Stubble is in. Whether you’re looking at Hollywood heart throbs that have all the women swooning, or masculine, alpha male business types, there’s a high probability that their chin is decorated with a fine covering of manly fuzz.
Now, if you’ve only ever rocked the stubble before on the way to growing a full beard, you might not understand how hard it is to keep the look going and stay consistent.
If you’re serious about your stubble, then it takes daily work. But the good news is, it’s not particularly hard to keep your stubble at the right length. All you need to do is grab yourself a stubble trimmer, and spend a couple minutes every morning keeping your facial hair in check.
How to choose a stubble trimmer
When you’re looking for a stubble trimmer, there’s a surprising amount of variation out there. Do you go for a dedicated stubble trimmer, or a standard shaver with a stubble trimming option?
Do you buy something that’s got multiple attachments, or is it better to buy a trimmer with built in stubble settings?
Do you travel often, and does it need to be portable? Do you shave in the shower? These are all considerations when you’re buying a stubble trimmer.
What to look for when buying a stubble trimmer
When you’re reading our reviews, consider the questions below. They’re a good general guide for stubble trimmers, and trimmers in general, so if you want a quality product, these are what you need to look for.
What are the blades like, and how well does it cut?
This is probably the most important thing when it comes to a stubble trimmer. High-quality blades will pay for themselves many times over. First off, better blades means a better finished product, which in this case means you’re going to have more even better feeling stubble.
Second, higher quality blades will stay sharper longer, which means your shave will stay consistent month after month, and you’ll be less likely to experience snagging and pulling.
If in doubt, go for top quality blades, every time.
How many cutting lengths does it have?
This question is a little bit of a misnomer. After all, it’s not how many cutting lengths that matter. It’s whether it has the length and style you want.
The more length options you have, the better, because it means you’re more likely to find the one that you’re looking for. Plus, if you decide to change your look, you’ve got more built in options to try.
How easy is it to use, and how do you control it?
No stubble trimmer should be hard to control. That’s just bad design. But some are simpler than others.
If your previous trimmer had a front mounted LCD display, like some of our top picks do, and you go to something that’s only got a dial, then you’ll notice the difference straight away. While every form of control is perfectly serviceable, if you’ve got a preference, it’s worth looking out for.
What’s the battery like?
There’s only two types of batteries. Nickel based and lithium based. Nickel based batteries are the old style batteries, and come with all the problems you’d expect.
Slow to charge, losing power over time, bleeding power if you leave them on standby, nickel based batteries are by far the worst option.
On the other hand, lithium batteries are the way forward. They charge faster, keep consistent power all the way through their charge level, and tend to hold a charge for far longer.
Given the choice, always lithium.
Is it waterproof?
Waterproof is much better, if you can get it. Not only does it make the trimmer so much simpler to clean, it also means you can take it in the shower, or use it immediately after you get out of the shower, without fear of it exploding in your face.
Does it come with any accessories?
Most trimmers these days have everything you need built in to them, but you might still find the odd trimmer that has removable blade guards or other accessories.
If you’re buying a trimmer just to trim your stubble, then accessories won’t matter, but if you’re looking for a multi use model, you might want to make sure it comes with what you need.
Now that you know what you’re looking for, here’s our top pick out of every beard and stubble trimmer we’ve seen.
The best stubble trimmer in 2023: Our top pick
Philips Norelco Beard and Hair Trimmer, Series 5100 with 3 Attachments Cordless Hair Clipper and Face Groomer - No Blade Oil Needed, BT5210/42
Amazon.com
Great battery life, waterproof, a huge amount of cutting lengths and the ability to use it on your head hair as well as your beard make this a hugely variable and versatile trimmer.
It’s also surprisingly budget friendly. There’s really no reason not to recommend it. If you’re looking for a stubble trimmer, we’d always recommend starting here.
The best 5 stubble trimmers, our reviews
PROS
- 17 trim length settings with 0.2mm incremental steps.
- Absolutely waterproof
- Solid battery life
CONS
- Surprisingly uncomfortable to hold for long periods
Our top choice for stubble trimmers, and you can see why. This literally gives you everything you need for the perfect stubble day after day, as well as a bunch more smart features that you’ll soon grow to love.
First off, it’s almost too precise when it comes to length. There’s a huge number of settings, instantly accessible from the roller wheel built into it, and they go in increments as small as 0.2mm. Yes, that’s point 2 of a millimeter. Trust us when we say that no matter your style , this can deliver.
It’s completely waterproof, which means you can use it in the shower, saving you time, as well as also making it really easy to wash. Just drop it under the faucet and you’re done.
It’s powered by a high-quality lithium battery, which lasts around 70 minutes on a full charge, easily enough for a couple of weeks of grooming. Because it’s lithium, you also don’t get the bleed out problem you get with conventional batteries, where you start to lose power as you run out of energy.
Comes with a beard comb and two hair combs. So if you’re a man who keeps his hair as well as his chin shaved close, this can serve double duty.
The only real issue is that this is actually relatively unergonomic, which is a huge disappointment. I’ve had several Philips products in the past, and they’re generally fantastic to use, even for long periods. I mean, it’s perfectly comfortable for a quick trim up, but if you’re going for something more detailed, it gets a little harder to hold. Apart from that, though, there’s nothing about this that disappoints, so if you can live with that minor niggle, you’re golden.
