Today we’re looking at the Philips QG3362/23 Series 5000 grooming kit. The package takes an all-in-one approach to facial grooming – from the basic grunt work of shaving big patches of scruff to trimming hair growth inside your nose and ears.
The latter spots are always a bitch to fix with plain old facial hair scissors. The Series 5000 has attachments that aim to make that and a couple dozen other tasks easier.
Philips Series 5000 12-In-1 Mens Grooming Kit QG3362/23, Beard Trimmer with Hair Clippers, Moustache, Stubble, Detail Shaving, Trimming, Nose Hair and Eyebrow Trimmers
Amazon.com
The Series 5000 is Philip’s most versatile multi-groomer kit of choice. It contains a cordless electric razor that comes with a total of eight attachments. You have four shavers/trimmers and four combs in the kit. Here’s a quick breakdown of those attachments:
- Full-size metal shaver attachment, for when you need to shave off big chunks of facial hair.
- Beard and stubble comb that clips on to the full metal shaver. A must if you want to manscape facial hair evenly.
- Hair clipper attachment, which makes it easier to style head hair with a reverse grip.
- Hair comb that clips onto the hair clipper. Essential for keeping your head hair nice and even.
- Nose and ear trimmer, for getting an even trim in those tight orifices.
- Detail trimmer attachment, for those sharper turns and curves where you need tight control.
- Eyebrow and detail comb, so you don’t accidentally shave off more than you want to.
- Mini foil shaver attachment, for as close a shave as you can get with an electric razor.
It is also worth noting that the Series 5000 comes with a high-speed Turbo Mode. This mode ups the blade speed, helping you more easily plow through tough and wiry hair. Philips also claims that the razor and its attachments don’t need to be oiled and that they can be rinsed under the tap for quick cleaning.
You also get a handy travel bag for the whole kit, along a two-year warranty when you first buy the QG3362/23 Series 5000
Pros
Cons
- Great value for number of attachments
- Blades cut well and reliably enough
- Turbo mode helps with shaving thick hair
- Water-resistance makes cleaning easier
- Two-year Warranty
- Travel bag makes the kit more portable
- Body and combs feel cheap and fragile
- Does not feel as maintenance-free as advertised
- Turbo mode sucks up battery power
- Not entirely waterproof
- Other Philips devices get five-year warranties
-
- Good Utility for a $50 Head and Facial Grooming Kit
The many attachments of the Philips’ Series 5000 make it an especially attractive choice for creative manscaping. You can, of course, just use the basic shaver to just buzz away the bush growing on your face. The nose/ear hair trimmer does what it says on the tin.
The other attachments, however, make it possible to do so much more. The foil and detail trimmers are particularly good at working those fine curves and angles. The four combs are excellent for eliminating stray hairs and maintaining the uniformity of thick beards.
The $50 price tag, however, is the Series 5000’s greatest strength. Sure, you can get a couple of other electric shavers for five to fifteen dollars less. The versatility of this particular grooming kit, however, is what really seals the deal.
Slap on the right attachment, and you can more freely experiment with various styles. The detail trimmer, the foil shaver, and the various combs give you much more control than the two regular shavers.
You won’t feel as if you’re holding a premium product, though. The body of the Series 5000 is composed primarily of plastic, and not the sturdy kind that inspires confidence. The same is true for the combs. You have to be very careful with how you move the combs around. It can be all too easy to put pressure on the wrong joints and end up snapping it off altogether.
You’ll also have to wrestle while adjusting the shave length. The friction between comb and shaver isn’t exactly smooth, so you’ll have to press rather heavily on the comb to move it up or down from the shaver.
-
- Quick and Easy Maintenance
It is very convenient being able to clean the shaver under running water and without having to brush and oil the blades after every shave. Just take out the attachments and wiggle them for a bit under an open tap before shaking them off.
This is perfect for those busy weekdays, where time is a luxury we don’t all have. It’s also a definite plus for when you just feel lazy and would rather just trim our mops before plopping down on the sofa.
It is worth noting, however, that water resistant is one thing, while waterproof is quite another. The manual of the QG3362/23 Series 5000 clearly states that you should not immerse the appliance in water. The manual adds that you should not use it while in the bath or shower. This makes us quite nervous about water-cleaning the Series 5000.
We are more comfortable removing the attachments and running those under water. Yeah, the official Philips brochure states that the “trimmer can be rinsed clean under the tap.” We’d rather not take the risk, and we highly recommend that you should not as well.
And just to be honest here, we can also see ourselves oiling the blades every now and then. Maybe a month or so. Yes, Philips advertises how the ground chromium steel blades need no oiling. Just call us old fuddy-duddies when we want to break out the machine oil to keep things humming smoothly.
-
- Surprisingly Portable
Yes, the many attachments tend to jangle around a lot when you stuff them in the bag that comes with the kit. The actual electric razor itself is a bit on the large side when compared to the really portable variants.
However, the entire grooming kit is small enough to fit comfortably into a small pocket of a mallet or sports bag. The plastic components may not feel luxurious to the touch, but they are unarguably lightweight. There are smaller beard grooming kits out there, but the Series 5000 can be carried around quite easily into your luggage.
The battery and its quick-charge capabilities are the real stars of the show, though. A fully-charged battery can run for a surprisingly long amount of time. The advertised 50 hours is a tad too optimistic, especially if you use Turbo Mode all the time.
And besides, you can slap a de-powered razor on a wall socket and get a decent amount of juice after minutes. The generous battery capacity coupled with the ability to quickly charge up some juice both make the Series 5000 pretty useful for travelers.
-
- Focuses Mainly on Manscaping
The QG3362/23 Series 5000 is better at trimming than shaving. The attachments can manage a pretty decent buzz, but the blades don’t get close enough to result in a shave that’s as smooth as a baby’s bottom.
This applies even to the metal shaver itself – and that’s getting the blades dangerously close to the skin of your face. The foil attachment is the closest you can get, but the resulting shave will still leave some stubble poking out. That and the teensy-weensy foil head will be hell to use if you plan to shave your beard or mustache off.
All this makes the QG3362/23 Series 5000 a decent shaver in its own right, but not the best out there. If you need the shave to be as smooth as possible, as in baby-butt smooth, then you’ll be better served by adding in a dedicated foil or rotating shaver.
A straight razor or safety razor will also prove useful, though these require significantly more time and effort to use. A bit of a shame, but not entirely unreasonable considering the price tag of the Series 5000.
Conclusion
All things considered, the QG3362/23 Series 5000 is a pretty solid grooming kit. It’s no dedicated shaver when it comes to precision, but its generous spread of combs and attachments make manscaping so much easier.
Doesn’t matter if you’re coaxing a fresh beard or grappling with a wild bush, the Series 5000 has you covered! Just remember to be careful as you attach, detach, and adjust the plastic combs.
