The Braun Series 3 BT3520 (£26 at Braun UK) is the best cheap beard trimmer for most beards, with 40 lengths in half-millimetre steps. For stubble only, the Philips OneBlade 360 Face (about £20 to £30) is better. At about £45, the Braun Series 5 BT5560 adds a waterproof body and more than twice the battery.
Prices checked 1 November 2026 at the Braun UK shop, except the Philips OneBlade 360 Face, whose band comes from our September 2026 check across UK retailers. Some links go to Amazon UK, and TheBarberBoard may earn a small commission if you buy through them. As an Amazon Associate, TheBarberBoard earns from qualifying purchases (affiliate disclosure). That doesn't change the price or the picks. We haven't used or tested these trimmers ourselves. The picks come from manufacturer specs, what's in each box and current UK prices.
- Budget line: under about £35, with one step-up pick for readers who can reach £45.
- What we compared: length steps, number of settings, stated runtime, battery type, what's in the box and whether the trimmer can be rinsed.
- Sources: the Braun UK shop product pages (specs, box contents and prices on 1 November 2026) and Philips UK product information.
How we research has the full method.
A cheap beard trimmer can keep a beard tidy at the length you choose. What you give up under £30 is battery life, rinsing under the tap and the finer control of the dearer models, not the ability to trim.
Budget beard trimmers compared
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Trimmer | UK price | Lengths | Runtime | In the box | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braun Series 3 BT3520 | £26 at Braun UK | 40 settings, 0.5mm steps | Up to 50 min (Ni-MH) | Beard comb, hair comb | Best cheap beard trimmer |
| Philips OneBlade 360 Face QP2724 | About £20 to £30 | 1, 3 and 5mm combs | Not stated | Blade, 3 combs | Stubble and clean edges |
| Braun Series 3 BT3560 | £34.99 at Braun UK | 40 settings, 0.5mm steps | Up to 50 min (Ni-MH) | Beard, hair and detail combs, MiniFoil shaver head | Trim and shave edges with one tool |
| Braun Series 5 BT5560 | £44.99 at Braun UK | 40 settings, 0.5mm steps | Up to 120 min | 8 tools incl. 2 fading combs, MiniFoil head | The step up worth paying for |
Braun prices and box contents from the Braun UK shop on 1 November 2026. Philips band from our September 2026 check. Prices change often, so compare before buying.
Verdict
- Best cheap beard trimmer: Braun Series 3 BT3520 (£26). The same 40-setting trimmer as the dearer Series 3 sets, with a hair comb included, for the lowest price of the range.
- Best for stubble: Philips OneBlade 360 Face (about £20 to £30). Three fixed stubble lengths and a blade that also shaves the edges clean.
- Best step up: Braun Series 5 BT5560 (£44.99). Waterproof, up to 120 minutes of battery and two fading combs for a blended cheek line.
What is the best cheap beard trimmer?
The best cheap beard trimmer in the UK is the Braun Series 3 BT3520 at £26. It has the same 40 length settings in 0.5mm steps as dearer Braun trimmers, plus a comb for head hair. At this price most trimmers either have far fewer settings or step in whole millimetres, which makes it harder to keep a beard at exactly one length.
Braun Series 3 BT3520 £26
Best for a short to medium beard on a tight budget, at £26.
40 length settings in 0.5mm steps set with a dial (Braun calls it the PrecisionWheel), up to 50 minutes cordless on a Ni-MH battery, smart plug charger. In the box: precision beard comb, precision hair comb, cleaning brush. £26 at Braun UK on 1 November 2026.
The dial makes it simple to go back to the same length every time, which is the thing a cheap trimmer usually gets wrong. Braun's shop listed this set for less than the plainer BT3500 (£29.99, beard comb only) on the day we checked, so the BT3520 is the one to buy in this range. The combs rinse clean under the tap.
Pros: fine length control, hair comb included, cheapest Series 3 set
Cons: Ni-MH battery with about 50 minutes per charge, no shaver head for clean edges
Check price on Amazon UKPhilips OneBlade 360 Face (QP2724) About £20 to £30
Best for stubble and clean cheek and neck lines, at about £20 to £30.
