Kendal Professional Diamond Microdermabrasion Machine HB-SF01 / HB-SF02 Review

If you a regular reader of our awesome website, you should know that here we are all pretty addicted to microdermabrasion machines because this is hands down the most effective anti aging treatment among home treatments. (Yeah, we are not talking about lasers and stuff that is also pretty effective.. but for the time being now, laser is not available at home ;))

We have been looking for the best machines for us (of course, let’s be honest) and for you our faithful readers. We have shortlisted 10 at home microdermabrasion machines and decided to test 5 of them to find our top 3. The Kendal system shares the first place of our top 3 with Microderm MD.

I have to say, I was the most excited tester of the group, because, I have had many microdermabrasion sessions with a high end spa (needless to say, it cost me a fortune but I definitely prefer to spend money of my skin to spend it on fancy clothes that will be out of fashion in 1 week…)

So when I found out we would be testing those machines, I was over the moon, because I had never dared to try one of it… I am sometimes a real chicken…But also I have always thought these machines were certainly not powerful enough to be on a par with my esthetician sessions…. (Which cost 200 $ a session).

Frankly, I am so glad I was “forced” to do the testing because I was so wrong, home microdermabrasion machines are currently almost as powerful as professional ones, especially the latest ones… (I am so pissed off, I could have saved so much money if I had known sooner…)

So you know I wanted a machine that could compete with beauty salon ones and I was served…

So here is our review of the Kendal Professional Diamond Microdermabrasion Machine HB-SF01 / HB-SF02

(Don’t let the word professional confuse you, it is a home machine but is more powerful than most other machines for home use and some professionals even use it in their salon spas).

Just keep reading till the end and you’ll know everything you need to know to choose and buy the best fit for you.

While we were doing our review of many different machines, we found that the Kendal was definitely our best machine – but we would like you to come to your own conclusion, as always.

We will explain you why we came to that conclusion.

As a side note please keep in mind  the Kendal professional diamond microdermabrasion machine HB-SF01 and HB-SF02 have the same specifications, the only difference is the outfit and the design that are totally different. Our favorite is the Kendal HB-SF02 for 2 reasons. (Check them at the end)

What Exactly Is It?

No, this isn’t a machine designed by Kendall Jenner, (easy joke ) instead it is a diamond tip microdermabrasion machine. It uses a Diamond Tip, rather than Micro Crystals

We can classify most machines for microdermabrasion into two groups:

1. Those with a diamond tip that slough off the top skin layer (with a vaccum that sucks up the dead cells)
2. Those that use micro-crystals to exfoliate the top skin layer away (with a vacuum that sucks the crystals up after they are used and the dead cells).

From our standpoint, there is no doubt about the fact diamond machines totally outweigh crystal machines (even beauty spas are switching from crystal to diamond devices.). They are safer because there is no risk of getting crystals in your eyes or getting irritated from them.

So repeat after me: no to crystals, yes to diamond 😉 (I don’t know why but it sounds so natural to me LOL)

How does microdermabrasion work and what benefit you will get?

This section is just for the newbies that don’t know how microdermabrasion works – if you already know, then you can just skip ahead!

Microdermabrasion machines with diamond tips resurface your skin by gently peeling and rubbing off your dead cells that make up the top layer of your skin. While they are sloughing that skin off, they are also vacuuming up the resulting particles, along with any other traces of dirt.

The result will be skin that is free of debris, scars, blemishes, hyperpigmentation, and even wrinkles! Basically, it exfoliates the top of your old skin and removes it, revealing the newer, fresher, better skin underneath.

Your skin will be:

• Rejuvenated from any and all sun damage, including sun spots.
• Younger looking thanks to a reduction in age spots.
• Evenly colored with less hyperpigmentation.
• Clearer with fewer acne scars and marks from injuries.
• Blackhead and whitehead free
• Free of oiliness and dry skin.
• Overall better looking

And also a bonus benefit:

Your dead top layer being removed, once this barrier is removed, skin care products fully penetrate the skin’s surface. This maximizes the benefits of the skincare products and helps to restore and perfect the skin, leaving it gentle, rich, brilliant and bright.

So you even get a better effect of your cosmetics because they can better penetrate your skin.. Brilliant, isn’t it?

What comes with the Kendal professional Diamond Microdermabrasion Machine HB-SF01 / SF02?

