The Best Beard Trimmers Will Keep Your Scruff Shaped Up

Melting behind your beard? Partner said it's either them or the scruff? You're looking for the best beard trimmer—why else wouldn't you let those whiskers get wild? No matter the beard length or the status of your current facial hair situation, there's no way to keep it looking primo with anything but an excellent beard trimmer—many of which you can easily snag on Amazon. The right one for you is probably the right one for most people: It'll have all the power it needs to hack through the hedges growing on your mug, and it'll make sure you can line yourself up better than your barber.

We tested a bunch of beard trimmers—ones that are corded, electric shavers, rechargeable options—to deliver you a real who’s who of men’s grooming superstars. In doing so, we came up with a list of the best trimmers for dealing with every nick and pull, to find the ones worth keeping in your medicine cabinet. And for added peace of mind, we even reached out to some beard pros to help you (and honestly ourselves) look more George Clooney than Abraham Lincoln. A good beard, after all, goes a long way. Now, the best beard trimmers before you lose your cool (or your partner).

The Best Beard Trimmers, According to GQ

• The Best Beard Trimmer Overall: Philips Norelco Multigroom 9000 Series, $90
• The Best Budget Beard Trimmer: Philips Norelco Multigroom 5000 Series, $40
• The Best Upgrade Beard Trimmer: Wahl Pro Series Extreme Visibility Pro Series Cordless Trimmer, $150
• The Best Waterproof Beard Trimmer: Braun All-in-One Trimmer Series 9 9440, $130
• The Best Professional-Grade Beard Trimmer: Andis Slimline Pro Li Trimmer, $60
• Best Vacuum Beard Trimmer: Remington Vacuum Beard Trimmer, $60
• Best for Lineups and Edges: Philips Norelco OneBlade 360 Electric Trimmer and Shaver, $50

Jump to: What to Look for in Beard Trimmers | How We Tested | Best Beard Trimmers FAQ | About Our Experts

The Best Beard Trimmer Overall: Philips Norelco Multigroom 9000 Series

Number of tools and accessories: 21, including nose and hair trimmer, detailer, body trimmer | Run time: 6 hours | Charge time: 3 hours | Trimming lengths: 0.5-16mm | Warranty: 8 years

No sense in burying the headline: Philips Norelco’s Multigroom 9000 Series is, hands down, the best beard trimmer you can buy. And that’s before factoring in how much more it can do than just keep your facial hair in check than other electric razors that are found in your everyday grooming kit.

It all starts with the beating heart of any beard trimmer. "It does not compromise on power or battery life, and it's very intuitive to use," says Fellow Barber’s Head of Education Emily Clark. The battery life truly over-delivers: your mileage may vary since Philips Norelco only claims a (still impressive) six hours of charge, but we saw a ridiculous 17 hours of consecutive runtime fresh out of the box, thanks to a lithium ion battery. Speaking of the box, there’s a lot in there, all of it useful.

Between the small tooth-like detail attachment and foil shaving head, the Multigroom 9000 makes it easy to style and sculpt with precision. One trimmer even adjusts by tenths of a millimeter to help you get the perfect designer stubble, if that's your aim.

And that’s just its beard trimming bona fides. The Multigroom 9000 is also a solid hair trimmer (shout out to that brawny motor and battery again) and body hair trimmer as well. Covering off for three products, and doing it well, suddenly makes the $90 price tag look like a deal.

What Amazon Reviewers Are Saying: "This trimmer is great! It comes with so many attachments to use for your trimming needs. The battery lasts a long time, i have yet to have to charge mine and i've had it for a few months now.

The trimmer is super quiet as well as very well made. It's all made up of metal, not plastic, and feels like it will last a long time. It's fairly lightweight and easy to handle when [using] it. It also comes with a small cleaning brush that makes cleaning it up a breeze!"

