Best electric razors and beard trimmers 2021
The best electric razor and beard trimmer are essential when it comes to maintaining your facial hair. Whether you have short stylish stubble, a full bushy beard, or simply prefer a smooth, clean look, the best electric razor and beard trimmer will ensure you can achieve this with as minimal fuss as possible.
Unsure whether you should opt for an electric razor or beard trimmer? It depends on just how much fuzz you want to remove. The best electric razors, which are also often called electric shavers are best suited to those that want a completely hair-free look.
They come in two designs; foil and rotary electric shavers. Foil electric shavers have oscillating blades located beneath a fine layer of metal with a mesh pattern (the foil essentially). When pushed against the skin, it captures the hairs in the mesh so they’re upright and can be sliced off by the blades. They’re more precise than rotary shavers but can’t handle thick or particular long hair so are better suited for those that plan to shave every day.
Meanwhile, electric rotary razors have three circular discs. The shaver should be moved in a circular motion on your face or neck to trap in angular groves on the heads, while spinning blades below slice it off. They’re easier to maneuver around the neck, jawline, and other contours of the body than foil razors, and they also cope better with thicker hair, or large amounts so will be loved by those that don’t plan on shaving every day.
So what about beard trimmers? These use a row of teeth to trap the hair while an oscillating blade slices it off. You can fit attachments to the beard trimmers head that increase the distance between the teeth and your hair enabling you to adjust the length the beard is trimmed to. They don’t provide as close a shave as electric razors so are ideal for anyone who wants to tidy up a beard rather than remove the hair completely.
The best electric razors and beard trimmers are often discounted on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so there’s no better time to buy. Last year we saw discounts of between 30% and 60% on a range of different electric razor and beard trimmer models. If you’re looking to get your hands on one of these grooming products for a record-low price then we’d recommend waiting until the day itself
However, if the electric razor or beard trimmer is a present, we’d snap up a deal as soon as you see it rather than hanging on for even lower prices. The ongoing global supply chain problems have seen shipping times increase, which may mean if you wait until the end of the month, it might not arrive in time.
With that in mind, we’ve analyzed an array of models on the market right now when it comes to price, number of blades, attachments, waterproofing, shaving gel options, portability, power, ease of cleaning, performance, and even smart features. We’ve also factored in online reviews, brand reputation, product capability, and unique features.
While we may not have had all of these products in our test labs, we have sacrificed some of our whiskers to a few of the products below, so our expert opinion will ensure you can choose the best beard trimmer or electric razor for you.
If you have particularly sensitive skin and need a shaver that’s effective while still being gentle, Philips should be your brand of choice. The 6000 series of Philips Norelco shavers comes with 72 mini SkinProtect blades designed to capture hair without scraping your skin. The blades are placed in three ComfortGlide rings that can flex in different directions to make tricky neck angles easier. You can even run it at a lower speed to prevent irritation.
We like that it lets you shave with shaving gel for even more comfort, but we wish this pricey model was fully waterproof to make cleaning (and manscaping) easier. We also wish it had a slightly longer battery life between charges, but despite those drawbacks, we love the 5-minute quick charge feature and the LED indicator that shows if you’re out of juice, if it needs a clean, or if you should replace the head.
It doesn’t bear to think about how dirty electric razors can get: clogged with hair, dead skin and unseen germs – they can be pretty hard to clean. But the S9000 Prestige line of Philips Norelco shavers has a waterproof core, meaning you can scrub it clean anytime. Some models even come with an automatic cleaning station that cleans and dries the S9000 Prestige, while lubricating the ‘NanoTech’ blades to keep them suitably sharp.
If you’re willing to pay more than double the price of the 6000 series, the S9000 Prestige series gives you pretty much every feature you could want in a rotary-style electric razor. Its head rotates in eight directions and it includes a sensor that detects your beard length, and adjusts the blades accordingly. Additionally, the razor features a handy digital display that shows the time remaining, three shaving speeds – including a “Fast” mode – and an anti-friction coating on the rings to protect your skin even further.
If you shave daily, you might prefer a more straightforward, multi-blade electric razor models as opposed to a rotary blade model. Although these shavers offer less skin protection, you do generally get a closer shave. Powerful and efficient, the Panasonic Arc5 consistently rates as one of the most popular and best electric razors around. It has a 14,000 cuts-per-minute (cpm) linear motor powering its five blades – while most razors offer four or less.
Like the Philips Prestige, it has a waterproof frame, a sensor to detect beard length, a digital LCD battery display, and a pivoting head. Unlike the Prestige, though, it’s only good for 45 minutes of battery life, but it beats it on price and its ability to pivot in 16 directions. If you trust your neck to handle just how effective the Arc5 is, it’s an easy electric razor for us to recommend.
If the idea of a close shave makes your facial skin crawl, then the BaByliss Men Super Stubble might be for you. It’s the perfect tool to sculpt your beard to a variety of different lengths, and makes maintaining designer stubble in particular a breeze. You can choose between 0.4mm to 5mm, and use the trimmer whether your beard is wet or dry as it’s 100% waterproof.
The skin-friendly comb and flexible contouring head lets the beard trimmer glide across your fuzzy visage with ease, and we’ve personally never been nicked by the blades. You don’t need to worry about being caught out mid-shave, either, as the battery lasts up to 70 minutes and has a quick-charge function to provide enough power for one shave. There’s also a large LED on the trimmer so you can see exactly how long’s left until you run out of charge.
