Customization: Not every beard style requires a 25-piece kitchen sink accessory set, and often you can save a few dollars—or get a better trimmer—by being honest with yourself about what your beard needs really are. At the most basic, you want adjustable guides, a tool for clean lines, and a foil shaver for smooth skin (if you don’t have a true shaver in your grooming arsenal already). Beyond that, you’re somewhere between future proofing—maybe you will grow a longer beard—and overkill. “Make sure if you’re upgrading, you’re investing in features that are relevant to you and how you will use it,” Clark advises. “The key is to ensure your tool is proficient, efficient, and powerful. From there you can research the additional features offered and if they apply to how you will use your tool.”
Battery life: You’ll want a couple hours at least, though in this case, more is truly more. “Long battery life means consistent use and even being able to travel without a charger,” says Clark. I charge my Philips Norelco Multigroom 9000, maybe once or twice a year, despite it being used weekly by myself and my partner. The company claims it ges six hours of battery life, but I’ve tested mine at 17 hours when it was new. That also means the beard trimmer should last longer, since batteries tend to be a real weak point for tech longevity. (Just ask anyone with a two-year-old iPhone.)
Warranty: A warranty tends to be less a guarantee of functionality for the given duration than it is a symbol of how much trust the manufacturer puts in its product. That’s because no warranty—whether it’s eight years or five years or only two—covers damage from all the ways a trimmer is more likely to kick the bucket: because you dropped it on tile floors, or let the blade rust, or water slipped inside the motor and shorted it out. A store’s return policy is probably more crucial, in case you get the product and hate it immediately.
How We Test Beard Trimmers
I’ve been a grooming editor since 2013, and I’m constantly testing products, including the best (and not-quite-best) beard trimmers, shavers, and hair clippers (as well as skin, hair, and hygiene products). My favorite is (and has been, since 2021) the Philips Norelco Multigroom, and I use that beard trimmer as my measuring stick for other beard trimmers across factors like customization, cost, durability, power, ease of use, and more.
As a longtime professional reviewer, I often test products before they come to market. Given beard trimmers are products that should last for 5-to-10 years, I’m conservative in my approach. There are plenty of innovations, but many reinvent the wheel in a way we don’t actually need. I’ll keep testing beard trimmers, month after month, and I’ll be eager to let you know if something new impresses me enough to make it onto GQ’s best beard trimmers list.
Your Beard Trimmer FAQs, Answered
What is the best beard trimmer?
There’s no denying: The Philips Norelco Multigroom 9000 is the best beard trimmer you can buy these days. If its $90 price tag is too steep, the baby-brother Multigroom 5000 is a solid fallback. It’s not shower-proof, has a shorter warranty (five years to the 9000’s eight years), has a plastic body instead of steel, and comes with a few less attachments. But at $40, it gets the basics done nearly as well as it’s pricier sibling.
Can you use a beard trimmer to cut head hair?
Beard trimmers are not meant to be used as hair clippers, since clippers require much more power to cut through thicker patches of hair. However, some beard trimmers have the muscle to multitask, and they’ll proudly hype that skill—usually by declaring the work for “beard and head” or similar language. We usually verify those claims against product reviews, too. And frankly, we’d probably just opt to buy a dedicated hair trimmer (you can find our roundup of the best hair trimmers here), especially if you’ll be using it often.
Which beard trimmer do barbers use?
The professional barber interviewed for this article recommends using the Philips Norelco Multigroom for all sorts of needs—not just beard trimming. The celebrity groomer we interviewed relies on the Andis Slimline Pro to draw clean lines and manage her A-list clients ahead of photo shoots, awards shows, and movie premieres.
About Our Experts
Emily Clark is Head of Education at Fellow Barber and a Senior Barber at Fellow’s SoHo NYC barbershop.
Melissa DeZarate is a celebrity groomer whose clients include Matt Damon, Kenan Thompson, Matt Bomer, and Taika Waititi.