• The base unit
• PVC vacuum hose
• 2 stainless steel wands or handles
• 9 diamond tips (3 LARGE: 1 Fine, 1 Medium, and 1 Coarse / 3 MEDIUM: 1 Fine, 1 Medium, and 1 Coarse / 3 SMALL: 1 Fine, 1 Medium, and 1 Coarse.)
• HB – SF02: 240 small cotton filters 12 mm (4 bags x 60 filters per bag)
• HB – SF01: 240 small cotton filters 12 mm (4 bags x 60 filters per bag) and 120 big cotton filters 17 mm(2 bags x 60 filters per bag)
• Power cable.
• Rubber rings
• 2 cylinder-like oil filters.

Who is the Distributor?

The Kendal is distributed by the company New Shining Image LLC, who specializes in beauty and personal care. Starting all the way back in 2003, they sell mostly online through Amazon, and have lots of good reviews. We heard much good stuff about them and found a lot of positive reviews so we wanted to check if rumors were true or if it was only pure marketing bluff…

My Kendal Microdermabrasion Machine HB-SF01 / HB-SF02 Review

It was by far one the most exciting review we had to write because this machine (with the new spa machines) is certainly one the most highly recommended by spa owners. They are probably the closest to real professional machines, mind you some spa salons even use either the Kendal HB-SF02 or the New spa professional grade machine. So with these 2 machines, you really can’t go wrong.

First Impression

Unlike the New Spa machines, there are no cases, which would have been really convenient but we are here a bit picky. The 2 machines look absolutely well built and solid. We had the same positive impression as for the New Spa. They don’t look like childish toys that will break after a few uses, especially the HB-SF02.

The kendal professional HB-SF01 has a hard plastic outfit whereas the HB-SF02 has a metal one: both look sturdy but the HB-SF02 looks definitely more solid because of the metal structure awhich also does make it heavier as well.

The SF01 is smaller and lighter, making it the best choice for travelling or moving. However, the SF02 being bigger and heavier, is more suited to be used if you don’t need to move it around (though you can think of it as a work out J)

HB – SF02 Dimensions: 50 x 39 x 40 cm / Weight: 8.5 kg. Safety: CE certified.

HB – SF01 Dimensions: 36.5 x 37.5 x 29.5 cm. / Weight: 5kg Safety: CE certified.

Ok so what accessories do we have?

Well, we have the PVC hose, that we will connect to the machine then attach the other end to the stainless steel wand. We have here 2 wands to start with which is more than enough, in fact only one wand would have been just fine but it is a good think to have a spare wand in case you loose it.

We were given 9 diamond tips. It is frankly the same 9 tip pack that is usually included in almost most machines with one exception (the microderm MD: only one tip and you need to buy other tips at around 50 dollars… pricey)

The tips included have different diameters and grit. Diameter is how large the tip is (you might want a larger tip for your body, but smaller tips to get around your nose), whereas grit tells you how fine the tip is. Included is:

• 3 large: 1 Fine, 1 Medium, and 1 Coarse
• 3 medium: 1 Fine, 1 Medium, and 1 Coarse
• 3 small: 1 Fine, 1 Medium, and 1 Coarse

The user manual explains the different tips and what they are recommended for, but there are more than enough tips to help you personalize the system.

For ease of use, the grit number starts with a “D” and is engraved on the side of the tip – so you don’t have to worry if you aren’t that organized and they all become a jumble.

The finest tips have larger numbers and the more coarse tips have smaller numbers.

For example: D150, D 180, and D220: for scars, fine lines, and imperfections.

While we were testing the product, we mostly used the D180 tip

All in all, you have 1 tip for body, and most other tips (8) are for face.

We have the same comment as we had for the new spa machine about these 9 tips, we don’t really think it is necessary to get 9 tips, because we do think, most of people will only use 1 or 2 specific tips for the face, which is what we did. The bigger ones for the face, we did not find them effective enough to exfoliate, and stuck with only 2, which was higly enough for us. Of course, we all have different skin and different face features. Some have smaller faces, less room to reach certain ares around the nose for example, so this range of tips can be useful after all to meet any needs.

Then we have the 2 types of cotton filters.

You probably know what they are used for.

Most microdermabrasions machines have small and large filters (the only thing that changes is the size, which can be different from one device to another). The diamond tip will effectively exfoliate your skin by removing the dead top layers that will be sucked by the machine. The cotton filters will catch them so to avoid clogging your machine. Think of it as your vacuum cleaner bags…

The HB-SF01 needs small 12mm and large 17 mm filters, whereas HB-SF02 only needs the small one 12mm.

The small one 12 mm goes in the wand, the bigger one 17 mm on the output. That is 2 levels of protection, in case the small filter is torn, the large filter on the vaccum output will catch the dirty and dead debris. This is pretty standard…

As a side note, the reason why the HB-SF02 doesn’t need the big cotton filter is pretty simple: there is a cylinder shaped filter (where you have the vacuum output) that will catch the debris, all you need is a small soft brush to clean the dirt if necessary. Nice, isn’t it?

You need to remove and change the used filters every 2-3 uses, otherwise:

• You risk to notice a suction decrease (yeah most negative reviews come from the fact they thought the machine suction power was bad after a few uses… no wonder if they don’t change the filters. )
• The filters with too much pressure on them might tear them and the dead cells, and debris might then clog your machine….

One big plus of this machine is the fact that it comes with 2-cylinder oil filters included. Neither new spa machines, nor microderm MD had them included.

The oil filter (some other brands call it air filter) can be used in conjunction with the cotton filters as it is secondary and is an added protection against clogs.

Of course, you don’t have to use them both, however it is recommended because it will better protect your machine.

We were a bit worried that using this oil filter plus the cotton filter would affect the suction power, but we did not feel any decrease, it is also probably because we have the possibility to increase the suction power up to 28 inch/Hg. (we would probably compensate the filter effect).

In case you wonder where to put it, it is very easy; you simply set it up between the output and the silicone hose.

Ok now that we covered all the accessories and its uses; let’s check our criteria one by one.

Suction Power

Ok, we will repeat it again and again; suction power is one of the most important criteria, because you need to remove dead skin cells after each stroke of a diamond tip. And what is the suction power of these 2 babies? Well they can go up to 28inch/Hg, (70cm /Hg) which makes them the most powerful machine available for home microdermabrasion. That is one of the many reasons we think Kendal SF01 or SF02 is one of the best machines currently.

As a reminder, home machine power is usually around 16 in/Hg…

You also have a dial plate indicating real time pressure, which is very handy. We even pushed the machine to test the higher suction level and guess what? it takes it very well.

As a side note though: For first time users usually they would be recommended a less powerful device as 16hg of suction power is sufficient for home use, but we strongly think why limit ourselves with a 16 Hg machine when you can for a few more bucks (usually 50 dollars or less ) get a much powerful machine.

It is like buying a 10 GB Ipad when you can get a 20 GB Ipad with only 50 dollars difference. You get a much better range of what you can do with the machine. Yet, of course, if you are a newbie please and we do insist on that, start at the lowest intensity and work your way up to mid or high capacity.

Please note that both SF01 and SF02 have the same max power capacity.

The quality of the diamond tips

The diamonds tips are pretty good quality, and really look like the same as new spa ones. I really think these tips are pretty generic and probably have the same manufacturer. Anyway, that is just my guess and they are good quality anyway.

They are made out of diamond chips, which are a ground synthetic diamond of a certain size (mesh) bounded to the surface of the tip. Synthetic diamonds are in fact extremely hard and durable. The tips are very hard and can last you for years. It will depend though on the way you take care of them, because you can deteriorate them if you touch any hard surface with them.

Tip: If you choose to sterilize your tips in boiling water in a pan, you should make sure they do not bounce off the pan walls. It may damage the diamond chip coating. That is why you should maybe surround them with a cloth to avoid any shock in boiling water.

Tools

Ok, compared to the other microdermabrasion machines and packages, this one is the best package we found in fact, with the most accessories included for microdermabrasion (we are not talking about the kendal 5 in one etc…) because we focused on machines that only does microdermabrasion because we tend to think the more functions you add, the more risks to get it broke…

It is like a mobile phone, my old mobile phone which can only be used to phone, is still working perfectly after 5 years while my latest smarthphone (you can guess the brand with an apple as a logo) was out after a year….) so the more simple, the longest lasting.

It is also the only machines that come with 2 cylinder-oil filters and as many filters, 360 to be exact (240 small and 120 large) or 240 small filters for HBSF02, which is very generous (new spa machines only come with 100 filters (50 small and 50 large filters) and microderm MD (100 filters, only one size)

Ok but what about the prices if you need to replace them. Well everything is pretty cheap, so if you need to buy more filters, it is 60 pieces (small or large) at 5 dollars.