This electric razor offers 10,000 cpm using its fancy four blade setup, and its eight-directional head can cut your hair as short as 0.05mm. The Braun Series 7 shows the benefits of this type of electric razor with its middle foil blade, which lifts up flat-lying hairs so that the other blades can clip them away. It also supposedly uses ‘smart tech’ to increase power when you’re shaving those coarser areas, but we’d need to test that ourselves. We do appreciate that you can lock the head in one direction so it doesn’t shift while you’re shaving at a tricky angle, however.
The rest of its specs match its competitors: a high price when it’s not on sale, a waterproof body and 50 minutes of shaving time. It lacks the big battery display of some other razors, but it has five different speed settings from ‘turbo’ to ‘sensitive’, making it a good choice regardless of how you feel when it comes to comfort versus power.
Braun considers this model to be one of its best electric razors, touting its titanium coating for extra-sharp shaving, 10-directional head and ergonomic handle. Interestingly, the differences between the Series 7 and 9 are smaller than you might expect. Both hit 10,000 cpm, the battery life is the same, and it also uses four blades. The Braun Series 9 actually drops the 7’s speed settings, however, it does offer a second middle foil for lifting those pesky flattened hairs, and will offer you a better shave over a shorter time span. But honestly, you’ll have to decide whether these differences are worth the extra $100 price point.
Whether you’re bald by choice or choose to shave your head, you deserve an electric razor that’s designed to leave your head smooth and free of nicks. The Remington HC4250 Shortcut Pro is a great option because of its circular rubber grip and extra-wide curved blade, both designed to easily shave your head at any angle.
It also comes with nine different-length combs so you can turn it into a beard trimmer, which gives it some added versatility. It might be a stretch too far to use it as an electric razor on your face, though, so you may need a backup. Also, while you can use it either wired or cordless, the measly 40 minute battery life means you may want to keep it plugged in. It is waterproof, though, making it easy to clean after you’ve shaved.
Philips offers an impressively versatile package with its Multigroom 7000, which comes with no less than 23 accessories. Along with the standard metal trimmer, you get a foil shaver, detail trimmer, a nose and ear trimmer, and 14 different trimming guards for hair, beard, stubble, body and eyebrows. If that wasn’t enough, it also comes with a storage container and cleaning brush. Whatever you need, you can guarantee it comes with the Multigroom 7000.
More importantly, whichever setting you use, you get five hours of battery life, which is leaps and bounds above the competition. Its stainless steel DualCut blades get great reviews from consumers for its powerful finish, regardless of your chosen facial hair length. It’s arguably one of the best beard trimmers on the market today.
If you asked your barber what shaver they use to give your hair such satisfyingly sharp angles, odds are they’ll tell you they use an Andis. Despite being a pro trimmer, it comes at a supremely affordable price for its effectiveness, compared to the more premium models.
There are admittedly some negatives to consider. It’s corded, fairly large in the hand, and it reportedly runs quite hot. You also need to oil the blades to keep them clean – pro-quality shaves and fades require proper maintenance. But the various beard trimmer attachments will keep your facial fuzz at the length you like, and even though its 7,200 cpm doesn’t match the other top beard trimmers, that number should be more than enough for most.
With this trimmer, you get the best lithium battery available today. It lasts for a reported six hours, which should potentially give you weeks of quick trims before you need to recharge. If you do need to top up the battery in a hurry, you can plug it in for just three minutes and get plenty of juice. Plug it in when you leave for work, and the green charging tech will cut off the charge when the battery is full, so you won’t impact the life of the lithium battery over time.
We’re focusing on the battery here because even though Wahl says the motor and performance has improved for this model, we don’t have much information on cpm or anything else. Reviewers say this model is nice and compact for travel, especially since you don’t need to bring the charger with you. Do keep in mind it should only be used for dry shaving, however, and it doesn’t have a battery display.
While most shavers rely on multiple cross-cutting blades to catch tiny stubble, the OneBlade attaches one blade (surprise!) to a versatile handle so it can effectively trim any length of hair. It won’t shave as closely as some of the best electric razors above, but for those who like to shave every week or two, it’ll get you trim and tidy in a matter of minutes without being too rough on your skin.
The Face & Body model comes with a second blade for those that like to keep the rest of their body hair suitably neat. Whichever model you pick, you’ll need to swap out the blade every four months to keep it sharp, a faster turnaround than most other trimmers. Nevertheless, the OneBlade will transform your mornings by making shaving that much more convenient, but it isn’t as comprehensive as other beard trimmers that we’ve listed
Maintaining a beard may be less time-consuming than everyday shaving but it also makes much more of a mess. Wahl’s vacuum trimmer cleverly solves that issue: a little vacuum sucks up the hair as you shave, and then once you’re finished you can make the opening wider (or smaller) as you clean your shaving area. It comes with a nose trimmer and guide combs, and you can check its impressive 90 minute battery life via the LED indicator.
What to consider when buying an electric razor or beard trimmer
When selecting the best beard trimmer or electric razor for you, there are a number of aspects that should be considered before plumping for a particular model
Start by thinking about whether you want to defuzz your face completely or just want to tidy up the hair. This will ensure you can decide whether an electric razor or beard trimmer is best suited to the job in hand.
When it comes to electric razors, you’ll need to select between a foil or rotary razor. Foil razors are more precise but can’t handle large amounts of hair, while rotary razors are better for thicker hair and are easier to maneuver around contours of the face.
If you’ve opted for a beard trimmer, consider the attachments it comes with, and whether it can cut your beard to the length you order. If you plan on trimming hair elsewhere on your body, look for models that are versatile enough to offer this.
It’s also important to consider whether you want a cordless or corded model. If you plump for battery power consider how long the battery will last and how quickly the grooming appliance will take to recharge. Finally look for models that are waterproof for easy cleaning, and to ensure you can shave in the shower if that’s what you prefer.
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