposed' to do that but I think it stands to reason that some sort of periodic cleaning would be necessary(?)

I find it hurts less than waxing.

You can do it more regularly because the hairs don't have to be as long as they do for waxing. Also, the more you do it the less they grow back because repeated epilating weakens the hair follicles.

It lasts as long as waxing, and you can do it as often as you want so you catch any new hairs coming through. In summer I'd use mine every few days.

I think the modern epilators are much better than those that were around 20 years ago (I am that old too!)