Our pick
Philips Norelco Multigroom Series 7000 MG7750
The cordless MG7750 has a friendly design, lots of useful accessories, and just the right amount of power needed for comfortable, precise grooming.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $45.
The Philips Norelco MG7750 has almost everything we could ask for in a beard trimmer. Its motor offers just the right amount of power—enough to make quick work of thick hair, but not so much that a slight slip will remove a large section of a beard or mustache. Its design feels great in the hand, and it saves space because it can stand upright on a countertop or in a medicine cabinet. The MG7750 is an all-purpose beard, hair, and body trimmer; it includes 14 guide combs, trimmer heads in three widths, a small foil shaver head, and a nose hair trimmer. In our tests, it ran for five hours on one charge. The steel blades are designed to be self-sharpening, no oiling needed. The sole downside is that its stainless steel body makes it relatively heavy and thus less portable than the Philips Norelco MG3750, our budget pick.
Runner-up
Wahl Aqua Blade 9899
This sharp, powerful, and versatile cordless trimmer has all the power needed for heavy beards, with a comfortable grip that makes it easy to handle.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $60.
The Wahl Aqua Blade 9899 has the power and versatility of our previous runner-up pick, the Wahl Lithium Ion+ Stainless Steel Trimmer 9818, but with a larger, more secure grip that makes precise trimming easier and helps prevent slipups that can accidentally remove large chunks of a beard or mustache. That bigger grip also makes the Aqua Blade feel less buzzy in the hand. Like the Lithium Ion+, the Aqua Blade has a more powerful motor than most people need and also works as a hair and body trimmer. It comes with 12 guide combs, a detail trimmer head, a shaver head, and a nose hair trimmer. The fine-pitch steel blades with ground teeth require a couple of drops of oil every month. Unlike our top pick, the Aqua Blade can’t stand on its own, and the supplied stand is a little clumsy to use.
Also great
Wahl Peanut 8655
If you don’t mind a corded tool, the Wahl Peanut 8655 has cutting power that no cordless trimmer can match, with a durable, easy-to-maintain design.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $52.
If you want a reliable tool that can cut thick hair down to a stubble—and you don’t mind wrangling a power cord—we recommend the Wahl Peanut 8655. This less expensive yet powerful trimmer has been our corded pick for some time now, beating everything we’ve tested it against in terms of cutting power, durability, and closeness of trim. It’s stronger than any cordless trimmer we’ve tried, yet it’s lighter, smaller, more maneuverable, and easier to maintain than other pro trimmers and clippers, which tend toward tanklike construction.
Budget pick
If a low price is your highest priority, we like the power and versatility of the Philips Norelco MG3750, one of the most popular, well-reviewed trimmers on Amazon. It seems to trim about as well as our top pick, the same company’s MG7750, but its body is made mostly from plastic rather than stainless steel, so it’s lighter and therefore more practical for travel. It doesn’t feel as sturdy and stable as the MG7750, though, and it can’t stand on its own. Unlike other budget-priced trimmers we’ve used, the MG3750 can remove lots of hair quickly without pulling any in the process. And whereas most budget trimmers include only a single, adjustable guide comb, the MG3750 includes seven guide combs, a detail trimmer head, and a nose hair trimmer. Poor battery life is the biggest downside: You’ll probably have to charge it every week, particularly if you’re trimming a thick beard.