Manscaped The Beard Hedger review: A sleek tool for taming thick beards

While Manscaped has gained notoriety in recent years for its range of intimate electric shavers and trimmers, The Beard Hedger is part of their facial range. The company now offers an impressive line-up of both foil and T-blade shaves and trimmers to gently tame facial fuzz.

Sitting at the top of the tree is the Chairman Pro electric foil shaver, which comes with an interchangeable four-blade foil head for a baby smooth close shave, an LCD display and a fantastically useful LED for illuminating the skin when shaving.

But The Beard Hedger, tested here, is a slightly more basic wet-dry trimmer, featuring incremental hair length adjustments from 0.5mm-10mm via a quick and easy-to-use zoom wheel.

Predominantly designed to shape and sculpt thicker beards, it’s a good-looking, powerful and fast-charging option for those that like to keep a few day’s growth on their face without looking scruffy.

Manscaped The Beard Hedger review: What do you get for the money?

The Beard Hedger essentially takes Manscaped’s sensitive area technology and applies it to a device designed specially for the face. It’s a wet/dry beard trimmer with titanium-coated stainless steel T-blades and a powerful 7,200rpm motor designed to handle thicker beards, rather than cut stubble right down to the skin like a foil shaver. It features a zoom wheel for quick length adjustments, a USB-C rechargeable battery and it all comes packaged in a premium travel case.

In the rather snazzy box, you’ll find The Beard Hedger trimmer, a USB-C charging cable, a cleaning brush and a semi-solid travel case with mesh pockets for storing all of the aforementioned items.

The trimmer itself is fashioned from a mix of textured and shiny plastics with a deliberately ergonomic design, making it lightweight and comfortable to hold. The guard adjusts from 0.5mm to 10mm via a rotating zoom wheel, and the unit is fully waterproof with an official IPX7 rating so it can be used in the shower.

Unlike the more expensive Chairman Pro foil shaver, there isn’t a screen or display on The Beard Hedger. Instead, Manscaped incorporates a three-section LED that reveals battery charge status.

Manscaped The Beard Hedger review: What is it like to use?

With its wide 41mm blade, the Beard Hedger makes quick work of thicker beards. However, the width can make it tricky to achieve precise detailing in hard-to-reach areas, such as those under the nose and lips. Used without the guard, it cuts close but doesn’t provide the ultra-smooth finish of a foil shaver, always leaving a day’s worth of stubble.

I’m not blessed with thick and luscious facial hair, so I had a barber friend with a Captain Birdseye beard test the general power and cutting efficiency on thicker pelts. It managed to plough through longer hair without snagging, although he did comment on the fact that the adjustable zoom wheel lengths weren’t as accurate as interchangeable guards.

Thankfully, the Beard Hedger cuts a little longer than advertised, so it’s easy enough to dial in a shorter length if you prefer – rather than hack too much off in the first pass.
Plus, fast USB-C charging is a major convenience, with a full charge taking around 90 minutes and a quick top-up providing 15 extra minutes of use.

Manscaped The Beard Hedger review: What is battery life like?

Manscaped says that the built-in Lithium-ion battery is good for 60 minutes of runtime from a single charge and it’s possible to achieve an extra 15 minutes or so of beard shaving from a quick five-minute top-up. This is fairly standard, if slightly down on some cordless rivals.

During a run-down test, I achieved more than the advertised 60 minutes, but then there was no resistance on the motor from thicker hair. A more true test is to time an average shaving session and then work out how many of these I managed on a single charge.

In this case, I achieved five ten-minute sessions before the batteries ran dry, which is very close to the claimed figures from Manscaped.

Charging via the USB-C outlet takes around an hour and a half, but a tri-LED on the front of The Hedger will let you know what percentage is remaining and when it needs plugging in.

Unfortunately, this battery isn’t removable like it is on some rival models, meaning that if run-time suddenly diminishes or the unit fails to charge, you’ll be forced to buy a new Beard Hedger if it is out of its warranty period.

Manscaped The Beard Hedger review: What’s not so good about it?

On top of the previously mentioned potential built-in battery pitfalls, The Beard Hedger doesn’t have the same solid, premium feel as some rival trimmers with metal casings.

It’s a lovely piece of design that feels great in the hand, but I have tested cheaper rivals that are practically indestructible and can withstand being dropped in the sink or shower. I’m not so sure The Beard Hedger would.

The removable guard’s prongs are also a bit flimsy, and the cutting length increments aren’t always 100% accurate, often leaving hair slightly longer than expected.

Manscaped The Beard Hedger review: How easy is it to clean?

Very easy. The guard pops off for a quick tap-out of excess hair, and the blade head slides off with a little pressure, allowing all components to be rinsed under warm water. Being fully waterproof means you can rinse the entire unit if needed, though regular deep cleaning is recommended to prevent build-up.

Manscaped The Beard Hedger review: Should you buy it?

If you’re looking for a stylish, easy-to-use trimmer that handles thick beards well, The Beard Hedger is a solid choice. The zoom wheel and waterproof design add convenience, and the included travel case is a nice touch. However, if you prefer a more robust build or need ultra-precise length settings, you might want to explore other options with removable guards.

Despite the powerful motor, I also wouldn’t recommend The Beard Hedger for anyone also looking to tackle hair on top of the head, as there isn’t a huge amount of adjustability in length and the run-time might leave DIY barbers stranded.