The Panasonic ES-EL9A is the do-everything epilator: a wide 60-tweezer head for fast removal, a tilting design for awkward areas, and a six-in-one kit that also shaves and trims. Here's where its versatility pays off, and where the dense head asks more of you.
Some people want a single device that handles every kind of hair removal, and that is exactly the brief the Panasonic ES-EL9A is built for. It pairs a powerful, wide epilation head with a set of shaver and trimmer attachments, so one handle covers epilating, shaving and tidying up. That breadth, backed by Panasonic's engineering, is what earns it our premium pick.
| Model | Price | Tweezers | Head | Wet and dry | Rating | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ★ Top pick Panasonic ES-EL9A Wet & Dry Epilator | £99.96 | 60 (wide 30° tilting head) | Six-in-one with shaver and trimmer attachments | Yes, fully washable | ★ 4.3 | View → |
£99.96
60 (wide 30° tilting head) · Six-in-one with shaver and trimmer attachments · Yes, fully washable
The verdict from Hannah Whitfield, hair-removal and skincare tester
A polished premium alternative. The Panasonic ES-EL9A pairs a wide 60-tweezer head with a six-in-one attachment kit, so it doubles as a shaver and trimmer when you want one. The tilting head is genuinely good around underarms and the bikini line, and the built-in light makes stray hairs easy to find. It is not the cheapest route to smooth skin and the dense head feels firmer on the first run, but if you want one device that does everything, it earns its place.
Clears a wide strip in one pass; the firmer head asks a little more of you on the first session.
The ES-EL9A is the right choice if you want one premium device to do several jobs, rather than a drawer full of single-purpose tools. It suits people who like the idea of epilating most areas but shaving others, who want a wide head for quick sessions, and who value a tilting design for underarms and the bikini line. The built-in light is a genuine help for anyone who wants to be sure they have caught every stray hair.
It is less suited to a nervous beginner, because the dense 60-tweezer head removes a lot of hair at once and feels firmer on the skin to start with. If gentleness is your priority, the Braun Silk-epil 5 is the kinder introduction. But for an experienced user who wants power and versatility in one polished device, the Panasonic delivers.
The wide head packs 60 tweezers, so it simply removes more hair per pass than the mid-range units, and a full leg goes quickly. On standard and slightly coarser hair it is thorough and the results last the usual two to four weeks. The density that makes it fast is also what makes it feel firmer, so the trade-off is power for a slightly sharper first sensation, which eases as your skin adjusts.
The 30-degree tilting head is the ES-EL9A's standout for tricky areas. It angles to follow the shape of underarms and the bikini line, keeping the tweezers in contact where a flat head would lose grip, which makes those delicate areas noticeably easier to do well. The built-in light is more than a gimmick too: it picks out fine, pale hairs you would otherwise miss, so you finish with genuinely clear skin.
This is where the Panasonic justifies its premium positioning. Alongside the epilation head you get shaver and trimmer attachments and caps, so the same device can epilate your legs, shave a sensitive area and trim where you prefer. It is fully washable and cordless, so all of that can happen wet, in the bath or shower, which keeps the firmer head comfortable enough for most people once they ease in.
The build is reassuringly Panasonic: solid, neatly finished and well thought out, with attachments that clip on cleanly. The battery runs for around 30 minutes per charge, which covers a focused session; for a full-body routine across several areas you may want to top it up first. Nothing about the device feels like a corner cut.
The ES-EL9A's two real costs are its premium price and the firmer feel of its dense head. Both are tied to what makes it good. You are paying for the six-in-one versatility, the tilting head and the build, and the firmer sensation is the flip side of a 60-tweezer head that removes so much at once. Used wet and on exfoliated skin, that firmness is very manageable for an experienced user. If you do not need the extra attachments, you can get flagship epilation alone for less from the Braun Silk-epil 9.
As well as the wide 60-tweezer epilation head, the ES-EL9A comes with shaver and trimmer attachments and caps, so it can epilate, shave and trim from one handle. The built-in light helps you spot stray hairs as you work.
Its dense 60-tweezer head removes a lot of hair per pass, which can feel firmer on the first session. Using it wet and on exfoliated skin helps a great deal. Once your skin adjusts and hair grows back finer, the sensation eases like any epilator.
Yes, it is fully washable and cordless for use in the bath or shower. As with every epilator, warm water relaxes the skin and makes the pull easier to tolerate.
The Panasonic ES-EL9A is our premium pick because it does more than any other unit here: a powerful wide head for fast epilation, a tilting design for the awkward areas, a helpful light, and a six-in-one kit that shaves and trims as well. The dense head feels firmer at first and the price sits at the top of the group, but for an experienced user who wants one versatile device, it earns its keep. If you want pure epilation for less, the Braun Silk-epil 9 is the better value, and for coarse hair specifically the corded Emjoi Emagine hits harder. To keep the firmer head comfortable, read our painless epilation guide, and see how we score on our how we test page.