Philips Norelco QT4050 Vacuum Beard Trimmer

The only way to get the stubble you see on men on television is to shave completely and let your beard grow a day or two, and then shave again. Remember we're not high paid models...we're real people. Nevertheless, this shaver gets you pretty close. After trimming my beard with a scissors after an electric shaver broke, this model keeps my beard extremely short and I can see the contour of my face again. At first I was annoyed at the odd clear plastic guide, which seems to keep the cutting edge too far away from your face, but holding the shaver upside down, or shaving up instead of down your face seems to flatten it out. You can remove it to make even lines, and it can also shave perfectly well without it. But follow the directions and see how it best works for you. I really like the fact that it holds a good battery charge and can work plugged in too. The vacuum makes the whole thing slightly noisier than the usual shaver, but the idea that your whiskers collect in the small compartment is great.

This replaces my T980 which lasted for a couple of years and would still be in use if the metal arm that allows the comb to flex hadn't popped out and fallen down the drain. I went for the QT4050 specifically because it has the same comb design as the T980. This trimmer works well: more granular length settings that don't slip during trimming, vacuum catches most of the mess, stays charged for a long time, fits in the hand nicely. True, it doesn't come with a nice travel bag like the T980 did, the vacuum probably works a little less effectively, and there's no smaller shaping trimmer....but even with these deficits, this is definitely one of the better trimmers on the market today.

I have had various beard trimmers over the last 20 years but this one is simply the worst one yet. It trims unevenly and it can't get close enough to your skin if you try to trim a straight line. The vacuum system also only works marginally. This one is going back.