You will need to replace them every 2-3 uses, so one bag of 60 will last you pretty long.

The other advantage of this machine, which is also true for New Spa machines, is that you can pretty much replace any piece if necessary. From the hose, to the tip, you don’t need to send the machine back to the distributor, you can simply order and get the new element to replace the old one… ex: the hose, you can easily find another one (even if you don’t stick with the same brand, because you simply need to check the diameter…

That is the case for our older cars, you can pretty much fix it yourself provided you know how to but it is possible. With the more modern machines, well they pretty muck locked the system so you need to go through them exclusively.

Pretty smart, and money maker for sure, isn’t it?

Well the tools and price proposed are very interesting with Kendal; that is why we gave it a 5 star rating. (Because you get 2 cylinders oil Filters and you get many more cotton filters)

For those who wonder when to replace the oil/air filter and if it can be cleaned (thank you lisa for asking):

You will know when its time to change the air/oil filter when you see skin debris in the chamber part of the filter.

The air filter does not open so you can’t clean it, this filter is similar to the filters you may use in vacuums. They are designed to be a one-time use filter.

HOWEVER, here is a tip:

You can use a canned air spray (the one we use to clean keyboards for example). You can more or less empty the filter by placing the straw of the air spray inside the silicone piece of the filter to spray the inside of the filter and blow the debris out. This way it can be re-used. Yet, if the debris are too stuck, remember that an oil/filter is around $4-6…

If you want to try this method, I recommend you not to wait too long before spraying as the more debris, the more compact it may become and harder to blow.  You could maybe do it every 3-5 sessions….Just saying…..

Results

Results with these machines (HB-SF01 and SF02) are awesome. After a single treatment, our skin was silky smooth; lots of dark spots were gone… This felt exactly as a spa session; except I did it all by myself….

Just be careful – you will spend your whole day touching your face, which will spread bacteria!

(My skin had not been so smooth since my latest beauty spa session a year ago/ yeah I had to save money for a trip with my boyfriend, so it was either the trip or the spa… well if I did not like him so much, I would have chosen the spa J)

My pores are definitely smaller but it did not come as a surprise as I know what microdermabrasion benefits are. ( the other issue is we tested several machines in a row, so it may be harder to really know, but we tried to test the machines on different areas, that was pretty hilarious:)

After using, keep in mind your face may look slightly red, rinse with cold water and then apply a very moisturising cream, wait at least one week before the next treatment. You will start to see a real difference after the first or 2 treatments.

All in all, the results are definitely the same as with my beauty spa (sorry helen, my favorite esthetician). And we are definitely not the only ones to be fan of this machine; we found so many positive reviews…. This is one the most recommended machines, and we do understand why 🙂

Ease to use

The machine is very easy to use. Mind you, you only need to attach the hose to the wand and to the unit, place the filters in the wand and the vacuum output; insert the oil filter if you want to and you are ready to go.

Now, even if the SF01 ( 5 kg) is easier to transport and carry around, the SF02 (8.5kg) is much heavier and bulkier. You will have to think about the way you are going to use your machine and how often you will have to move it.

This is where Microderm MD has one little advantage with its compact size ans light weight (4 pounds/2 kgs)

You might also find that the instructions are minimal. Some people hurt themsleves because they did not pay attention to the suction level. Start very low and build from there, this is the best way to get to know how to use these babies. This is where maybe microderm MD has another advantage here with its auto mode / LCL screen that guides newbies. This automode is nice and fun when you start but is a bit useless after the 1-2 sessions because you quickly know how to use your machine…

The robustness and longevity

We said it over and over; these machines are certainly built to last. Both the SF01 and the SF02 are solid but SF02 is definitely more solid because of the metal structure.( that is why we like it best because we like this design and the metal touch. )

While we don’t know for sure about how long these will really last, but if we were to make an educated guess, we would think that it would be a long time. The reviewers who have had the machine for quite some time confirm that everything runs smoothly and some of them have used it for 4 years .

Tip: you can easily invite friends and neighbours to use the machine and maybe ( I say maybe) ask a small fee ($ 20-40), that would be a nice way to earn some money.  Remember a session in a spa salon costs around $150-300.

Warranty

These 2 machines has a one-year warranty and life time parts support which is much better than with New Spa, which is pretty standart I think in the appliances industry.

