Advantages: Cost effective, long-lasting results, relatively quick
Disadvantages: Some pain, noisy!

...appears to be the leader in the field with several products for sale in Argos alone, where I purchased my Silk epil Xelle Solo 5170 for £34.99. As I wasn't sure if I would get along with this method of hair removal, I opted for the cheapest one available. Epilators can be purchased from catalogue stores eg Argos or bigger chemists such as Boots, where they are often on offer. AT FIRST GLANCE The epilator is roughly palm-sized, and mine was pink and white although the picture in the catalogue was green so I suppose it's the luck of the draw. The kit came with a drawstring bag for carrying everything, the mains adapter, the epilator itself of course, a starter head for beginners, instructions and a brush for cleaning the unit. The bag makes it easy to take away travelling although the charger is ridiculously big and heavy... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: No mess, no cuts, no blunt razors.
Disadvantages: Quite time consuming, can be painful

...How many times have you gone to shave your legs or armpits and then discovered that you've run out of foam, your last razor is blunt, or worse; you bloke has swiped it? All of these things used to happen to me regularly - that and the fact that everytime I used a razor I ended up cutting myself. Hence I read various reviews, websites, manufacturers information etc, then went and bought myself a Braun 5180 Silk-epil x'elle epilator in a light green colour (standard). I got it from Boots for £39.99 (normal price is £49.99). QUICK SUMMARY - in case you can't be bothered to read the rest! Easy to use Very effective Quite compact - good for traveling Plug socket required No need for water / shaving foam Seems impossible to cut yourself After initial outlay it costs nothing More time consuming than shaving MY... Read review

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Advantages: Absolute need for teenagers,
Disadvantages: Not sure,

...Hello everyone! You may know me as anytime03! But thats going soon! And me is officially back as 'fromthedarkside' Thanks Ciao! I’m not really that good on the topic of finance, but I am good at finance, which is to do with business. There are many credit cards out there today, but which one to get is a difficult thing, APR, blah blah!! But what about us who are under 18? We don’t need to worry about credit cards until we are 18, but we feel left out, knowing we can’t buy things on credit, or take out lump sums of money from major bank companies. BUT DON’T WORRY, why? Cos SOLO’s the name! The names card, SOLO CARD! (*Puts on Bond music*) Don’t attack me or otherwise I’ll pull out my SOLO card! ## Wait a min! I don’t understand you... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Almost universally accepted, makes you more financially aware
Disadvantages: Can't write cheques, not a lot really!

...Ah, the sweet smell of financial independence! When I’m older, I’m going to be an internet millionaire; I’ve decided that. Joining Ciao was to be part of the grand plan, but alas .. ah well, I still have my Solo card. ‘What’ You’re fifteen and you have your own credit card? Now I know you’re entrepreneurial Matt, but this..? Well, almost. You see, Solo shares many of the features of other debit cards such as Switch. The differences are that it’s been adapted for people who may not be eligible for a 'proper' credit card. Typically these groups are the under-18s, those not in employment, and those whose credit history doesn't merit a credit card in the opinion of the banks. So what is Solo? Well, Solo is an offshoot of Switch, the worldwide standard for debit card transactions. Essentially, a Solo card is just like a Switch debit... Read review

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Advantages: No overdraft. Pay with plastic. INDEPENDANCE. spend, spend, spend.
Disadvantages: Not accepted everywhere. Spend, spend, spend.

...Firstly i feel i must apologise for that title, a truly terrible bit of word play! Now, let me introduce the solo card, which is quite simply a debit card for young people, which has been designed to target us young and gently lull us into postition of financial responsibility. The Solo card is Switch's little sister. Solo were very cunning in exploiting teenagers' will to be independant, and self reliant. Because of the large gap in the "young personal finance" market the Solo card was born. It seems that the risk of creating the card is paying off. Now there are 6.93 million people who own the Solo card (i'm one of them), which is not at all bad. The Solo card's best feature, in my opinion, is that you can not spend more than you have in your account... You see as the card is swiped through the terminal it has to recieve... Read review

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Advantages: Accepted almost everywhere, Easy access to money, Beats cash
Disadvantages: Small charge for use abroad, Some places still won't accept it

...I am a student in secondary education, and before setting up my NatWest card-plus account I only had a National Savings Account. However, as time went by I became more and more annoyed at the pathetic service, inaccessible saving and hundreds of other things, so I decided to open a new account, and at the time it seemed as if the (new) solo card would be the thing to go for, as a lot of my mates had one, and they all struggled to think of anything bad about it. So, I strolled along to NatWest, and I now have on of these cards. Solo is a branch of the well known debit card “Switch,” and it works in a similar way, except that it is meant for under 18s. There are several areas in which I have been particularly pleased with the Solo card, and I shall tell you about these below. One of the main bonuses of the Solo card to me... Read review

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Advantages: Freedom for teenagers, Internet buying
Disadvantages: not excepted everywhere.

...The SOLO card is one of the best idea's since sliced bread, corny cliche, i know. The Solo card was launched on the 1st July 1997 under the Switch Card scheme, Switch being Solo's sister Card. At present there is about 498,406 outlets that accept the Card in the U.K., so quite a few shops. Solo is different from Switch, due to various different rules and entitlements and as result Solo cannot be used everywhere you see the Switch logo. The SOLO card is a DEBIT card, not a CREDIT card. You cannot go over the amount you have got in your account as this is i presume it is against banking regulations for someone under 18 to have an overdraft facility. The SOLO card allows teenagers who are not earning to have a Debit Card, this wonderful contraption does not allow you to get overdrawn because you do not have an overdraft which... Read review

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Advantages: Cant go overdrawn, Use in many shops but....
Disadvantages: ...Not all shops, no cheque guarentee

...Are you 12+ Well congratulations!, somewhere, you will be able to obtain a solo card! I first got a solo card, because I needed a bank account to put my part time wages into. Nat west offered me a solo card, and I accepted, not knowing what I could do with it. Now, I would never regret being offered this card, it is fantastic!. I use my solo card pretty much everywhere. I used to just draw money from a machine, but now I use my solo card for buying concert tickets, in my local shop, on the internet - The UK's my limit (Not the world because it is a UK thing!). A solo card is sutiable for anyone, because the maximum you can go overdrawn is £1 - yes £1. If you go into a shop, and you aint got enough in your account - Phhhhhhh! Declined. It just won't let you go overdrawn, which is fantastic!. You can use solo in pretty much... Read review

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Advantages: More independance for younger generations, V. Useful
Disadvantages: Not accepted everywhere, but still widely accepted

...SOLO, this is a debit card, launched by the Switch Card Scheme in 1997 (I’ve done my research). I currently have one with Natwest’s Card Plus account aimed at people aged 11-21, so my experiences of SOLO will be tailored towards NatWest, but I’m sure the services offered by the SOLO card are similar all round. SOLO is a debit card. What is good about this is that you can use it to pay for goods at shops, online or over the phone (or anything else you can think of) using this card where it is accepted. The limit with this is you can spend the as much as you want, as long as the money exists in your bank account that is associated with this card. This is a good thing as this card is mainly aimed at the younger generation of people, like I was and still am, who would like to attain some independence on their finances... Read review

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Advantages: Can't get into debt, lots of shops take it, from 11 with some banks,
Disadvantages: Woolies don't take it!

...The Solo card is a debit card aimed at young people that works like a Switch except you can’t get overdrawn – in other words in debt. It’s a great idea and allows young people to shop through mail-order and on the internet without using their parents credit card. Though some adults also have it if they’re not too hot with money-management! The Solo card is accepted widely and most shops accept it, though it is not accepted as widely as Switch. Woolworth’s don’t take it which seems rather stupid considering many of their customers are young people. Though the Solo is accepted far more than the Visa Electron, which only a small minority of shops seem to take. Solo offers a cashback feature which you can use at all shops taking Solo. Most places won’t charge you, but smaller shops might. I... Read review

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