The Best Beard Trimmers, Following A Year Of Extensive Testing
If you want your facial hair to reach its full potential—no matter its density—then you need a high-quality beard trimmer in hand. I tested eight top models from all the top-rated over the course of a year to determine the best beard trimmer overall. While they’re all solid options, there could be only one winner: I decided on the Philips Norelco Multigroom 9000, which offers incredible endurance and over a dozen attachments. As for best value, my pick is the Hatteker 5-In-1 Trimmer, which brings plenty of power at a wallet-friendly price.
After testing eight different models, I landed on the three best beard trimmers from Philips … [+]
Here are the winners, according to my rigorous testing:
When identifying the winners, I considered the following criteria: First, a beard trimmer should have enough muscle to last a long time on a single charge while mowing through the thickest parts of your scruff. It should also have sturdy guards that allow for effortless customization (because anything too flimsy will leave you with an awkward, uneven finish). And ease is key: The best beard trimmer is intuitive to use, while making your routine cleanups quick and simple for the next few years.
Read on below to learn about my top picks, and check out my in-depth reviews of the Philips Norelco, Hatteker and Panasonic models for even more information.
Full disclosure: For me, this wasn’t a test drive of the Philips Norelco Multigroom 9000. This was more about pitting it against all the other products to see if they could dethrone my longtime favorite. With the exception of grooming newcomers, most of us know what we want in a trimmer and can tidy ourselves up in a jiffy, provided the device meets a baseline set of needs. The Multigroom 9000 exceeds those needs, and it does so with serious muscle and jaw-dropping battery life. (The brand advertises a six-hour runtime, but I clocked exactly eight hours and two minutes on my model, with solid power throughout the entire run.)
I’ve used the Philips Multigroom 9000 for years now, and when pitted against similar models it still … [+]
Multiple Attachments For Excellent Precision
The main thing that endears this tool to me is its selection of small precision-detailing heads: One is a very thin trimmer and the other an electric shaver. The former makes it so easy to zap errant hairs that sprout high up on the cheek, or even strays that refuse to be tamed, but mostly I use it to clean up the area around my mustache without worrying about trimming too much. Basically, the attachment targets individual hairs so that you can get truly precise cleanups. And as for the shaver, it’s also quite small, so once I have my beard line or mustache perimeter tidied up, I can use the head to keep it skin-level without any compromise to the surrounding hairs.
The precision-detailing shaver allows me to use it on areas of my face without any compromise to the … [+]
Versatile, Strong And Durable
My barber says that the guards on this model are so sturdy and reinforced that they are sure to deliver consistent results. There is also a wide-head electric shaver attachment for faster cleanups, which I find satisfactory but have curbed in favor of tools dedicated to this category. I wouldn’t rely on this device as a full-on electric razor, but that’s not to its detriment.
I think it is above all a terrific beard trimmer and a fairly decent body trimmer—and while it has the muscle to be a good hair clipper, I just don’t think most guys will count on it for that. You will, however, enjoy the clean lines drawn with the T-blade attachment, as well as the nose, ear and eyebrow zapping abilities of that respective head, too.
Travel-Friendly
Whenever I travel, I know this trimmer is going to maintain its power all the while, even if it’s a monthlong trip. I just toss in the device and detailer head along with my guards of choice (usually the 1mm, 2mm and 3mm to 7mm ones) and leave the charger and other heads at home.We took this on a three-week-long vacation, and between the trimming, clipping, back hair mitigation and minor shaving detail, it kept us clean all the while. And no, I didn’t even bother packing the charger.
The latest version of the Philips Norelco beard trimmer allows for plenty of customization.
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I almost didn’t include this Hatteker trimmer in the running for this roundup, perhaps having written the brand off as a low-cost internet sensation that could never compete with the big names. (It’s huge on Amazon, but I really never see it out in the wild, unlike many of the other trimmers I tested.) This is probably why I came away surprisingly impressed with this trimmer, which really hits the perfect balance between cost, performance and function. I can see why so many consumers score it so favorably.
Excellent For Clean Lines And Detailing
Above all, it cuts powerfully and has a terrific array of guard heads, including the incremental 1mm to 10mm dial head for easy, fast adjustments. Its T-blade head draws clean lines, its plastic guard heads are reinforced much better than I’d expect from a low-cost device and its detailer (while slightly wider than I’d like) is effective at the fine-tuning details around my mustache.
The Hatteker 5-in-1 Trimmer really hits the perfect balance between cost, performance and function.