Philips Norelco OneBlade Hybrid Electric Trimmer and Shaver, FFP, QP2520/90
$29.96 in stock
5 used from $29.66
Free shipping
PROS
- Incredibly easy to use.
- Inexpensive, considering the quality
- Great design. Washable and rechargeable
CONS
- Full shave isn’t as close as you might want
If you’ve been anywhere near YouTube in the last month, you’ve probably seen the adverts for this. I bet it’s got you wondering whether it’s any good, and what makes it different from conventional razors?
Well, it’s actually a little more complicated than that. It seems to me like that OneBlade is designed as an intermediate product, for men who have considered buying an electric razor, but haven’t splashed out for the full size one yet.
That’s why it feels like a battery powered electric razor, but performs pretty much as well as a heavy duty shaver. It’s got the full lithium battery, which is rechargeable, so that’s nice, but you have to change the heads around once every 30 shaves.
When it comes to shaving, it’s so simple to use, your four year old could probably use it successfully. (But for the love of god, don’t blame us if you decide to try that.) The single blade system cuts from both directions, making it easy to see exactly where you’re shaving, a blessing when you’re going for precise edging in complicated areas.
It shaves comfortably, and considering it’s designed to shave against the grain as standard, it gives an incredibly comfortable shave, without any pulling or sore skin afterwards. You also get three stubble combs as standard, which should be able to give you the shave you need.
Unfortunately, because of the way it works, when you’re going for a clean shave, you don’t get as close a finish as you might with some other electric shavers. But then, you’re not buying this as a shaver. You want it as a stubble trimmer. And as that, it performs admirably.
ConairMAN Super Stubble Ultimate Flexhead Trimmer; Razor-Sharp Etched Blade Technology with Pivoting Flex Head; 15 Digital Settings ranging from 0.4mm to 5.0mm; Black - Wet/Dry + Lithium Ion Powered
PROS
- LCD screen makes checking settings simple
- Floating head follows the lines of your face
- Waterproof for shower and cleaning use
CONS
- Unreliable construction
A hyper advanced stubble trimmer that’s packed with technology to make your shaving experience as pain free as possible, the Conair Super Stubble is a fantastic stubble trimmer that’s got a hell of a lot to recommend it for, especially when you compare it with the competition.
First, and most importantly, the shave. From the high quality, electrochemically formed blades, to the flexing head that moves around the contours of your face as you shave, and the huge variety of stubble length settings that the system actually remembers for you, we’re happy to report that the shave is awesome.
Because it remembers everything you set it to, all you have to do with this once you’ve found your perfect settings, is to switch it on and start trimming.
The lithium battery delivers consistent performance, and lasts over an hour. Incredibly, it charges from dead to full in less that two hours, as well.
It’s also a dream to use. It fits the hand well, with simple settings and a really smart front mounted LCD screen that shows you your settings at a glance.
The only issue we found? Occasionally, the build quality falls off, and the battery fails. But apart from that, and as long as you’re not wildly unlucky and get a duff battery, this really is one of the best, most technologically advanced stubble trimmers out there. It’s a fantastic product.
Conair Man i-Stubble Ultimate Flexhead Trimmer; Pivoting Flex Head; 15 Digital Settings ranging from 0.4mm to 5.0mm; Grey
$57.84 in stock
Free shipping
PROS
- Excellent shave quality
- Can plug it in for ease of use
- Lots of length settings, for all styles
CONS
- Non lithium battery
- Not waterproof
The Super Stubble’s little brother, the iStubble delivers the same exceptional shaving performance, without all of the extraneous bells and whistles that you might find in the higher end model.
You get the same awesome blade quality and floating shaver head as the Super Stubble, so your shaving experience will be the same. There’s slightly less settings for length, but you still get 15 that range from 0.4 to 5mm, so you easily get enough for you to set your style.
It’s only got a standard battery, rather than the lithium batteries you’ll find on every other shaver in this list, but it’s also able to be used while plugged in, which is a great touch.
While it’s nowhere near as technologically adept as the Super Stubble, you’re paying far less for it. Honestly, if you want a good quality shave and don’t care about anything else, then this is a quality product that will last years.
Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer Series 3500, QT4018/49, Cordless Mustache and Beard Groomer
PROS
- Incredibly easy to set and use
- Great battery life
- Huge amount of settings
CONS
- Very occasional battery life problems
A pure beard and stubble trimmer, the Philips 3500 delivers no frills performance, with just enough flair that you’ll be happy you chose it.
Fitted with Philip’s standard, skin friendly titanium steel blades, you’ll get a close, great feeling trim, time after time, especially considering the blades self-sharpen. They also have 20 length settings that are easy to set with the front mounted dial, so whether you want to rock the close stubble or a slightly messier, longer look, this has got you covered.
It’s easy to maintain, too. The battery lasts for two hours off of a single charge, which can take as little as an hour to get back to full from a dead battery. If it gets clogged with hair or just needs a clean, you can pop the head off and run it under a faucet to clean it off.
The build is solid, and it fits the hand well, with a pleasing weight, despite the size. Overall, we just trust Philips products. They’re all effective, and do what you need them to do, time after time.
That’s the end of our reviews. Picking any of the above trimmers will give you a solid trimmer that will deliver the look you need time after time. So if in doubt, grab one of our top choices and trust that you’re getting an excellent product.