Microderm MD has a strong point here also with a 3-year warranty, but that is also why it is also more expensive.

Support

Support is absolutely vital, and you should not joke with it. Well, we contacted the company several times to ask questions and pretended we had a problem and when I say several times, we probably sent 8 different emails.

Well, they do reply very quickly and try to find the best solution with you. They are very prompt to answer.

But we wished their emails had been a little more elaborate, as it was indeed pretty short and concise. (As you can guess they won’t write fillers to create some customer relatioships).

But I suppose they try to answer every email quickly, that is why they won’t spend too much time on each one of it once the issue is solved.

Still, a very quick email is still better than not getting any emails or replies at all.

Price

This is another big point for The kendal SF02 and SF01, they are much cheaper than most machines, probably because they don’t spend a fortune on marketing or fancy stuff….

The SF01 is about 260 dollars / The SF02 is about 200 dollars

Both SF01 and SF02 have the same suction power, the same accessories but SF02 is in metal and is bigger and heavier… so why is there such a difference you may ask? Well, we had the same question and we would have thought SF02 would be more expensive, well here is their answer, which makes sense….

To our question: “if the SF01 is in plastic and the SF02 is metal based, why is the SF01 more expensive?”

The answer: “SF01 is more convenient for you to travel or carry.”

You see what I mean by the emails are short and concise lol but their support in case of technical issues is much more detail oriented…

I guess it makes sense, it is like buying a phone and the same “miniaturized” phone with the same power and functions, anyway, we prefer it that way as we prefer the SF02.

So this is another reason to choose the SF02, it has the same power, same accessories; better looking design and it is cheaper 🙂

Microderm MD as a reminder is 300 dollars with fewer accessories and less power…

(Update: 2 weeks after our email regarding the price difference, the SF01 price is now the same as the SF02.. wonder if I send 2 more emails, will they lower even more the prices??? That would be great… #daydreaming)

Update 2: one reader (Alexa) sent us a nice email telling that after reading our reviews, she chose to buy the kendal HB-SF02 machine and followed our tip to let her neighbours use the machine for a small fee, she told us she organises a weekly microdermabrasion party ( inspired from those botox parties) with friends and some of her neighbours, that brings her about $ 200-400 per week with 6-8 people. We did not think of that microdermabrasion party, so yeah this is a really nice idea, thanks alexa for sharing 🙂 

Overview

Let’s give the pros and cons of these 2 beauties

Pros

• Really cost effective
• the most powerful “home” machine up to 27-28 in/Hg
• Very solid and well built
• The most complete package in terms of accessories
• 2 wands
• 9 diamond tips
• 360 filters
• 2 cylinder oil filters
• Really fast and quick customer care
• 1 year warranty

Cons

• Manual instructions very basic
• Could improve the communication skills of their support
• No LCD screen like the microderm MD

Our Final Verdict

Both Kendal Professional Diamond Microdermabrasion Machine HB-SF01 / HB-SF02 are our most recommended microdermabrasion machines with Microderm MD.

They are solid and reliable, with the highest suction power for a home device. Most machines don’t get anywhere near the suction power of these ones, and that means that they will offer more flexibility and options in terms of treatments.

They also have the most complete package in terms of accessories and they are cheaper as they clearly don’t focus on marketing or PR and what not…

They simply focus on reliable machines that work and this is what most of us want.

We don’t want all the fancy stuff, we don’t need to have a famous brand because we know you need to pay for it, we want a solid machine that will last for years and transform our skin…

With either Kendal machines you are sure to make the right choice. Of course as for every machine, you can come across a machine that got hit during the shipping, one of our reader had this problem, he immediately contacted the company who quickly fixed the issue by sending him a new machine.

Where to buy

We found that amazon was by far the best place to buy the Kendal machine either the HB-SF01 or the HB-SF02, because you will find the best deal here and the best buyer protection in case you come across any issue.

 

 

UPDATE April 6th : a reader told us, the kendal HB-SF02 and HB -SF01 are out of stock….. Check from time to time below if they are back on amazon

To buy the Kendal professional diamond microdermabrasion machine HB-SF01 or to simply keep track of this machine for future reference :

To buy the Kendal professional diamond microdermabrasion machine HB-SF02 or to simply keep track of this device for future reference :

To buy the accessories for Kendal HB-SF01 or HB-SF02 :

Feel free to keep us posted about your choice of machine and your awesome results with younger and fresher skin 🙂