10 Best Beard Trimmers On The Market in 2018

While operating an electric trimmer isn’t rocket science it does take practice and patience if you’re to learn the proper use of the different attachments. Here are some questions guys typically have when they’re contemplating the purchase of an electric trimmer.

Q: What’s The Best Beard Trimmer?

A: Among the top products in any line it’s very difficult to absolutely say this is better than that. (Is a Ferrari better than a Lamborghini?) That said if we had no choice but to pick one trimmer today (an ideal mens gift & Christmas Gift), the consensus of our experts would be to pick the Panasonic ER-GB40S. It feels as good as it looks and it works as good as it feels.

Beard Trimmers vs. Hair Clippers

Do you have your own hair clippers laying around somewhere? Nobody needs to go to the barber shop when they can just cut it on their own, right? If you’ve ever been to the barber and had them touch-up your beard while you were in the big chair, then you may remember them switching tools. After all, it’s a hair clipper versus a beard trimmer. The difference is as plain to see as the titles.

Hair clippers have a similar look to beard trimmers, from the size, style and casing, it all looks the same. So what’s the difference? Let’s take a look under the hood.

Hair clippers have longer blades. After all, they had more to cut through, while a beard trimmer has shorter blades to focus on acute details. Your hair trimmers may still be useful if you look in the mirror, and can’t tell yourself apart from ZZ Top or Gandalf, and you want to cut away some major hair before smacking on the finer details. All in all, beard trimmers are your precision instrument of magnificent bearditude, and make the difference between a finely-pruned masterpiece, or a scruffy trashcan fire-looking face rag.

Q: Can I Use a Beard Trimmer to Trim Armpit, Body, and Pubic Hair?

A: We’ll address these concerns in individual order. If you’re looking for the short answer, it’s no - you absolutely cannot do that. If you’re strapped for time (and money) and you’re about to chill while watching Netflix, hey, beggars can’t be choosers, but you should have a separate tool for those, and here’s why:

For Pit Hair

Whichever way you sway, it’s safe to say that both sexes don’t particularly care for body hair on a guy. Most men don’t even like having pit hair, if they can avoid it. With men, we’re not hardwired to have hair removed from various parts of our body. DNA suggests that we go wolf-man, and call it a day. With a beard trimmer, you’re going to get snagged a bit on your pit hair. It’s drier, and more coarse than beard hair. That means it’s going to get stuck, and sting like a bitch. On top of that, it’s not going to leave it smooth - it could mess-up a pore, and end up being sensitive for 12-24 hours on average.

For Body Hair

Back, belly, bulging biceps or the butt, there’s hair everywhere on you, and you want it gone. You’re not alone. There’s plenty of us who are sick and tired of having body hair in the most unattainable places. It adds to being self-conscious when a lady friend comes on over, and doesn’t help with the confidence when you’re on a date with your ideal sexual candidate. Beard trimmer models are not designed to treat body hair for the same reason as the pits: it snags. You want the smoothest trim possible, while avoiding red bumps and irritability. We wouldn’t recommend a beard trimmer for a close-cut, Calvin Klein shave, so we wouldn’t recommend it for the rest of the body, either.

You may find our guide to the best head shavers or body groomers useful to help with body hair.

For Pubic Hair

Need we say more? Red bumps, irritation, and uneven regrowth are all reasons to avoid using a beard trimmer on the twig and berries. It’s not going to allow smooth hair to grow in its place; it will essentially be a hodgepodge. For this, you need a specific tool

Things To Look For When Buying A Beard Trimmer

Most men don’t have much idea what to look for when purchasing their first electric trimmer. In order to help clarify things for you we’ve compiled a brief list of things you’ll want to look for/keep in mind so that you wind up with the reliable, high-quality beard trimmer you want.

Battery life – In recent years a lot of manufacturers have begun sourcing their batteries from countries and companies whose quality control is, let’s say, questionable to be kind. On the other hand some manufacturers have embraced the Lithium-ion battery that is generally more dependable, charges faster and holds a charge better than old fashioned rechargeable batteries. So things seem to be moving in the right direction overall.

To cord or not to cord? – Is it smarter to go completely cordless, or choose a trimmer that offers both cordless and corded operation? For our money, we’ll take the dual powering option every time. If you’re looking at a slightly lower budget, however, you’ll be given mostly corded options. Here’s how to make your lifestyle decision based on corded, or cordless.

1. Be certain to think ahead for business trips. We all know that beards and suits just rock together (thank you ZZ Top), but unkept beards that just look wild and frizzy make you look a bit, well, wild and frizzy. If you know that you’re landing and heading straight to a hotel, you’ll be fine with a corded trimmer. However, if you’re landing and going straight from the airport to your task-at-hand, you’ll need a cordless.

