Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer Series 3500, QT4018/49, Cordless Mustache and Beard Groomer for Men - NO BLADE OIL NEEDED

Norelco quality is a cut above the competition. I have written many product reviews of shaving products over the years. I can honestly say that most of the products that I have reviewed were of good quality. I have owned four beard trimmers. The first one was a Norelco that lasted sixteen years (I had to remove the original battery and replace it with an equivalent NiCad after the third year). While I had that one, I also simultaneously owned a second Norelco. The second one did not last long and the first actually outlasted it. Last year, I bought a Remington. I used the Remington for about 11 months before I decided to purchase another Norelco. The Remington was more suited as hair clippers, for your head. The comb attachments were large and while adjustable, was just a bit cumbersome to move around your chin to trim the goatee. The Remington functioned better as hair clippers than as a beard trimmer. I like the Norelco's adjustable comb. This particular unit was designed for trimming the beard rather than head hair. The unit feels good in your hand. Sturdy, but balanced. The balance is not as important on a beard trimmer as it is on a razor, but good balance is still desirable. The rotating trimmer adjustment works great. The adjustment ring has contact points in front and in back, for easier adjustment. One peculiarity with Norelco trimmers is that they do not need lubrication. Most other brands will come with a small bottle of oil that you use to lubricate the blades. The Norelco's blades do not need this lubrication; however, it doesn't hurt to use a product like Shaver Saver. My first Norelco, the one that lasted 16 years, never went dull. The blades remained sharp and the replacement NiCad battery lasted over 12 years. I only replaced the unit when the battery charge started to get shorter. I could have ordered another NiCad battery and soldered it in place of the deteriorated unit. However, I am getting lazy in my old age and it was quicker to just buy a new trimmer. This new trimmer uses a lithium ion battery. Yes, the blades move faster and the recharge is much faster. However, do not expect lithium ions to last 12 years. On a subjective level, the performance is the same as my previous trimmers. However, the faster blades do have a slight comfort advantage. Faster blades will decrease the chances of hair pulling. This is the same reason why the Panasonic electric razors are very comfortable. The faster blades decrease the amount of pulling on the hairs resulting in increased comfort. The hair is cut before the trimmer has moved even a micro millimeter. That is one of the advantages of having a lithium ion battery. The amount of power available to the motor allows it to operate faster. Unlike my previous Norelco trimmers, this new Norelco can be cleaned under tap water. You can put the blades under running water, though you do not want to submerge the whole unit. It comes with a small cleaning brush. The product is of very good quality and it should last a long time. So, why did I buy this one instead of the next model up? The one with the built in vacuum. The price of this one is in the sweet spot for beard trimmers. The less the trimmer is doing, the more reliable it is likely to be. You know what, I just want my trimmer to cut my beard. Highly recommended.

I actually paid for this trimmer. Feels a little ridiculous since Philips apparently gives these things away like there's no tomorrow if the sponsored comments are any indication. But rest assured, I actually bought it and owe the manufacturer nothing. So, it's a nice trimmer. When I was shopping around on here, I was mainly concentrating on device maintenance and the versatility of the device without an army of additional attachments. For me, I use a few different settings to trim my beard, longer on my face, closer on the moustache, no guard for shaping. And this thing does a good job. The guard feels fairly stout, like it won't be giving out or cracking anytime soon. The device doesn't appear to be overly needy or anything like that, though the instruction manual for any trimmer will essentially recommend you give the thing a full spa treatment and dinner out at The Palm before and after each use. Very quick charge, one hour will turn the light solid green which (allegedly) will last for two hours of use, though I haven't tested that yet. If all that turns out to be true (and it did fully charge within one hour), I don't think you can get better than that in terms of charge vs. usage. Anyway, the rotating dial that adjusts the guard is fine, certainly nothing to freak about in terms of innovation. Just a little gimmick thing. I guess more than anything the motor on the thing just really tears, so you feel like you're getting a good cut. It's just a nice device, perhaps a little heavy on the price at $40, but quite honestly, you don't have to buy trimmers very often in my experience. Are you going to regret dropping $40 on a device that directly impacts how you like to look and will probably not have to replace for the next five years? Personally, I doubt it. I think there's definite value in the long run. I have no problem cutting corners or going cheap on plenty of other stuff, but why on a beard trimmer? Just seems short-sighted when you're going to use the thing at least a few times a month and on your face. Oh, and the last thing about this thing that I really like is the lack of attachments. It's just one guard/comb trimmer with 20 settings, one mini brush thing for cleaning it, the power cord, and one little bag if you want to use it. I think that's pretty great streamlining, especially if you travel. No one wants to pack like they're going to a barber's convention.

Was concerned with the reviews about poor quality instructions, but purchased anyway... the instructions aren't all that bad. I've never used a beard trimmer before and have had poor results with electric shavers in the past, but discovered that this trimmer was easy to use and produced exactly the results wanted (and approved by my number one critic, my wife). I like the options that allow use of the battery mode or plugged in. Its easy to clean with the supplied brush and the guard comb can be rinsed. Unit is not water proof and does not have a vacuum, but I didn't plan to use it in the shower and the hairs just fall into the sink so the added cost of a vacuum isn't needed. It would be nice if Norelco provided a cradle for charging, but that would defeat the ability to use it plugged in should eth batter be discharged. The travel pouch is cheap and hard to use - Norelco might as well not provide something like this as its 'junk'. Fortunately I have an old travel pouch that works just fine.

Let's face it, replacing an old and trusted beard trimmer can be an emotional roller coaster... When my Phillips Norelco QT4021 died, I was really angry when I found out the model was discontinued... I even called the company to find out what model they would recommend as a replacement... And, of course, their 'best' guidance was the $100 trimmer with laser guided sights.. I passed on that one - I'm just trying to trim a beard, not get a Terminator primped and ready for its prom.... This model is much cheaper and gets the job done - plain and simple... No bells and whistles like suction or digital displays... Just solid performance at a great price... Plenty of height adjustments on a rotary dial, easy to clean, and the battery charges as quickly as advertised... It IS smaller than my beloved QT4021, so I had to get used to the feel of the new trimmer around my lips, but within a few minutes I was comfortable with my new trimmer.... The only other issue you might have is the number settings - a "3" on your old trimmer might not be a "3" on this model (or any model you buy) - so use common sense on your first trim and set the blades higher until you find the proper setting that works best for you... The bottom line - A great trimmer with lots of power and solid performance for well under $40... FIVE STARS...

And the title says a lot. I've had a full beard for over 35 years and in that time have gone thru numerous beard trimmers. That is until I bought my first Philips Norelco 12+ years ago. These things are designed to last a very long time. My most recent trimmer was a 7000 series with the vacuum feature and I had it over 7 years, but with the battery no longer holding a charge and the blades a little duller, I decided to replace it. The newest 7000 series with vacuum seems to have a few issues based on reviews, and since I really didn't like that vacuum feature all that much anyway, I decided to go with this 3500 series. BTW, the vacuum isn't really worth it. While it does catch about 80% of the hair, you still have to put a towel down to catch the remaining, so what's the point? And the vacuum makes it much heavier and bulkier and quite loud. I noticed a huge difference with this trimmer. Lighter weight, MUCH quieter and smaller making it is much easier to maneuver and use. I have a full beard well down onto my neck, and I couldn't believe how much faster my trim was. I really love this thing. You can read the specs yourself, but there are plenty of increments on the cutting length. I keep my beard moderately short and found the 7.5 setting right for me. 10 would be the shortest. The comb/hair guide is lighter weight than my previous, but I see no reason this won't last as long as the trimmer itself. Not flimsy and there really is no way to break it unless you step on it or something. It fits very easily into a slot on the trimmer and there is no forcing it. It just fits. Not much else to say. I've used it 5 times now and from the first time, there was no "getting used it it". It's simply a great trim every time!

