6 Best Beard Trimmers (2026): Full Beards, Hair, Stubble

A beard grows about a millimeter every two or three days – an average of an eighth of an inch per week. So testing a beard trimmer can take a long time.

In general, we test each beard trimmer once the beard has grown enough for a good trim – using at least two cutting lengths. Weight and balance matter, and the ability of the blade to reach awkward areas around the neck also matters. We examine the trimmer’s ability to function as a shaver, whether it’s baldness or the neck.

Our testers check how well-built and easy to use any attachment is, and we verify manufacturer claims about battery life and power. We also check with professional haircutters, specifically to verify durability and reliability claims between brands and models.

Tester Matthew Korfage has raven hair and an angry temper, and his mind also appears to be different. Tester Andrew Williams has a relatively well-groomed beard, with a straight growing beard. We’ve tried to reflect any potential issues in our reviews – for example, battling thick hair, so you can be sure of the best possible trim with the least amount of effort. And we can also run a blade through a horsehair broom to test the power of the motor and the possibility of it breaking down when faced with a dense, full beard.

To select the beard trimmers worth testing in the most recent round of testing, I consulted several barbers in Philadelphia and Portland, Oregon, as well as recommendations from employees at hair supply stores. I consulted several guides from other reviewers, including industry publications for barbers as well as other specialty sites devoted to beards and trimmers. And quite simply, some names have earned their good reputation. A new model from Wahl, Philips Norelco, Panasonic, or Andis will almost always be worth testing.

Some beard trimmers were sent by manufacturers as review models; Others I bought and spent. Our reviewers put top beard trimmer models to the test for durability and comparative testing, often over the course of years, and re-test battery life and performance during that time.

Here’s some help in choosing the right features to accentuate your face.

• Ceramic vs Steel Blade: Ceramic blades may retain their sharpness better than steel, but the smaller teeth of premium beard trimmer blades are made of stainless steel.
• barrel control: Some beard trimmers have on-device twist controls. For easy living, choose one with minimal attachments. But there may be a compromise in accuracy and additional cumbersomeness. Such dial trimmers also add failure points to the guard.
• Ni-MH vs Li-ion: Avoid trimmers with excessively long charge times and trimmers that use older nickel-metal-hydride batteries. They do not hold their charge for as long as lithium-ion.
• Waterproof? Trimming a beard in the shower isn’t as precise a process as wet shaving, but a water-resistant design lets you wash your trimmer under the tap with confidence.
• USB Charging: It took a very long time, but USB charging cables for beard trimmers have now become fairly standard, often in addition to the proprietary charging port. A major bonus for travel.
• Small vs Big Teeth: Larger blade teeth can cut through thicker, denser hair, but smaller teeth allow for a closer, more precise hair cut. The latter is exemplified by the Philips OneBlade family.
• Wide vs Narrow Blade: Hair trimmers have a wider blade surface than beard trimmers. The narrow style of the beard trimmer offers more control with minimal time loss for those with short facial hair.
• Do the blades need replacing? Use blade oil (often included) to prevent rusting, and the blades should last for years. However, the trimmer-shaver hybrid Philips OneBlade will require more regular replacement.
• vacuum? Some beard trimmers have a vacuum feature, which can avoid trimming hair all over the place. It’s often a gimmick, but it’s a gimmick for a reason: beard trimming is the worst. We will add coverage of beard hair vacuums in future coverage.

Well, you’ve seen it. You have lived it. Each beard trimmer’s charger is a slightly different size, which is incompatible with all other chargers. Speaking as a reviewer of trimmers, this is frustrating – testing trimmers against each other requires me to keep things straight and disassemble countless types of chargers. The charger is lost, and you have to secure a replacement (or declare it inconvenient to do so, and replace the trimmer.) Corporate conspiracy! Grift!

Well, yes and no. Proprietary charging cables are certainly one of the classic methods that manufacturers have used to increase profits and decrease convenience, whether by selling multiple cords to the same person or by increasing the likelihood that customers will purchase a new device. This was the inspiration behind the much-publicized European law that forced small electronics manufacturers (including Apple) to standardize charging cables and reduce waste.

But at least in the case of beard trimmers, manufacturers actually have good reason to stay away from USB-C. The USB-C format doesn’t like water very much, and small amounts of moisture can cause shorts. Although you can reduce the risk with silicone flaps and the like, USB-C ports aren’t ideal for things you take into the shower; Hence the abundance of two-pin beard trimmer connectors whose ports are carefully insulated from each other.

Could these waterproof connectors also be standardized through European parliamentary action, as has been done for laptop and iPhone chargers? Sure! Perhaps But this did not happen. So for now, until wireless charging becomes standard, get used to a bunch of weird cord shapes. For now, USB-C charging is often the hallmark of budget trimmers with short warranties.