2. Travelling overseas? If you’re going for a ten-day business or leisure trip, you’re probably going to need to tighten up that shave. You can’t just bring your corded trimmer with you—it’s not going to work. While many airport terminals in other countries have adapter kits, it’s always highway robbery. You’ll do best with a cordless trimmer here, since most don’t require another charge for up to a month if they’re used on a daily basis.

3. You’re energy conservative, and you just don’t want to rack up a big electric bill. Using a cordless trimmer is about ten times better for the environment, and your energy consumption. One charge of your lithium-ion battery lasts you ages, so it’s as if you’re only using your trimmer once per month as far as your electricity bill is concerned. Not only that, but how often do we all forget to unplug things when we’re done? Leaving anything plugged in when not in use costs you snippets of electricity here and there. You just can’t make that mistake with a cordless one.

Build quality – Try to avoid a trimmer that is entirely plastic if possible. Look for a trimmer with high-quality, self-sharpening stainless steel blades, a dependable battery and a range of extensions.

Ease of maintenance – If at all possible you want an electric trimmer that’s fully waterproof and can be cleaned up by simply holding it under the faucet for a minute. Anything else is a waste of time and money.

Buy a name you recognize – There are a plethora of electric trimmer manufacturers these days including many you’ve never heard of before and many copycats with names that sound familiar but actually aren’t. Stick with any of the brand names on the above list and you should be fine. Even if the trimmer disappoints you’ll likely still get your money back.

If you’re still unsure which electric trimmer is right for you ask your barber for advice. They’re familiar with most of the different trimmers on the market and will usually give you a reliable recommendation, or at least tell you in more detail what to look or look out for.

Q: How Do I Trim My Beard?

A: Buying a beard trimmer doesn’t immediately ensure you’ll have that smooth-looking, epic beard of dreams. You have to know how to use it first. Right now, you’re holding a paintbrush, but you’ve never painted before - let’s make you into an artist.

#1 Comb It First

Use a designated beard comb to get any knots out, and try to get that hair as straight as possible before bringing the face mower through it. If you trim it the way it is, you’re going to be left with a lopsided, awkward-looking beard. You may not notice it right away, but after your next shower, you’ll quickly be able to see your follies.

#2 Majestic Viking Beard Shape

Google any image of a badass beard, and you’re going to notice something: it thins out the further up it goes (on the sides, that it). The sideburn area is only an inch of hair, while it gradually cone-shapes outward to seamlessly blend into the rest of the beard. If you’ve opened your beard trimmer kit and are wondering, “Why did they give me so many beard trimmer heads?” then you’re not alone. The manufacturers know something that you didn’t up until now - how to get the perfect shape to your beard.

#3 Use the Oil

Many of us have discredited the 1.2oz bottle of oil that comes with our trimmers and clippers, but they’re infinitely important to maintaining the integrity of your beard trimmer. Using the same trick as the air dry method for cleaning, you’ll want to put the oil on your beard trimmer blades, and run it for 5-10 seconds. This is going to integrate the oil, and protect your blades in the process. 

#4 The Other Kind of Oil

If you’re going to use beard oil, good on you, mate. It’s extremely helpful to maintaining a prim and proper beard look throughout the day. If you’re going to apply this, don’t do it before using your beard trimmer. The oil you use for the blades is vastly different from the oil you’re using on your beard, and they won’t mix well. Always use your beard oil post-shave. It may seem like a time-saving life hack to put it on beforehand, but it’s just going to cause problems.

#5 Avoiding Bumps and Acne

Acne isn’t just a teen’s issue, anymore. With all the crap we eat and the environment we’re exposed to, our skin is under constant attack. Putting your beard trimmer away in a safe storage space isn’t just good at preventing you from knocking it off the bathroom sink - it’s going to shield it from bacteria. When you put your beard trimmer to your chin mane, you want to keep it clean.

Q: How do I Keep My Beard Trimmer Clean?

A: Beards can be just as unhygienic as pubic hair after a twelve-hour work day and a run around the block. It’s super important to keep it clean, and for that, you need a clean, hygienic tool at your disposal. There are three main ways to keep your beard hair trimmer clean to protect yourself from grime, and your tool from degradation.

#1: The Alcohol Wipe Method

Alcohol kills germs; that’s a fact. If you don’t have a little supply of alcohol wipes in your home already, you’re doing it wrong. Whether you have to snag them from your first aid kit or not, using an alcohol wipe is the best possible way to kill germs and keep your beard trimmer quite hygienic. Now, there comes the issue of getting those little annoying flecks of hair out of between the blades. Use the edge of the square-shaped towelette to clean between the blades, and in hard-to-reach areas.

