Recommend a facial hair trimmer.

February 6, 2005 11:54 PM

I have a beard that I usually end up cutting off completely every 4 months because it gets too long and I can find no decent way of trimming it. Can anyone recommend any affordable facial hair trimmer that does the job? It seems like every one that I have bought either just doesn't cut or breaks before I can even get it fully out of the packaging.
posted by ttrendel to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (17 answers total)

I love my NorelCo T765. Though it might not be heavy-duty enough for you if you are going for 4 months. I was on about a 3 week clean-shave cycle before I got this baby, and I go for the shorter look (I use setting 3 of a possible 9). But on a general basis, I would highly recommend the product.
posted by rafter at 12:12 AM on February 7, 2005

I use a head-hair trimmer for my beard, and it works great. It's a remmington (something like this) , but I would say the more industrial looking, the better. It may be worth popping into a hairdresser and asking them to reccomend a brand.
posted by seanyboy at 12:18 AM on February 7, 2005

p.s I also tend to wait months between shaves.
posted by seanyboy at 12:20 AM on February 7, 2005

If you feel you must trim, yeah, get one of those head-hair clippers. (I would disagree, though, with the "more industrial" advice, as the bigger units are harder to handle. The "home haircut" kits work fine.) You can go to a beauty supply store to guides for longer or shorter trimming--they'll have a wide selection.

But really--all you need is a little pair of manicure scissors to trim the moustache hairs that curl into your mouth (and errant nose hairs). Just let it grow! To quote the National Beard Registry: "Like a fingerprint, a year or more of full growth on a man's face produces a one-of-a-kind appearance that defies trend, pop culture, and media-driven conformity. It is a very natural and beautiful symbol of individualism."
posted by bricoleur at 2:55 AM on February 7, 2005

Wahl makes some good sturdy trimmers. Before I started shaving my head I used to buzz it with the Wahl trimmer, and then use it to tune up my beard. Now that I'm a goatee guy I have to second the small pair of scissors recommended above.
posted by fixedgear at 3:14 AM on February 7, 2005

i use a remington thing too (like the one seanyboy links to, but a plastic body, and rather old). works fine for beard and hair (currently experimenting with everything (almost) the same length, like a kind of hairy ball....).

and does anyone else find the idea of a national registry of anything giving instructions on How To Be Individual a bit mixed up?
posted by andrew cooke at 4:57 AM on February 7, 2005

Two tricks that I used to do:

Back brush from neck upwards, sort of like "teasing", then trim with scissors.

For a quick fix, I would "shave" the beard down with a decent throwaway. You have to be careful of the occasional snare, but it works surprisingly well.
posted by lobstah at 4:59 AM on February 7, 2005

I trim my beard now, whereas I used to just lop it off with the head trimmer I use to cut my hair. I still use it to do the beard-trimming. Just stick on a #2 guard, go over the whole beard, take off the guard and shave off the throat carpet and encroaching cheek hairs. I have to do some precision trimming on the moustache, but with a steady hand it can be done easily enough. Granted this doesn't make for an immaculate job, but as the face fur grows back very quickly, it doesn't matter much.
posted by picea at 6:34 AM on February 7, 2005

I usually go over mine with a clippers and #2 guard, then finish up with a scissors. Seems to work reasonably well. Also, most haircutters will do beard trims as well.
posted by jimfl at 6:43 AM on February 7, 2005

I have an older model Norelco beard trimmer similar to rafter's that runs on AA batteries. It was given to me as a gift years ago and it still works. I use it weekly.

Before that I used the beard trimmer on my Norelco shaver, which produced distinctly uneven results. Once I used the trimmer I thought, "why haven't I tried this before?"
posted by pmurray63 at 7:27 AM on February 7, 2005

I've had a fairly inexpensive Conair rechargable beard trimmer for a few years now that has worked great. It's not 100% perfect, but hell, that's half the point of having a beard to me anyhow.
posted by Ufez Jones at 8:02 AM on February 7, 2005

I've been using a Panasonic ER240 for years and years. No complaints. Be sure to clean it after every use or hair will get pulled into the machinery.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 10:42 AM on February 7, 2005

Wahl trimmers get my endorsement. Mine is indesctructible. It's heavy; the weight may be a problem for you, but it will last forever (you will need to get a new $10 blade every few years though).

I use scissors to get the strays. Those little inexpensive battery-powered beard trimmers don't make it through my beard at all.

andrew cooke: (currently experimenting with everything (almost) the same length, like a kind of hairy ball....)

Me too. I'm aiming for the GI Joe look.
posted by TimeFactor at 10:59 AM on February 7, 2005

Another vote for the Norelco T765 here. I've had a goatee for two years now, and use a setting of 5 for my chin area and 4 for around my mouth.

I'd tried others before, but I like the Norelco because there's not multiple head/setting pieces to lose - I just turn the dial to the number I want and go for it.
posted by mrbill at 11:08 AM on February 7, 2005

I'm a Norelco T765 user as well. I keep it on the setting of four, and then take off the guard to clean up throat and cheek hair. Works great for me, and the GF seems to like the way it looks.

But then again, I've never used anything else...so maybe there is something out there that is much better.
posted by geryon at 3:32 PM on February 7, 2005

This thread makes me so happy, I'm another hair trimmer with attachment guy. I've tried the smaller facial hair trimmers, but I'm generally lazy and my beard ends up growing longer than those little things can handle. The hair trimmer always does the job quickly and easily. You'll probably always need a little fine tuning with hand scissors, unless you really don't care.

Should we have a MeFi facial hair meetup?
posted by spaghetti at 4:53 PM on February 7, 2005

It seems like every one that I have bought either just doesn't cut or breaks

Obviously, Mr. Kent, you need a trimmer with Kryptonite blades.

posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:01 AM on February 8, 2005