9 Best Beard Trimmers of 2023

By: Ethan Brehm Updated: Jan 03, 2023

The perfect beard can be the determining factor in looking like a baby-faced college freshman or a rugged rebel with a heart of gold. Beards are always in style whether you’re sporting a five o’clock shadow, a variation on the bushy urban lumberjack, or anything in between. However, it’s important to take care of the landscape, and in order to do so, you’ll need the right beard trimmer.

However you decide to sculpt your facial hair, you will need a quality device to keep it on point. A trimmer will help you maintain a consistent length, snip some strays for a cleaner look, or detail the outer edge. You may want to stick to your go-to trim for most of the year, which is understandable, but the right unit will also allow you to experiment with different looks every now and then to keep things fresh. Growing a beard will give you a refined, bold look, but you don’t want it to get out of hand or you’ll end up looking like a caveman. To help you decide what to spend your money on, we’ve compiled a guide to the best beard trimmers available.

What To Consider

Quality Construction

Before giving you our picks, we should tell you what aspects you should be looking out for when picking your go-to electric razor. Here are some things to consider:

Heft Some trimmers are going to be lighter in your hand than others, which can affect performance and increase your chances of slipping up. If you’re using a blade that has a penchant for snagging, a heavier build will keep your hand steadier and in control better.

Usage If you’re just using a trimmer to touch up stubble, you’ll be looking for much different qualifications than if you’re trying to shape your beard entirely. Some users will be perfectly satisfied with fewer length options, while others should want some versatility in their trimmer. Additionally, many units offer attachments such as nose hair trimmers and detailers that can help with stray hairs and cleaner lines in hard-to-reach places such as above the ears.

Battery Life If you travel frequently, you might want to consider buying a trimmer with a longer battery life. If you happen to forget your charger at home, this can save you from walking into a business conference or meeting looking less than desirable. Likewise, there are some blades out there that let you conserve power if you’re in a pinch.

Waterproofness/Cleaning Whether you prefer to shave in the shower or simply want an easier way to clean your blade, buying a waterproof trimmer is definitely something to be on the lookout for. Stainless steel blades are also typically used for rinsing off under a sink since they won’t rust.

Styling Your Beard

Tips To Managing Your Facial Hair

Before we get into some of the best beard trimmers available, let’s take a little bit of time to discuss styling your facial hair.

Beard Shape Use your face shape to dictate how to style your beard so you can accentuate your best features. If you have more of a square face, you’ll want to grow your beard downward to create a distinct profile. For those with round faces, you’ll want to keep your beard long, trimming the sides to highlight the length, achieving a leaner look. And if you have more of a defined jawline with a triangular shape, you’ll want to keep your beard short and neat.

Cleaning Up No matter what length you keep your beard, you should trim it down a couple of notches right below the jawline and cut it down a little shorter around your Adam’s apple to form a fade. Keep your face clean and shave any stray hairs on your cheeks and around your neck, following the natural perimeter of your beard.

Using Products For a smooth shave, use oil or gel, but try to stay away from ones that lather so you can clearly see the work you’re doing. You can even grow out your beard and head to a quality barbershop to observe how a professional will cut and trim your facial hair. While you’re in the chair, don’t forget to ask questions about the trimming process, as your barber probably won’t mind sharing some expert tips to help keep your beard looking its best.

The Picks

Quality Trimmers

Panasonic ER-GB80

Best Overall: Balancing price point and performance, Panasonic’s ER-GB80 gets the job done, whether you have stubble or a long beard. With 39 trim length settings using a trio of comb attachments and a quick-adjust dial, the trimmer uses hypoallergenic stainless steel blades for easy cleaning and has a travel lock so it doesn’t accidentally turn on in your suitcase and burn away precious battery life.

It may take an hour to fully charge, but an accompanying cord allows you to shave when plugged in as well. A slide-up precision trimmer can also be used for fine-tuning your mustache or sideburns.

Panasonic ER-GB80

The best of the bunch.

Pros

Waterproof
39 length options
Slide-up precision trimmer

Cons

Purchase: $85

King C. Gillette Cordless

Best Beginner Trimmer: Utilizing Braun blade technology, the King C. Gillette’s Cordless trimmer is an excellent beginner unit, especially for those who don’t want to shell out a hundred bucks on something they’ve never done before.

The next level up from the ubiquitous-to-a-fault Philips Norelco OneBlade, this system comes with three comb attachments and has five adjustable built-in settings for eleven total length options. Although it’s not waterproof, the blade head is washable.

King C. Gillette Cordless

A solid budget pick for new groomers.

Pros

Hightly affordable
Easy to use

Cons

Not waterproof
Takes 10 hours to charge

Purchase: $35

Braun Series XT5200

Best Mid-Level Trimmer: The Braun Series XT5200 isn’t a perfect trimmer, but for the price tag, you can’t really beat it. The straightforward usability is reminiscent of the aforementioned OneBlade with its travel-friendly construction, but with notably higher quality.

