Hair trimmer or beard trimmer – what’s the difference?

A hair trimmer and a beard trimmer are both grooming tools designed for cutting hair but differ in their intended use and features. Are you wondering whether to choose a hair trimmer or a beard trimmer? Can one device serve both purposes effectively? You can read more about that in this article.

Hair trimmers

Intended use: Hair trimmers are primarily designed for cutting the hair on your head. They are used for giving haircuts and maintaining the length and style of your hair.

• Blade width: Hair trimmers typically have wider blades compared to beard trimmers, which allows for faster cutting of larger areas of hair on the scalp.
• Adjustable length settings: Hair trimmers often come with a variety of length settings to achieve different hair lengths for various hairstyles. They typically have longer adjustment options than beard trimmers and are less precise in shorter lengths.
• Power: Hair trimmers are designed to handle thicker hair, so they often have more powerful motors compared to beard trimmers. This extra power is necessary to cut through larger volumes of hair quickly and efficiently when giving haircuts.
• Attachments and combs: Hair trimmers usually come with a variety of attachments and combs suitable for different hair lengths. Beard trimmers may have specialized combs for maintaining various beard lengths and styles, but they often have fewer attachments than hair trimmers.
• Noise level: Hair trimmers, due to their more powerful motors, can be noisier compared to beard trimmers.

You can find the best hair trimmers here.

Beard trimmers

Intended use: Beard trimmers are designed explicitly for grooming facial hair, including the beard, mustache, and sideburns. They are ideal for maintaining the shape and length of facial hair.

• Precision: Beard trimmers usually have narrower blades and finer cutting adjustments, which are well-suited for detailing and precision work on facial hair.
• Battery life: Beard trimmers may have a shorter battery life compared to hair trimmers, as they are intended for shorter grooming sessions and don’t require as much continuous use.

You can find the best beard trimmers here.

Can you use one device for beard and hair?

Typically, you can use a hair trimmer for the hair on the head and the beard. However, this might not be possible for a beard trimmer because they have a less powerful motor.

Price comparison

Which device is the most expensive: A hair or a beard trimmer? In the following chart, we have compared the price for hair trimmers with beard trimmers:

The cheapest beard trimmer is Philips BT3206/14, which costs £18.44; in comparison, the most expensive one is priced at £159. The average price for the beard trimmers is £60.

The Philips QC5115/15 is the cheapest for hair trimmers, at £14.99. The most expensive model costs £414, and the average price across hair trimmers is £77.

Comparison of maximum trimming length

Hair trimmers generally have a longer maximum trimming length because they have to be able to handle longer hairstyles.

The following chart shows a comparison of the maximum trimming length for hair trimmers and beard trimmers:

Comparison of trimming width

Hair trimmers do not need the same degree of precision as beard trimmers; therefore, their trimming width is typically larger.

The following chart compares the trimming width for hair trimmers and beard trimmers: