The Braun Series 9 BT9560 (about £90) is the best beard trimmer for a full or thick beard, the Braun Series 5 BT5525 (about £40) is the best under £50, and the Philips OneBlade 360 Face (about £20 to £30) is the best for stubble.
Prices checked 28 September 2026 across UK retailers and the brands' UK shops. Some links go to Amazon UK, and TheBarberBoard may earn a small commission if you buy through them. That doesn't change the price or the picks. These trimmers were not lab-tested. The picks come from manufacturer specs, current UK prices and what each one is built to do.
Any modern trimmer will tidy a beard. The differences show up when you want an exact length, a sharp line, or a motor that doesn't stall halfway through a thick beard.
Beard trimmers compared
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Trimmer | UK price | Lengths | Runtime | Waterproof | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braun Series 9 BT9560 | £89.99 at Braun UK | About 50 settings, fine steps | 180 min | Yes | Thick and full beards |
| Wahl Aqua Blade | £63.99 at Wahl UK | 0.2 to 25mm, 16 combs | 180 min | Yes, wet or dry | Longer beards, shower use |
| Braun Series 5 BT5525 | About £40 to £66 | 40 settings, 0.5mm steps | 120 min | Yes | Best under £50 |
| Philips Beard Trimmer 5000 BT5765 | About £45 to £65 | 40 settings, 0.4 to 20mm over two combs | Not stated | Yes | Precise short beards under £50 |
| Philips OneBlade 360 Face QP2724 | About £20 to £30 | 1, 3 and 5mm combs | Not stated | Yes | Best for stubble |
| Philips OneBlade Pro 360 QP6652 | From about £60 | Comb 0.4 to 10mm | 120 min | Yes | Stubble, edges and body |
| BaByliss Super-X Metal T996U | Varies by seller | Combs 1 to 6mm and 7 to 12mm | 5 hours | Yes | Longest battery |
| Andis SlimLine Pro Li | About £80 to £100 | T-blade, no length combs | About 2 hours | No | Line-ups and edges |
| Remington Heritage MB9100 | Budget; check current price | 8 combs, 1.5 to 15mm | 60 min | Not stated | Cheapest decent option |
Prices checked 28 September 2026 on the brands' UK shops and a UK price comparison site. Ranges run from the cheapest UK seller to full price. Prices change often, so compare before buying.
Verdict
- Best overall: Braun Series 9 BT9560 (about £90). Three hours of battery, fine length steps and a motor that adjusts to dense patches.
- Best under £50: Braun Series 5 BT5525 (about £40). Half-millimetre steps, two hours of runtime and fully waterproof for half the price of the Series 9.
- Best for stubble: Philips OneBlade 360 Face (about £20 to £30). It trims to 1, 3 or 5mm and shaves the edges clean with the same blade.
What actually matters in a beard trimmer
Nearly every trimmer on sale is cordless, charges by USB and runs on a lithium battery, so none of that helps you choose. These do:
- Length steps. A trimmer with 0.5mm or 0.2mm steps can hold a beard at exactly the length the barber left it. Steps of 1mm or more make that harder.
- Maximum length. If your beard is longer than 20mm you need a trimmer or comb that goes that high, like the Wahl Aqua Blade's 25mm.
- Motor under load. Cheap motors slow down in a thick beard and pull hairs. That's the main reason to spend more if your beard is dense.
- Real runtime. Makers quote battery life on light use, so expect less on a thick beard.
- Cleaning. A waterproof trimmer you can rinse under the tap gets cleaned. One that needs a brush often doesn't.
What is the best beard trimmer for a thick or long beard?
The Braun Series 9, because its AutoSense motor raises power in dense patches so it doesn't stall. For a long beard, the Wahl Aqua Blade's combs go to 25mm, the longest here.
Braun Series 9 BeardTrimmer (BT9560) £89.99
About 50 length settings, 180 minutes runtime, 100% waterproof, AutoSense motor. £89.99 at Braun UK (RRP £134.99). The BT9545 variant sells for about the same.
The AutoSense motor increases power when the blade hits a dense patch, which is what stops it stalling in a thick beard. Three hours of battery means charging it about once a month. The length is set with a wheel in small steps, so it's easy to go back to the same setting each time. The older BT9440 is still around in some shops and is fine if it's cheaper.
Pros: handles thick beards, long battery, fine length control, waterproof
Cons: the most expensive consumer trimmer here
Check price on Amazon UKWahl Aqua Blade (9899-800) £63.99
0.2mm to 25mm with 16 guide combs, 180 minutes runtime, fully washable, wet or dry, 5-year warranty. £63.99 at Wahl UK (was £94.99).
Wahl clippers are a common sight in UK barbershops, and the Aqua Blade is the brand's consumer beard trimmer. It goes up to 25mm, the longest of the picks here, and you can use it in the shower. It uses separate combs rather than a dial, so there are more parts to keep track of, but each comb is fixed and won't slip mid-trim.
Pros: long length range, waterproof, long battery, 5-year warranty
Cons: lots of combs to store
Check price on Amazon UKWhat is the best beard trimmer under £50?
The Braun Series 5 BT5525, at about £40, is the best under £50, with 0.5mm steps, two hours of battery and a waterproof body. The Philips 5000 BT5765 (about £45) has finer 0.2mm steps, and the Remington Heritage MB9100 is the cheapest one worth buying.
Braun Series 5 (BT5525) About £40
40 length settings in 0.5mm steps, 120 minutes runtime, 100% waterproof. About £40 to £66 at UK retailers. Some listings say it ships with a 2-pin charger, so check before you buy.