The Best Budget Beard Trimmer: Philips Norelco Multigroom 5000 Series

Number of tools and accessories: 18 including beard trimmer, nose and hair trimmer, detailer, body trimmer | Run time: 3 hours | Charge time: 70 minutes | Trimming lengths: 0.5-16mm | Warranty: 5 years

Given how much we love the Philips Norelco Multigroom 9000, it’s no surprise that the more affordable model, the Multigroom 5000, is our budget choice to keep things manscaped. It offers most of the same steel-bladed precision and customization benefits as its fancier family member, albeit in a less durable body (plastic instead of stainless steel) and half the battery life. Still, its three-hour runtime bests many beard trimmers twice the price. And the lighter plastic body is nice for travel. The Philips Norelco Multigroom 5000 is great for anyone on a budget, but it’s not “budget.”

Whereas other lower-priced beard trimmers can’t handle precise detailing, the Multigroom 5000 includes a detail trimmer and nose trimmer, not to mention hair clipper and body trimmer guards for versatility. It may be a little less perfect across the board compared to the 9000, but the price-to-precision ratio is hard to match.

What Amazon Reviewers Are Saying: "This Phillips/Norelco trimmer works great. It is very quiet, the battery life is pretty long and it does exactly what I need it to do. It comes with a lot of attachments - haven’t used them all, but the ones I have used worked just fine. This is a good quality trimmer."

The Best Upgrade Beard Trimmer: Wahl Pro Series High Visibility Cordless Trimmer

Number of tools and accessories: 13 including an exposed T-blade for error-proof cleanups, plus a swappable nose hair trimmer and dual foil shaver | Run time: Up to 2 hours | Charge time: 2 hour charge time | Trimming lengths: 1.5-13mm | Warranty: 5 years

Wahl is a pedigreed name in the professional and home grooming worlds, but that doesn’t mean it’s done innovating. Its new High Visibility trimmer has a killer app: the trimming attachment is angled so the teeth sit “above” the base, letting you get eyes on the action in the mirror as you mow through facial hair. It’s maybe not a priority if you’re just doing leisurely trims, but if you’re trying to get the perfect line at your cheek, sideburns, or neck, that little bit of offset is a godsend. Suddenly you can see very clearly exactly where the blade is hitting. If you’ve ever had to drop that cheek line too far down or do the back-and-forth thing with your burns, you’ll recognize what a game changer this is.

The Wahl High Visibility trimmer’s laser-pointer precision is boosted by some of the best ergonomics in the game. The body’s relatively thin with an excellent rubber grip, which lets you hit difficult angles like a professional pool player. The High Visibility trimmer is new to the market, but I’m betting it’ll become a barber favorite—and yours, too, if you’re doing daily touch-ups to keep those lines looking sharp.

What Amazon Reviewers Are Saying: "Absolutely amazing product. Heavy, rock-solid construction makes the hand feel confident, has great ergonomics, and has a solid grip even when the hand is soapy. But the best part is the forever blade makes it easy to see what’s getting cut, even with guard on (I used the 2). Most precise edge for a jawbone line beard I’ve ever had. And with the guard, it combs as it cuts with the grain of the hair, keeping stray whiskers knocked down. I’ve been pinched/cut before with fatter spaced blade rakes, but I didn’t feel threatened trimming under the nose."

The Best Waterproof Beard Trimmer: Braun All-in-One Trimmer Series 9 9440

Number of tools and accessories: 13 including a mini foil shaver, body trimmer, T-blade and adjustable beard comb | Run time: 3 hours | Charge time: 2.5 hours | Trimming lengths: 0.5-20mm | Warranty: 2 Years

Like the Philips Norelco Multigroom models, Braun's All-in-One Trimmer Series 9 is a jack-of-all-trades option that can do far more than tidy up your beard; the box is packed with a nose and ear trimmer, a precision head, and longer guards, too. But what separates this trimmer from the rest of the pack is the built-in dial that offers 40 trim-length settings. It’s precision in minimalist packaging.

Where other devices require you to swap out different heads or attachments, or ask you to pick between bigger length gaps than you’d prefer, Braun’s Series 9 offers half-millimeter increments from 0.5 to 20 without having to futz with extra accessories. In my testing, that made the trimmer the most user-friendly device on this list—no swapping guards as you fade your beard or neckline. Plus, the Series 9 is fully waterproof for those of you shaving-in-the-shower fans looking to speedrun your morning regimen. (And I’ll admit, shaving in the shower certainly makes clean-up—of both the beard hair mess and the trimmer—faster and easier.)

Bottom line, Braun’s All-in-One Trimmer Series 9 is exactly what the name promises. If it seems a little expensive, that’s because a beard trimmer that can handle all these tasks, and handle them well, isn’t cheap.

What Amazon Reviewers Are Saying: “Before this trimmer came into my life, I made a couple of cheap purchases. The style I like it's 1mm overall with a 2mm on my chin and 2.5 on my mustache. The problem was the other trimmers could not handle it on a daily basis. I am the type of guy whose beard grows back really fast, so I'd trim my beard. Then, the next day, you could see clear growth, and when I tried to do it again, it just wouldn't trim the same. I'd end up hurting my face a little bit. Not this trimmer. This trimmer can handle my beard on a daily basis without hurting my face. It's that good and efficient. It's built for heavy performance and durability. For the first time I am able to maintain my beard on a daily basis.”

The Best Professional-Grade Beard Trimmer: Andis Slimline Pro Li Trimmer

Number of tools and accessories: 5 including a T-blade and attachment combs | Run time: 2 hours | Charge time: 2.5 hours | Trimming lengths: 0-9.5mm | Warranty: 1 Year

Andis makes professional-grade gear that the pros swear by, with powerful motors and sharp stainless steel blades (that you can also replace easily if they rust or dull). To wit: celebrity groomer Melissa DeZarate has at least two of the Slimline Pro on her at all times. "I'll use it to reshape beards or provide a larger trim," she says, adding that it’s powerful but “small enough to handle most detail work and shaving off length.” Longer beards need not apply: the Slimline Pro’s four included guides only range from 1/16” to 3/8”—but if that works for you, it’ll give you a barber-caliber line-up along the cheeks, sideburns, mustache, and neck. And along the back of your hairline along the neck, too—though we’d suggest calling in a steady-handed significant other or best friend to do the work for you.

What Amazon Reviewers Are Saying: "Perfect size and weight. Nice edge work and sharp lines."

The Best Vacuum Beard Trimmer: Remington Vacuum Beard Trimmer

Number of tools and accessories: 1 adjustable comb | Run time: 1.5 hours | Charge time: 1.5 hours | Trimming lengths: 2-18mm | Warranty: 60 days

While this may be the last significant vacuum trimmer left standing, it is for good reason: Remington's trimmer saves you tons of time and stress by sucking up the majority of your facial hair shearings—up to 95% of clippings, according to the brand (I'd posit it's more like 85%, but hey, that's still a huge win). Vacuum trimmers keep you from having dozens of errant clippings dropped amongst your sink-ledge grooming products. But this one is more than just a vacuum—it has a detailing attachment and can trim up to 18 mm and a line-drawing detail head that rivals most T-blade trimmers. While it feels noticeably less sturdy and powerful than the others on this list, Remington's trimmer has no performance issues and even holds a decent 90-minute runtime.

What Amazon Reviewers Are Saying: "This is fantastic. Over the years I have gone through many different kinds and even a few other brands that offer a vacuum function but this one is by far the best."

The Best for Lineups and Edges: Philips Norelco OneBlade 360 Electric Trimmer and Shaver

Number of tools and accessories: 5 length settings | Run time: 1 hour | Charge time: 4 hours | Trimming lengths: .2-5mm | Warranty: 2 years

If you’re wondering why we haven’t dropped recs from brands like Panasonic or Oster in here (both of which we can tell you are great options), we’re happy to tell you that Philips Norelco is adored by both our expert source and me: I love the one blade for its ability to switch between trimmer, shaver, T-blade, and body groomer with aplomb. I think it's one of the best-designed tools in facial hair care right now, and a dozen other brands are releasing dupes to chase the same high. “I appreciate how affordable it is and how easy it is to find at drugstores since so many clients ask me where to buy it because they love it too,” says DeZarate. “There was one week where I needed to buy three of the one blade for different clients during press so that they were able to actually travel home with it because they loved how easy it is to use and that it's universal. It does a really nice job at creating clean lines and is great for sensitive skin.