5/16/19 - Update: Okay, so, I am actually giving the last star to this trimmer (if you can find it.. if not, get the newer model, I'd imagine it's just as good...) Why? Well, over two years on (2 years, 4 months, to be exact) and this trimmer is still going strong. The battery life hasn't decreased _at_all. Maintains a good sharpness to the blades, not needing to cart around attachments is still very useful. It's also east to clean, and overall, I couldn't be happier with the thing. Highly recommend. Original review follows: _____________________________________________________________________________ I've given this a few uses so far, and I like it a lot. I looked at quite a few and I've been shaving my beard/mustache for about thirty years. (Mostly mustache till the last five or so.) I used Norelcos from back before Phillips bought them. This works as well as those in the past, but a few points. Pros: 1. Lithium! Yeah, baby. Charges in an hour. MAKE NOTE OF THIS. Few other current trimmers actually charge up in an hour. Most being sold at this price point still require a charger stand and "an overnight charge" (of 8 hours) for ONE hour of charge. 2. To me, that's kind of a big deal. I don't want to leave my trimmer on a charger all the time, and frankly, I don't *want* to have to think about it at all. Which includes, as others have pointed out, not having to worry about 14 different attachments. 3. Now that I have multiple power cords, over the years of buying Norelco, the same old power cords are still compatible. (Not a selling point for everyone, but still nice.) 4. The trim is effective and sharp, without any issues. 5. It's also light, but, can also be considered a negative (see below). Cons: 1. I feel like the build quality isn't as solid as the old trimmers, however, they do give it a 2 year warranty, and for registering it, tossed in another six months. So, this is a "it feels a bit cheaper" - but time will tell if it really is. 2. I'm not a HUGE fan of how the hair leaves the trimmer. I had a pretty healthy trim to go through (probably an inch+ long beard all over my face and was bringing it down to 5MM) - and it just kind of falls on your hand while you're shaving. I'm a bit spoiled by the vacuum one I had in the past, I guess, I don't recall older trimmers working quite like that. 3. You do have to take the trimmer attachment off to get to the edge clipper. There's no second one like I've see on older Norelcos. Not really a huge con, since you'd be taking it off anyway to clean it. But some people may miss being able to just slide their thumb up to get to it, and dropping it again, and spinning it around easier, etc. That's really it - obviously, I feel the pros outweigh the cons, and it's seemed to have been on a sale for $30 for a while now. At that price point, you can't argue with the quality and the features compared to others at this price point. I think it wins hands down. (1 hour charging, the fact that it's rechargable, uses lithium instead of NicAD, no need for a dozen attachments). It's also a pretty attractive trimmer, all things considered.

I've had this trimmer for the past two years (also had its predecessor QT4014/42 model for 4 years before owning this one so 6 years experience in total with this and its predecessor). It has everything I look for in a trimmer: - 0.5-10 mm length range with 0.5 mm steps between settings (overall 20 length settings). - battery lasts many uses before it needs recharge. - fast charging (less than an hour for a full charge). - can be used either cordless or corded (this one is especially important - some trimmers cannot be used while charging so if one of them runs out of battery while shaving you need to wait until it has enough charge before you can continue with the shave). - doesn't require lubrication. The only disadvantage I can think of is that its comb is a bit bendy which makes it easy to break after a few years of use (the price of a new comb is the same as a new trimmer) but besides all in all that it's a great trimmer.

First off, I would like to state that the trimmer does an excellent job trimming any length beard. The integral length adjustment is great and works perfectly. The blades are very sharp and do not tug or pull on hairs as it cuts. I absolutely love how this trimmer cuts. Unfortunately, the power delivery system for this unit is poorly designed. I first purchased a unit and used it for about 2 weeks. It suddenly quit working. Being a mechanical engineer, I thought I would take it apart and try to find out what happened. Turns out the seal around the connection between the cutting blades and shaft of the electric motor is poorly designed. It allows water to seep through and ruin the motor. Now that I had torn my shaver apart I clearly could not return it for a replacement... Well, since the unit cut so nicely I figured I would purchase another. I was meticulously careful not to allow water no enter the shaver. Lo and behold 2 weeks later my new unit shut off and would not turn on anymore. I am so disappointed such a nice shaver is so sensitive to water. I guess on to the next one...

Très bon achat

Very good but the plug is not compatible with a usual UK shaver socket.

La cortadora perfecta para mantener corta la barba/bigote sin llegar a rasurarlo por completo. Carga muy rápido (1 hr, aprox) y le dura bastante la batería. Viene con una bolsa de viaje. Fácil de limpiar y de usar.

Todo impecable! El envío muy bien. La afeitadora puede cortar mientras carga, que eso es esencial. Sigue con la corriente de pared y no de la batería. Super recomendada.

It seems to do the job but it doesn't cut as close as others I've used. It handles well and clean up is a snap but be aware that it doesn't prevent what it cuts from dropping so be leaning over the sink to catch the clippings. The lithium battery holds a good charge and recharges quickly. I can't imagine why anyone would need or use all the "precision settings" but they're there anyway.