With a blade meant to last up to 6 months of consistent use, the trimmer sports 4D-Blade technology, featuring a flat head that can shave on the top, bottom, and side, allowing for a back-and-forth glide that may help to prevent any snagging. For more traditional shaving, you can also attach four different-length guards for your face, and two for your body.

Braun Series XT5200

A user-friendly, all-in-one blade.

Pros

Long-lasting blade
Good for travel
Can be used on your body as well

Cons

Not a lot of length options

Purchase: $50

Remington MB4700 Smart Beard Trimmer

Best for Stubble: Just because you don’t want a long beard doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a quality razor. The Remington MB4700 Smart Beard Trimmer is a straightforward unit with up and down touchscreen arrows to adjust the 175 different length settings by 0.1mm increments — perfect for fine-tuning well-balanced stubble.

If you’re the type of person who keeps his style for months (or years) at a time, the Smart Trimmer also stores your previously-used setting for next time. Additionally, there’s a cord or cordless option, and its blade is washable for super easy cleanup.

Remington MB4700 Smart Beard Trimmer

An affordable trimmer with tons of length options.

Pros

Well-priced
175 length settings

Cons

Not waterproof

Purchase: $70

Brio Blackout Beardscape V1

Best for Travel: When traveling, you want a trimmer that performs enough to ensure you look good no matter what and that won’t die on you when you need it most. Using ceramic blades over stainless steel, which are quieter and 4 times harder, the Brio Blackout Beardscape V1 has an incredibly long battery life, which is visible on the display.

Likewise, the RPM adjuster allows you to increase the battery life without affecting your performance much. Despite all the bells and whistles, this Brio model is shockingly user-friendly and versatile, with eight length guards from 1mm to 18mm and built-in height adjustment (1mm to 1.9mm) for fine-tuning stubble.

Brio Blackout Beardscape V1

A highly-versatile trimmer with an insanely long battery life.

Pros

Super quiet
Very long battery life
Speed is adjustable to conserve battery
Versatile for any beard type

Cons

Purchase: $105

Wahl Elite Pro Clipper Kit

Best Corded Trimmer: Cordless trimmers are great, but many of them won’t work while charging. So if you’re worried about the battery dying mid-shave and having to go through the rest of your day looking insane, opt for a traditional unit.

For a barber feel at home, grab yourself the Wahl Elite Pro Clipper Kit, featuring 10 combs, each with large, easy-to-read size numbers. Meanwhile, the self-sharpening stainless steel blades go from 0.5mm to 2.4mm and claim to cut hair 40% faster than your average professional-grade trimmer. Likewise, the industrial strength 8ft XL cord gives you more power than a standard cable.

Wahl Elite Pro Clipper Kit

Powerful corded unit for a barbershop feel at home.

Pros

Don’t have to rely on battery life
8ft cord
More powerful than average corded unit

Cons

Not waterproof

Purchase: $60

Wahl Aqua Blade

Best Showerproof: Although a lot of trimmers are waterproof, the Wahl Aqua Blade is the best bet for those who prefer to touch up their goatees in the shower because it’s actually built for such a task. Sporting an ergonomic rubber grip that stays locked in your hand, especially when wet, this trimmer also comes with a wide range of guard lengths and three attachments for super-fine tuning.

The lithium-ion battery will last for months before recharging, but if you need to finish the job mid-shave, a quick-charge feature gives you 5 more minutes after only 3 minutes of being plugged in.

Wahl Aqua Blade

Perfect grippy trimmer for the shower.

Pros

Ergonomic no-slip handle
Long-lasting battery

Cons

Purchase: $70

Philips Norelco Beardtrimmer 7300

Best Vacuum Trimmer: Whoever shares a bathroom sink with you will thank you for switching to a vacuum trimmer. The 7300 from Philips Norelco is easily the best of the bunch, not only for its 18 built-in length settings (visible on the display screen), building off the brand’s top-tier construction but for the integrated system that collects your hair for you into a mini waste bin.

A turbo boost option gives you a higher cutting speed for quicker jobs and a travel lock prevents any battery life from being drained in transit. Speaking of battery life, the 7300 can last 75 minutes on a 1-hour charge and can also be used corded as well.

Philips Norelco Beardtrimmer 7300

Remove the hairy mess with this vacuum trimmer.

Pros

Vacuum makes cleanup easier
Solid battery life
Good for travel

Cons

Not waterproof

Purchase: $60

Bevel Pro with Pro T-Blade

Best Upgrade: It might be hard for most people to justify spending $300 on a trimmer, but the Bevel Pro is arguably the best option regardless of price. This super expensive, all-in-one device features the wider T-Blade guard for quicker, cleaner trims. Using incredibly strong magnets that won’t come off during use, the modular attachments snap on and off with ease.

Going up to 2.5mm in 0.1mm increments prior to any guards being attached, the fine-tuning length size is clearly visible on the LED display and the blades themselves are stainless steel with graphite coating for longevity and easy cleanup.