What Amazon Reviewers Are Saying: "If you have really thick hair on your body, this is a fast solution for emergencies. It does what it promises; however, it does not cut the hair entirely to the skin, so if you want smooth skin, you may use another razor after to make sure you get that flawless result."

More Beard Trimmers We Love

Not too long ago, this cordless set from Hatteker was our pick for the best value beard trimmer. It's an all-in-one kit that covers every kind of hair-trimming task, from lineups to sideburns to beards, eyebrows, and body hair. Sure, it may only hold an hour-long runtime on 90 minutes of charge, but that’s enough for a week-long vacation. It’s still a great option if you’re not looking to spend a lot, or if our current budget winner, the Philips Norelco Multigroom 5000 Series, is out of stock.

What Amazon Reviewers Are Saying: "There are many more expensive trimmers, but I think none of them could perform better. Very happy with all aspects and like it a LOT better than my previous [pair]."

Sometimes you need more power, and that’s what you get with the Wahl Peanut. It’s one of the most durable and reliable trimmers we’ve tested. The palmable and cordless Peanut is great for touch-ups and styling on the go: It weighs a mere 4 ounces, totes easily, and doubles as a cheek and neckline detailer should your weekend beard need a dusting-off.

What Amazon Reviewers Are Saying: "If you are looking for a good portable clipper this one would be hard to beat. I purchased this same clipper probably 15 years ago and when they finally quit, I didn’t even bother looking at anything else."

Bevel's hybrid hair clipper and beard trimmer is an upgrade of its best-selling original trimming device. This new one has all the guard heads for a precise trim, a professional line up, and even a buzz cut. Rather than guards, the device uses a magnetized head to adjust from a zero-gap close shave on up, at ultra-precise 0.1mm intervals. It's got the same heft and gorgeous design of its predecessor, along with four hours of cordless battery life.

What Amazon Reviewers Are Saying: "I was an early adopter of the Bevel trimmer. They were always on the expensive side, but I liked the ergonomic design and loved that it was wireless. The one thing on my wish list was that I wished it got a close shave. Then I heard about this newer model… This sucker cuts CLOSE, and I don't have to take it apart to zero gap it (e.g., aligning the blades to give me a closer shave.) Yes, it's expensive, but I'm pleased with the quality of the shave. I still like a traditional shave when I want to pamper my face, but using the Bevel saves me time and does a good job. Highly recommend."

You want a beard trimmer that’s simple, effective, and doesn’t come with useless features or add-ons. Here are a few features to consider when looking for a great beard trimmer:

Motor power and blade quality: The device needs to be able to mow through your hair without any resistance or pulling. Trusted reviews are the only way to be sure, but we’d also suggest avoiding any beard trimmer that costs less than $20. Often that means a motor with too little power and longevity, and blades that dull quickly.

Cost: Beard trimmers are like the wine menu at a restaurant: you don’t need the priciest option to have a good time, but you don’t want the bargain-basement bottle either. If you don’t believe us, believe pro barber Emily Clark, who lives by the mantra that cheap is expensive. “I’ve had clients buy a cheaper model, only for them to break a couple of months down the line,” she says. “If you want your tool to have a decent battery life and be powerful enough to cut cleanly, it’s well worth not only buying from a trusted brand, but also not going for their cheapest model and spending some time researching reviews.”

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.

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.

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.

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. They give bonus points for following with a beard oil to keep your facial hair soft.

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.

About the Author

Adam Hurly has been covering men's grooming for GQ since 2016. He also writes about travel. Adam is a Sioux Falls SD native, University of Kansas graduate, former New Yorker, and current expat in Berlin. His favorite season is Oscar Season, his favorite book is Dinner At the Homesick Restaurant, and he is a proud superfan of Survivor.