Stubble combs at 1, 3 and 5mm, a blade that trims, edges and shaves, can be used wet or dry. About £20 to £30 at UK retailers (September 2026 check). Philips says to change the OneBlade blade about every 4 months.
The OneBlade is built for short facial hair, not for a beard you want to keep at 10mm or more. Its strength is that one blade does the trim and the clean edge, so stubble looks deliberate rather than overgrown. The running cost is the replacement blades, so check their price before you choose it over a conventional trimmer.
Pros: trims and shaves edges with one blade, wet or dry
Cons: only three stubble lengths, replacement blades add up
Check price on Amazon UKBraun Series 3 BT3560 £34.99
Best for trimming a beard and shaving the edges with one kit, at £34.99.
The same Series 3 trimmer: 40 settings in 0.5mm steps, up to 50 minutes on Ni-MH. In the box: precision beard comb, precision hair comb, detail comb, MiniFoil shaver head, cleaning brush. £34.99 at Braun UK on 1 November 2026.
The extra £9 over the BT3520 buys the MiniFoil head, which shaves the cheeks and neck below the beard line, and a detail comb for the moustache. If you already own a razor for the edges, the BT3520 does the same trimming for less.
Pros: shaver head for clean edges, detail comb
Cons: same short battery as the BT3520
Check price on Amazon UKBraun Series 5 BT5560 £44.99
Best for anyone who can stretch to about £45 and wants a trimmer that lasts the month, at £44.99.
40 settings in 0.5mm steps, up to 120 minutes cordless, 100% waterproof. In the box: precision beard comb, precision hair comb, detail comb, 2 beard fading combs, MiniFoil shaver head and more. £44.99 at Braun UK on 1 November 2026 (on offer).
For about £19 more than the BT3520 you get more than twice the battery, a body you can rinse under the tap and fading combs that blend the cheek line into stubble. It's the point where a beard trimmer stops feeling like a compromise. Our best beard trimmers guide compares it with the Series 9 and the Wahl Aqua Blade.
Pros: waterproof, two hours of battery, fading combs
Cons: over the £35 budget line, price depends on the offer
Check price on Amazon UKAre cheap beard trimmers any good?
Cheap beard trimmers from the big grooming brands are good enough to keep a short or medium beard tidy, as long as they have fine length steps. The Braun Series 3 sets at £26 to £35 use the same 0.5mm dial as Braun's dearer trimmers. The real differences are battery, waterproofing and how long the motor copes with a very thick beard.
- Battery. The Series 3 runs on Ni-MH for up to 50 minutes. That's enough for several trims, but you'll charge it more often than a Series 5 (up to 120 minutes).
- Rinsing. Braun says to rinse the Series 3 combs; the Series 5 body itself is 100% waterproof.
- Thick beards. A long, dense beard is where cheap motors slow down. If that's your beard, the step-up pick or the Braun Series 9 in our main trimmer guide is the safer buy.
What do you give up under £30?
Under £30 you give up battery life, a waterproof body and extra combs, but not the length control that matters most. The BT3520 at £26 has the same 40 half-millimetre settings as the £44.99 BT5560. What the extra money buys is about 70 more minutes per charge, rinsing the whole trimmer under the tap, and fading combs for a blended cheek line.
Which is the best beard trimmer for home use?
For home use on a budget, the Braun Series 3 BT3520 is the best beard trimmer because the dial makes it easy to repeat the same length between barber visits. A common routine is to have a barber set the shape every few weeks and keep it tidy at home with a trimmer on the same length. Our guide to growing a beard covers when to start trimming.
What to avoid in a cheap trimmer
- Trimmers that step in whole millimetres or more, which make it hard to keep one length.
- Unbranded multi-tool kits with a long list of attachments, where the trimmer itself is often the weak part.
- Paying for gift-box extras you won't use. Compare what's in each box: Braun's own BT3520 set was cheaper than its plainer BT3500 on 1 November 2026.
How long does a cheap beard trimmer last?
A branded budget beard trimmer usually lasts several years if you brush the hair out after each use and keep the blade clean. Braun offered a 5-year warranty on registration on its UK shop when we checked. Batteries lose capacity over time, so the 50-minute runtime of a Ni-MH trimmer will drop with age. That's one more reason to consider the Series 5 if you trim often.