Half-millimetre steps and two hours of runtime for about £40 make this the best value in this guide. It lacks the Series 9's AutoSense motor, so a very thick beard takes a little longer, but on short and medium beards it does the same job. If you need a UK plug, look for a listing that says so.
Pros: price, 0.5mm steps, waterproof
Cons: 2-pin charger on some listings, less power than the Series 9
Check price on Amazon UKPhilips Beard Trimmer 5000 Series (BT5765/15) About £45
40 length settings, combs for 0.4 to 10mm and 10.4 to 20mm, self-sharpening blades, hair collector, 100% waterproof. About £45 to £65 at UK retailers.
The 0.2mm steps are finer than the Braun's, which helps if you keep a short beard at an exact length. The hair collector catches most of the clippings, so there's less to clean out of the sink. Philips doesn't state the runtime on the listings we read.
Pros: very fine steps, catches clippings, waterproof
Cons: runtime not stated, new model with a short track record
Check price on Amazon UKRemington Heritage (MB9100) Budget
8 fixed combs from 1.5mm to 15mm, 60 minutes runtime, USB charging (2 hours). Stock was patchy when we checked, so the price moves around.
This is the cheapest trimmer here that's worth buying. Its motor is likely to struggle in a thick beard and the fixed combs give fewer lengths, but it handles a weekly tidy of a short beard. It replaces the Remington MB350L from our original list, which is no longer sold in the UK.
Pros: price, simple
Cons: weaker motor, 1-hour battery, fewer lengths
Check price on Amazon UKWhich trimmer is best for stubble?
The Philips OneBlade 360 Face (about £20 to £30), which holds stubble at 1, 3 or 5mm and shaves the edges with the same blade. Budget about £33 a year for replacement blades.
Philips OneBlade 360 Face (QP2724) About £20 to £30
One 360 blade, 1mm, 3mm and 5mm stubble combs. About £20 to £30 at UK retailers.
The OneBlade is a trimmer and a shaver in one. The comb holds stubble at 1, 3 or 5mm, and with the comb off it shaves the cheek and neck lines clean without the nicks of a razor. Philips says to replace the blade about every four months. A 2-pack of 360 blades costs about £22, so the running cost is about £33 a year.
Pros: trims and edges with one tool, cheap to buy, gentle on skin
Cons: blade replacements add up, not for beards longer than 5mm
Check price on Amazon UKPhilips OneBlade Pro 360 (QP6652) From about £60
Adjustable comb 0.4mm to 10mm, 120 minutes runtime, 1-hour charge, waterproof, body kit. From about £60 at UK retailers; kits with more attachments cost more. Replaces the discontinued QP6541.
The Pro adds an adjustable comb that goes to 10mm and a 120-minute runtime. The blade cuts in any direction, including against the grain, which makes it good for edges. It struggles to shape a beard longer than about a centimetre.
Pros: great for line work, longer comb range than the basic OneBlade, body kit included
Cons: blade replacements every 4 months, weak on longer beards
Check price on Amazon UKIf stubble is all you ever wear, the BaByliss Super-X Stubble (from about £77 at UK retailers) has a motorised setting from 0.4mm to 5mm. It suits men who keep one exact stubble length every day.
Which beard trimmer gives the closest shave?
The Philips OneBlade, because with the comb off it shaves rather than trims. Of the trimmers here with a published minimum length, the Wahl Aqua Blade goes shortest at 0.2mm, and the Philips 5000, the OneBlade Pro and the BaByliss Super-X Stubble all start at 0.4mm.
Also worth knowing
BaByliss Super-X Metal beard trimmer (T996U)
Combs for 1 to 6mm and 7 to 12mm, 5 hours runtime (3-hour charge, 20-minute quick charge gives 40 minutes), 100% waterproof, metal body. Sold at BaByliss UK and other UK retailers; the price varies a lot between sellers.
Five hours is the longest runtime of any trimmer here, and the body is metal rather than plastic. The combs stop at 12mm, so it suits short and medium beards.
Pros: huge battery, metal build, waterproof
Cons: 12mm maximum, usually dearer than the Braun Series 5 for a similar job
Check price on Amazon UKAndis SlimLine Pro Li About £80 to £100
T-blade detail trimmer, corded or cordless, not waterproof. About £80 to £100 at UK retailers. Andis also sells a newer Slimline Pro II.
This is a barber's detail trimmer for line-ups, necklines and cheek lines. It has no length combs, so pair it with a length trimmer if you shape your own beard.
Pros: professional blade, light, excellent for edges
Cons: no length combs, not waterproof
Check price on Amazon UKWhat to avoid
- Supermarket trimmers under £15. Their motors tend to stall in thick hair and the blades dull quickly.
- "All-in-one" kits with a tray of eight attachments, where the trimmer itself is often the weak part. If you want one tool, the Philips Multigroom is the one worth a look.
- Paying extra just for USB-C or wireless charging. They're handy, but they don't change the cut.
Maintenance that makes a trimmer last
- Brush or rinse hair out of the blade after every use.
- Put a drop of clipper oil on the blade once a week if you use it often.
- Dry a waterproof trimmer before putting it away.
- Replace the blade unit, rather than the whole trimmer, when it starts pulling rather than cutting. For weekly use that's usually every 12 to 18 months; Philips says about every 4 months for OneBlade blades. Replacement blades for most brands cost £10 to £25.
What beard trimmers do barbers use?
Barbers use trade trimmers built to run all day, such as the Wahl Detailer, the Andis T-Outliner and BaBylissPRO models.
At home, a good consumer trimmer does most of the same job for less money, and it's smaller and lighter. A common routine is to have a barber set the shape every few weeks and keep it tidy yourself in between. Our Turkish vs traditional barber guide covers who does the best beard work.