The tool’s shaver attachment is too wide, however, unless you intend to use it as a full-on electric shaver (which I wouldn’t recommend, as it’s not precise enough). I prefer smaller heads of this type on these devices (like the Philips Multigroom 9000’s), because then they act more as a detailer than a shaver. (I’m one who likes to have a full-on electric razor for those needs, separate from the trimmer—with perhaps one exception being the Panasonic MultiShape tested for this article, which expertly combines both functions into a single device.) As for this Hatteker tool, I’m focused on its beard trimming capabilities, and thus I am reviewing it favorably in that regard.
Surprisingly Useful LED Display
While an LED display isn’t something I thought I needed in a trimmer, I can now say that I wish more devices had one. It’s so nice to know exactly how much time I have left on the charge or to estimate how much time is needed to finish a charging session (though this detail displays in five-minute intervals). Most devices rely on a blinking light, if anything, as an indicator of power and depletion. This wouldn’t be the main reason to buy this device, but it’s a huge perk.
Longevity Lowers Over Time
While there are a few strikes against the device’s quality, this doesn’t hamper the task at hand (at least not fresh out of the box). Even though I haven’t been using it nearly as frequently as the others on this roster, the battery dropped from 97 minutes runtime (a year ago, brand new) to 76 minutes runtime now. The battery charge time is roughly the same—57 minutes compared to 60, so I’ve got less to deduce there. And while this device still impresses me on its ability to compete against bigger names and more juiced-up trimmers, after a year of owning it, I can’t help but feel like it has a little less bite as of late.
Compared to the other trimmers I tested, the Hatteker tool clearly checks the most boxes in terms of its cost, customization and performance. For the price and for most people’s needs, I don’t hesitate to endorse Hatteker. But I do think it’s smart to pay twice as much and enjoy significantly more runtime with the Philips Norelco.
The Panasonic MultiShape is another device that nearly took the top spot. For one, its sturdy guard heads won’t be snapping or bending as it navigates your face (or body, for that matter, since it’s also a body groomer). Its battery longevity doubly exceeds the marketing claims, and its ultra-precise trimming lengths can give you the most detailed options. It’s got two guard heads in different widths, one offering 0.5mm to 20mm in half-millimeter increments, the other 0.5mm to 30mm with the same spacing. Plus, its electric shaving head could actually compete against dedicated shavers out there.
The Panasonic MultiShape can be customized to include only the attachments you need.
Customizable And Long-Lasting
I love that users can buy the attachments they actually need with this one, rather than getting stuck with a bunch of excess plastic they’ll never use. Its battery longevity doubly exceeds the marketing claims—and while you can choose between two different battery bases, I definitely recommend the lithium ion for its one-hour charge time, three-hour runtime and impressive 20-minutes of usability on three minutes of quick-charge juice.
Its ultra-precise trimming lengths can give you the most detailed options: It’s got two guard heads in different widths, one offering 0.5mm to 20mm in half-millimeter increments, and the other 0.5mm to 30mm with the same spacing. Plus, its electric shaving head could actually compete against dedicated shavers out there.
Not Ideal For Detailing Or Precision
However, there are a few key reasons that the Panasonic MultiShape didn’t take the top spot: First, because of the price tag, since it currently costs as much as $225, depending on which features you choose. (Compare this to just $75 for the Multigroom 9000.) Next, it clearly loses to the Multigroom 9000 in terms of its power and detailing; while the Panasonic MultiShape’s lithium-ion battery can compete with the Multigroom 9000’s runtime, its options for precision and detailing are essentially nonexistent (because that nose trimmer isn’t anyone’s preferred choice for snipping at strays and finessing the mustache). I hope that Panasonic plans to come out with the detailing head options that Philips Norelco currently offers, namely that tiny snipping head and a miniaturized e-shaver.
When it comes to recommending the Panasonic MultiShape and the Philips Norelco Multigroom to friends, I will forever be torn between the two—with few to no flaws each. I guess the Philips Norelco reads better on paper (and holds up across the board), but I think side by side and in hand, the Panasonic just feels like a cooler and more special purchase.
Other Beard Trimmers I Tested
I tested eight models overall, and five of them didn’t make the cut. While they were all worthy contenders, here’s why they ultimately didn’t beat out my top three winners.
Andis Slimline Pro: This is the go-to device for one of my most trusted expert sources, celebrity groomer Melissa DeZarate. It’s got muscle throughout its entire 2.5-hour run and draws brilliant lines with its fixed T-blade. It holds an 8.5-minute quick charge (on three minutes of juice), which is enough for a short tidying. However, it couldn’t beat the wider range of options and eight-hour runtime of the Multigroom 9000. Still, this one is an ace.
Bevel Pro: This one is a hair clipper and beard trimmer, and while it has serious muscle and is the best-looking device you can own, I think it lacks the detailing options needed in a singular device (at least in terms of winning a top prize in this race). I’d absolutely recommend it to professional barbers, though.
Wahl Groomsman: At $25, this is a great device for people who want to trim on a bare clip