6 Best Beard Trimmer (2026): Full Beards, Hair, Beards

A beard grows about a millimeter every two or three days—an eighth of an inch a week, on average. So testing beard trimmers can take a long time.

Generally, we test each beard trimmer when the beard has grown enough to trim properly—using at least two cutting lengths. Weight and balance are important, as is the ability of the blade to reach unusual places on the neck. We test the trimmer’s ability to work as a shaver, whether balding or neck.

Our testers check how well made and easy to use any attachments are, and we verify the manufacturer’s claims about battery life and power. We also test professional hairdressers, especially to verify durability and reliability claims between brands and models.

Inspector Matthew Korfhage has rough and angry hair, with a mind of his own. Inspector Andrew Williams has a full beard, with stubble growing straight. We have tried to show any possible problems—for example, fighting with dense bristles—in our reviews, so you can be sure of the best cut with the least effort. And we might as well run the blade through a horsehair broom, to test the motor’s power and its chances of stabbing against a thick, full beard.

To select the barbers to be tested in the latest rounds of testing, I contacted a number of barbers in Philadelphia and Portland, Oregon, as well as recommendations from staff at barbershops. I’ve seen a number of guides by other reviewers, including industry publications for barbers and other specialized beard and groomer sites. And quite simply, some names have earned themselves a good reputation. A new model from Wahl, Philips Norelco, Panasonic, or Andis will almost always be worth checking out.

Some beard trimmers were sent by manufacturers as review models; I bought some and paid for the expenses. Our reviewers keep top beard trimmer models for durability and testing for comparison, often over the years, and re-evaluate battery life and performance during that time.

Here’s some help in choosing the right fuzz features for your face.

• Ceramic versus metal braces: Ceramic blades can hold their sharpness better than steel, but the small teeth of primer trimmer blades are usually made of stainless steel.
• Control bins: Some beard trimmers have built-in twist controls. For an easier life, choose one with smaller attachments. But there can be a trade-off for accuracy and increased sensitivity. Such dialing also adds a point of failure to the repair counter.
• Ni-MH versus Li-ion: Avoid rectifiers with very long charging times and those that use old nickel-metal-hydride batteries. They don’t hold their charge as long as lithium-ion.
• Waterproof? Shaving in the shower isn’t as straightforward a process as wet shaving, but the water-resistant design allows you to rinse your trimmer under the tap with confidence.
• USB charging: It took a long time, but USB charging cables for beard trimmers are now standard, usually above the proprietary charging ports. A huge bonus for travel.
• Small and large teeth: Larger teeth can cut through thick, dense hair, but smaller teeth allow for a closer, more precise cut. The latter was demonstrated by the Philips OneBlade family.
• Wide vs. narrow blade: Hair trimmers have a wider range than beard trimmers. The tapered style of trimming the beard gives more control, with less time wasted for those with short facial hair.
• Do the blades need to be replaced? Use blade oil (usually included) to prevent rust, and the blades should last for years. The trimmer-shaver hybrid Philips OneBlade will require regular replacement, however.
• Vacuum? Some beard trimmers have a vacuum feature, to avoid clipping hair everywhere. It’s often a gimmick, but it’s a gimmick for a reason: The beard trim is terrible. We will be adding coverage of beard hair vacuums in the future.

OK, you’ve seen it. You have lived. Each beard trimmer charger has a unique shape, it is not compatible with all other chargers. Speaking as a reviewer of chargers, it’s amazing—it requires me to stay focused and differentiate between different chargers when testing chargers against each other. You lose the charger, and you have to get a replacement (or declare it wrong to do so, and replace it with a fixed one.) Business conspiracy! Grift!

Yes, yes and no. Proprietary charging cables are of course one of the classic ways manufacturers have used to increase profits and reduce convenience, whether by selling more cables to one person or increasing the likelihood that customers will buy a new device. This was the impetus behind a very strict European law that forced small electronics manufacturers (including Apple) to standardize charging cables and reduce waste.

But at least in the case of grooming, manufacturers actually have a good reason to shy away from USB-C. The USB-C format does not like water very much, and small amounts of moisture can cause shorts. While you can mitigate the risk with silicone flaps and the like, USB-C ports are still not suitable for shower enclosures; that’s why most of the two beard connectors have their ports carefully sealed from each other.

Is it possible that these waterproof connectors could be sealed by an act of the European parliament, as portable chargers and iPhones have been? Of course! Maybe! But this has not happened yet. So for now, get used to a bunch of funny cable shapes until wireless charging becomes mainstream. Currently, USB-C charging is often the hallmark of budget chargers with short warranties.