Stubble is no trouble for the Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer

The stainless steel blades provide an even and smooth trim

Shaving is, unfortunately, an activity that most people have to do daily. Others are lucky enough to go through the ritual every other day, but the tools for maintaining the perfect hair-to-body ratio are the same.

If you don’t want to go all the way down to the bare skin, your best option is to use a trimmer that lobs off the top to leave the desired length of stubble. There are several gadgets for this, but the Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer is slim, easy to use and doesn’t cost a fortune.

Testing the Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer 

Facial and body hair trimmers are relatively easy to test, but you do need previous experience to accurately compare them to some of the more expensive or affordable options available. For this review, the testing team used the trimmer over the course of several days on varying lengths of face and body hair. Aspects of particular interest were battery charging time, the various trimming lengths and the overall robustness of the trimmer.

The BestReviews Testing Lab strives to investigate every claim the brand/manufacturer makes about the product. For this article, the tester used their knowledge of other trimmers for beard control and some facial hair contouring. 

What is the Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer?

Keeping facial hair in check can be challenging, and that’s where the Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer comes in. It's a handheld gadget that operates on a lithium-ion battery for up to 90 minutes of trimming. 

While in principle it's the same, it’s different from a rotary shaver since it doesn’t get nearly as close to the skin. Its primary function is to keep facial hair from growing past a certain length. It comes with a built-in beard comb with 10 adjustable length settings.

Inline Link: See how it compares to other products in its space — check out our reviews for the best beard trimmers.

Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer price and where to buy

The beard trimmer is available on Amazon for $35. No additional accessories are available, but it comes with a cleaning brush and a storage pouch.

How to use Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer

The trimmer is relatively easy to use, as it functions the same as other Norelco electric shavers. After some charging time, simply rotate the wheel on the handle to your desired length, which is in increments of 1 millimeter. Once the overall hairs are trimmed down, you can remove the beard comb to shape the contours. The only thing left is to rinse the blade, dry it off and store it in the pouch. 

Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer benefits

The testing lab found that the trimmer worked well for its purpose. It didn’t cause any discomfort and gave a very accurate cut. However, they thought it wasn’t as comfortable as some higher-end models, though overall, it went smoothly. 

The wheel dial to adjust the length is a useful feature, and more importantly, it's a nice substitute for the normal laundry list of annoying attachments. Many trimmers have dials, but this one felt comfortable to use and seemed accurate in the measurements.

Philips claims that the trimmer lasts for up to 90 minutes on the recommended eight-hour charge. The testing team charged the trimmer for five hours and managed to get a solid 50 minutes from it, which should be more than enough time. However, other than the noticeably slower cutting, there are no other indications that the battery is running low. Even though eight hours is a long time for a full charge, it's ready to use from only a few minutes of charging for touching up problem areas.

The cordless usage is convenient if you need some room to adjust your position in front of a mirror, but that isn’t the only way it works. If you can’t wait for the long charging time to complete, you can use the trimmer while connected to a wall socket. It won’t give you as much freedom of movement, but it’s a handy feature if you need to trim some errant hairs in an emergency. 

Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer drawbacks

While it works well on facial hair, the testing team had a bit of trouble with chest hair. It didn’t pick up the chest hairs as well, but that may have been a consequence of the length of the hair. However, adjusting the length to a tighter cut seemed to work better.

The trimmer also isn’t the neatest, as it can send hair flying in all directions. Some trimmers have a better-designed catch to capture all the little hairs. The trimming works well, but there was more cleaning up afterward than expected.

An important aspect to remember about this trimmer is that it works best on dry hair. There are several wet and dry trimmers if you prefer to shave in the shower, but you’ll notice a significant decrease in efficacy when the skin or hair is moist. 

Should you get the Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer?

The Philips Norelco Beard and Stubble Trimmer Series 3000 works perfectly well for what you get. While other trimmers also have an adjustable wheel to change the length, this one felt solid and robust. It's the right tool to keep your facial and body hair in check.