#2: The Air Dry Method 

Most beard trimmers are going to come with a detachable razor head. Pop-off the head of your beard trimmer, and run it under piping hot water for 10-15 seconds. It’s not only going to kill the germs/bacteria/skin cells on the razor head, but it’s going to get in between all those steel blades. Now, before you shout at me about rust, understand that most beard trimmers come with rust-resistant stainless steel blades. To stick on the side of caution, we’re not going to take any risks. Dab the head of it dry, put it back on the body, and run it for 5-10 seconds. This is going to get any remaining debris out, and force off water droplets. Detach and place the head on a paper towel, and let it dry for an hour or so before reapplying it to the beard trimmer body.

#3: The Dry Method

This is the least recommended, but it works completely fine. If you want a low maintenance experience, simply use a dry paper towel (bonus points if you have a designated microfiber rag for this), and simply dust-off all hair particles and debris. Your beard trimmer will be returned to its fresh-out-of-the-package glory, and you’ll be all set to put it back in the case/on the shelf.

Beard Trimmer Attachments

We all have different tastes when it comes to our own facial hair. Some of us can rock the big, bushy beard, while others just can’t do it—either way, you want to keep it trimmed to your perfect style, which is why you’ll need a kit with all the fixings. For instance, our writer shaves twice per week on the 5^th size trimmer. He can rock about an inch or two of facial hair, but after that, it just looks wrong on him. The attachments matter, or else our editor wouldn’t be able to keep his mustache so tidy. Here’s what you need to know:

The multiple sizes you get for your guards matter a great deal. It’s not as simple as just applying one, shaving, and being done with it. Every face shape is different, every stylistic choice is different. You could end up using two or three of these per shaving sessions to keep your perfect beard. In some cases, a guy will use the 2^ndguard for his sideburn area, the 3^rd guard for his mustache, and the 4^th or 5^th for his actual beard. This keeps everything looking styled instead of just trimmed. Find out what works for you, but don’t dispel these guards as a vital part of your shaving kit.

Nose hair trimmers—no, you don’t have to purchase a brand new nose hair trimmer. Most electric beard trimmer kits are going to come with these attachments, so you don’t have to worry. Simply pop off the head of your beard trimmer, attach this, and voila! You’ll be able to keep your nose hairs from poking out. Nose hairs do actually serve a purpose, and your beard trimmer brand has this in mind. Nose hair trimmers don’t obliterate every nose hair, but they trim them down to the most manageable levels. Nose hairs are designed to catch harmful things that we inhale, so they’re necessary, but we don’t have to see them when we look in the mirror.

The detailer is one of the most useful secretive weapons in your arsenal. We’re men—hair pops up everywhere. How many of you have noticed little hairs poking up between your eyebrows? Or better yet, between the edges of your eyebrows and your hair line? (Add both of these together, and you have what’s called a helmet strap.) This miniature, fine-toothed devil is going to take care of all the areas that need precision. Perhaps you’re keeping a specific angle on your cheek hair, or your sideburns are pencil-drawn. Either way, you’ll find a few uses for the detailer tool that will immediately compliment your style.

Blades In Your Beard Trimmer

When it comes down to the wire, the type of blade that’s in your trimmer matters a great deal. You don’t want 99% of your trimmer to be awesome, being the grip, side, and all that—you want the part that matters to do the job right, and for that, you need a stainless steel blade in your trimmer. Now, most models come with stainless steel trimmers, so you don’t have to be super on the lookout or anything, but it’s a good thing to check out before you hit checkout.

Stainless steel blades are almost impervious to rusting (though you’ll find some accounts online of stainless steel blades gathering rust, it’s at the cost of how the owner cares for their trimmer). If you maintain your trimmer, such as not leaving it in the liquidity of your shower caddy, and being sure to empty out the bits of hair that get trapped underneath from time to time, you should only have to replace your electric beard trimmer blade once every six months. Now then, that’s for the closest and most flawless shave possible. It’s a huge precautionary step, but if you’re looking for low-maintenance, you can simply replace this once every year and it will operate just as well.

Conclusion

The electric trimmer is an important grooming tool for any man, making maintenance of their facial hair simple and convenient and producing attractive results that promote healthy skin at the same time. When shopping for an electric trimmer just keep in mind that there are scores of knockoffs out there hoping to snag your precious hard-earned money so stick to the name brands purchased from reliable retailers like Amazon in order to minimize the risk of being stuck with a lemon.