Next, conditioning is essential for long beards. Apply a high-quality beard conditioner or beard oil to moisturise and soften your facial hair. This helps prevent dryness, reduces frizz, and promotes healthy growth. Still, whatever length you’re after this offers a consistent cut with no tugging and little cause to go over the same spots again and again. No trimmer will catch everything first time but the GB96 does a better job than most.

To maintain a neat and well-groomed look, invest in a high-quality beard brush or comb. Regularly brushing or combing your stubble helps ensure an even distribution of hair, while also training the hairs to grow in the desired direction. This practice prevents any unruly patches and helps you achieve a more polished appearance. Bear in mind the trimmer’s job doesn’t end when you’ve finished cutting. All that hair has to go somewhere – what doesn’t fall into the sink and surrounding area gets collected in the attachments and around the cutting teeth of the trimmer, which means you need to clean them regularly. The easiest way to do this is to wash them under the tap, but not all models are completely waterproof, which mean they require a little more maintenance to keep in top condition. High-Torque motor ensures there is no power lost or hair missed while cutting, enabling a smooth trimming of even hard, dense beards.Its four attachments and half-millimetre adjustments mean it’s hugely versatile, offering a whopping 58 different cutting lengths in total. Admittedly, the very longest one is only of use to people with real rugs - it maxes out at 30mm - but if you can’t find the right length from that lot there’s no helping you. Patience and perseverance are essential when growing and maintaining a long beard. Avoid the temptation to trim it too frequently and allow it to reach its full potential before making major adjustments. Lastly, protect your beard from harsh environmental factors. Shield it from extreme cold or excessive sun exposure by wearing a scarf or utilising beard balm with UV protection. A well-designed trimmer will offer a comfortable grip and easy manoeuvrability. An ergonomic design ensures precise control, making it easier to shape and trim your beard with accuracy. Maintenance and Cleaning The Wahl is also by far the loudest of any trimmers we tested, which might seem like a minor issue to you, but ask the rest of the household what they think when you fire it up at 6:30am. It does come with an attachment for trimming your nostrils and inside your ears, though, which might seem laughable now, but just you wait…

Nothing makes a beard owner’s blood run cold like the realisation that they’ve just scythed into their painstakingly cultivated facial hair with the trimmer on the wrong setting or the guard not attached properly. All that hard work, wasted. Whether you’re buying online or instore, cordless beard trimmers are the main variety you’ll come across these days – likely taking over in popularity due to their portability and the fact they're easily stowed away after use. However, if you feel like cordless beard trimmers just aren’t doing the job and you need something more powerful, that’s where corded trimmers come in. Can beard trimmers rust?

How long should a beard trimmer battery last?

Decide whether you prefer a corded or cordless trimmer. Cordless trimmers offer more freedom of movement but require regular charging. Corded trimmers provide consistent power but limit mobility. Additional Features According to Craig Meggs, barber at Ruffians, the most important things to look for in a new trimmer are manoeuvrability, adjustability and, of course, price. ‘Beard trimmers vary in size and durability,’ he explains. ‘It’s best to go for smaller, lighter- weight beard trimmers that come with a cordless rechargeable option, which will help both speed and accuracy.’ Adjustable Length Settings Everything about the ER-GB86 bellows sturdiness, whether it’s the rotating barrel-style adjustment that sits under your thumb, the three plastic comb attachments that fit securely over the blades, or the textured, waterproof chassis that makes it easy to clean. There’s also a hole that allows you to rinse the cutting head right through. That’s because growing and maintaining a beard isn’t just a case of giving up shaving. You need to cultivate it, and that’s where a good beard trimmer comes in. We spent a few weeks with the leading models to see which ones offer the best performance.

For those who may be excited to see something new from Gillette, via the new King C. Gillette branding, it is worth noting that the company has worked with Braun on this beard trimmer – and it’s very similar to its budget offerings rather than something completely new. The high-torque motor ensures there is no power lost or hair missed while cutting, enabling a smooth trimming of even hard, dense beards. To catch more whiskers with a single stroke, the new blade system features a 60% wider between blades. Panasonic ER-GB86 effortlessly captures even long, dense whiskers, enabling a comfortable and easy grooming of long, full beards that are easily tugged by conventional blades. Probably more impressive is Remington’s tiny MB4200 Endurance Groomer. Measuring about half the size of most other trimmers on our shortlist it offers a surprisingly thorough trim for something so small, and while the attachment is a bit on the fiddly side, being able to charge it using a USB port is very handy for frequent flyers. This wouldn’t be a huge deal if it offered a better overall cut than everything else on the list but the results are pretty underwhelming. While it adjusts in 0.2mm increments at the shorter end of the scale it maxes out at 7mm, so is of limited use to those aiming for a bushier beard. The attachments don’t seem to do a particularly good job of lifting the hairs for cuttin, either, which means you end up going over and over the same areas.Moisturising your stubble and the skin beneath can also improve its overall health and appearance. Consider using a top-quality beard oil or moisturiser to hydrate both the hair and the underlying skin. This not only reduces itchiness but also promotes healthy stubble growth, keeping it soft and manageable. We chose a medium-length setting of 7mm but would always take into account just how versatile each device was, with extra marks for anything that could go over 10mm. Whereas some offer adjustments in half-millimetre increments, others are much less precise in their measurements – which is fine if one of the options happens to be the one you’re after, but isn’t that great if you have a particular length in mind it doesn’t cater for. Brushing and combing your long beard is important for its overall appearance and health. Utilise a suitable beard brush or comb to gently detangle and evenly distribute the natural oils throughout your beard. There’s no one answer to this question, with the length of time a beard trimmer remains viable depending on how frequently you use it and the trimmer itself. If you care about a long-lasting trimmer, look out for models that tout self-sharpening capabilities and offer waterproofing. However, the best way to judge is from the results. If you think your trim is becoming less effective then it’s likely time to upgrade. Should you trim your beard all the same length?