I have a couple of friends who swear by their epilators. One even actively enjoys it and I'm pretty sure using it is actually one of her dearest hobbies. I am a massive wuss so I never have, but in the interests of journalism I bit the bullet with the Braun Silk-Epil 7 Dual Epilator.
This one is particularly special because it incorporates a razor - Braun have teamed up with Gillette Venus to produce the worlds first epilator-razor. For those of you wondering what the point of that is - they do completely different things after all - the razor is designed to follow the epilator, removing "stubborn hairs and lifting away dead skin cells" for a completely smooth result.
Firstly, let's get this out of the way: it hurts. A lot. A lot a lot. I could have cried. After all, it is made up of tiny tweezers ripping hair out of your leg with the force and noise of a lawnmower.
Once that's out of the way though, it did leave the patch of leg I tried completely smooth. This model also has a light so you can see exactly what you're doing and can be used in the bath or shower too (in fact, I'd imagine it would hurt less in the bath). If you can get through the pain though it's worth it: prolonged use decreases regrowth, and because it takes hair out from the roots you'll need to use it much less then you would have to shave.
To check out prices and try it for yourself, check out their website here.