Travel friendly beard trimmer

November 14, 2018 12:33 PM

Can anyone recommend a portable and reliable beard trimmer?

I have a nice (but large) Philips beard trimmer that has lasted me many years. It's not as much fun for travel because it's big, the button is quite large and extends from the bottom to the middle of the trimmer, which means that it will easily turn on inside my bag and exhaust itself. The charger is also big.

I'd like one that is compact, washable, and flat ish.
Bonus if it can charge with micro usb so that way I can charge it on the go.

Can you recommend one that you have used and like? Hopefully also one that I can easily order off of Amazon. 🙏

posted by special-k to Society & Culture (9 answers total)

For shortish trips and shortish beards, you might be able to get away with a OneBlade and no charger: the battery life (even on the low-end NiCad model) is pretty decent.
posted by holgate at 12:57 PM on November 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

And for longer beards, a small pair of scissors and a wee comb (for example). No battery required!
posted by exogenous at 12:59 PM on November 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

Is cordless necessary? I use a Wahl Peanut at home and on the road.
posted by supercres at 1:16 PM on November 14, 2018 [4 favorites]

I don't know how the Phillips Norelco 3500 compares to your current model, but it's the only trimmer that hasn't consigned me to the hell of broken hairs and split ends, which smaller-sized trimmers are especially bad about. The button is recessed and I cannot imagine it getting accidentally turned on in transit.

Edit: I'll have to update you on the model number later, mine looks like the 3500 but has some differences, including a much smaller on/off button.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:42 PM on November 14, 2018

It's this one. I was only off by 500!
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:49 PM on November 14, 2018

Response by poster: I have a short beard (a small goatie that is under control if I do a quick trim daily). Cordless is nice because I travel a lot (often internationally) and there aren't plugs in bathrooms.
posted by special-k at 4:41 PM on November 14, 2018

Wahl peanut comes in a cordless version.
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 4:50 PM on November 14, 2018

I have This Wahl and it's worked fine for a year and the blades are sharp enough and don't seem to be getting duller. I charge it once every three months. It came with a truly ridiculous amount of accessories, I threw out half of them.
posted by sol at 6:59 PM on November 14, 2018

I travel with a Gillette Styler; it's around $25, runs on a single AA [which is simple to pop out to ensure it doesn't turn on in your bag], has a few blade guards, and it's waterproof.
posted by chazlarson at 8:57 AM on November 15, 2018