Best Trimmers For Medium Beards [2022] – A Perfect Cut

The best trimmer for medium beards was a difficult one to crown. An important reason for this was the fact that “medium” is tricky to define when it comes to beards.

One man’s “medium” is another man’s “long” and another man’s “short”. For this reason, a medium beard is subjective enough for you to define yourself.

But for the purposes of this list, let’s say that a medium beard is more than 20mm long. If yours is a little longer or shorter than this, don’t worry. It doesn’t make that much difference.

Oh, and if you’re in a rush, the best trimmer for medium beards I’ve selected is the Brio Beardscape.

What I’ve done is outlined the important features to look for in these beard trimmers, then listed the best ones out there that meet these criteria. 

Factors to consider when buying a trimmer for a medium beard

1. Understand what length settings are required

A medium beard is a difficult thing to define, as I’ve already mentioned.

When choosing a trimmer, do bear in mind that a lot of fantastic trimmers won’t have length guards or length settings as long as the longest parts of your beard. 

That’s fine. The reason for this is that a lot of what you’ll be using your trimmer for is neatening, shaping, and touching up. You won’t be removing large chunks of hair like a clipper would be. 

Because of this, yes you’ll need length guards long enough to maintain a medium beard, but the guards don’t have to be super long. The trimmers I’ve chosen should have long enough length guards to meet your needs. 

Having said that, this is one of the first things you should check before buying.

It’s very frustrating to buy a trimmer and then find out the length guards don’t quite meet your requirements.

2. Do you need it to be cordless?

As beard length increases, so do the maintenance requirements. With medium beards, trimming sessions will generally be longer in duration than you may expect for shorter beards. 

This is the main factor you need to consider when choosing between a corded and a cordless trimmer. 

Yes, cordless trimmers do provide a lot of convenience, but you need to make sure the runtime on a full charge is good enough.

I generally recommend you accept 1 hour on a full charge as a minimum. This isn’t to say that you’ll be trimming for a whole hour, but you’ll appreciate having to charge it fewer times during its lifetime. 

Having said this, try and get into a habit of charging your device after each trim. This should be regardless of how much charge you’ve got.

Trimming on a full charge should minimize the risk of the motor slowing down which can cause tugging and pulling.

Purely corded trimmers may be more restrictive, but they give you a little bit of extra power. The trimmers I’ve chosen in this list give you the option of using it both cordless and corded. 

3. Ensure the blades are of high quality

Thicker and coarser medium beards do require high-quality blades to cut through them effectively, with minimal pulling and tugging. 

It’s also important to ensure they have a long lifetime. 

The highest quality trimmers usually have blades made of stainless steel, titanium, or ceramic. These are usually durable and hypoallergenic, giving minimal irritation to the skin. 

Some trimmers do also have self-sharpening technology which is a bonus, as sharp blades are less likely to pull and also cut quickly and evenly. 

The blades of the trimmers in this list will serve you well.

4. Don’t expect it to do too much

Keep it simple. Yes, you want a quality trimmer to maintain a medium beard. But a simple trimmer that does the basics very well is all you need. 

The danger of trimming a medium beard is that you do too much and end up ruining several weeks’ worth of fantastic beard growth. 

When a beard gets to this length, it’s generally a good idea to get it trimmed by a barber occasionally. This doesn’t mean you’ll always have to do this, but on occasion, this would be a good idea. 

Keep your trimmer for the day-to-day maintenance, and save any big changes you want to make for a barber that you trust. 

The Best Beard Trimmers For Medium Beards [2020]

1. The Brio Beardscape 

The Beardscape has topped many of my lists this year, and for good reason. It’s one of the best-reviewed trimmers on the market at the moment and has made Brio a serious contender within the industry. 

Best Features

A much-praised feature is its premium ceramic blades. They do make this trimmer stand out from the crowd in a serious way.

Ceramic is four times harder than stainless steel, which translates into durability and a long lifetime. They cut very effectively through even the thickest parts of a medium beard and can also trim close to the skin with minimal irritation. 

The trimmer is cordless, and its battery life exceeds what is necessary, clocking in at an impressive 4 hours on a full charge. This is due to the extra-large Lithium-ion battery. 

It can also be used corded, however, meaning you won’t be stuck trimmer-less if it runs out of juice when you’re late for work. 

Being cordless and lightweight (10.1 ounces) makes it ideal for travel. It really is a great portable trimmer, especially if you buy the travel case to go with it. 

Let’s talk about length. It comes with 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 15mm, and 18mm length guards.

The blade height is also adjustable between 1mm and 1.9mm. The range of length this allows is great for medium beards and allows for variation where necessary. 

The Brio Beardscape is also one of the quietest trimmers in the game, due in part to its low-friction blades and its highly-efficient motor. 

An easy-to-read LCD shows you the adjustable speed in RPM (5000 to 7000 rpm), the remaining charge, and also when the head needs cleaning or oiling.

The display gives it a high-tech, modern feel with a great aesthetic. It’s stylish, sleek, and very user-friendly. The interface is intuitive and gives you the information you need for proper maintenance.

What you may not like

The trimmer isn’t waterproof. Whether or not this is a deal-breaker is down to personal preference. It isn’t essential, but if you’re a man that’s looking for a wet trim, or shower trim, this isn’t for you.

The fact that it isn’t waterproof also does mean it requires a little extra effort to clean, as it can’t just be easily rinsed off.

Routine brushing and oiling are essential, but as I mentioned above, the display does very helpfully indicate when this is necessary. 

If you’re looking for a waterproof trimmer, the next trimmer on this list would be the one to go for instead.

Conclusion

It’s attractive, effective, and stylish. This trimmer should be a lot more expensive than it is, providing excellent value for money at this price-point. 

2. Philips Norelco Multigroom Series 7000, MG7750/49 

Best Features

The go-to all-in-one trimmer of the year. There are no two ways about it – this trimmer can pretty much do it all and is extremely popular. 

Let’s start by talking about its innovative DualCut technology. A self-sharpening mechanism with twice the number of blades allows it to make very even, clean cuts through hair.

The blades stay sharp for long, reducing pulling and tugging, as well as minimizing skin irritation. 

It holds true to its name – this is a very versatile device. Thanks to its numerous attachments it’s capable of trimming the beard, head, nose, ears, chest and more.

It even comes with a foil shaver, allowing you to shave any unwanted stubble outside the beard borders. The edges can be neatly defined using the precision trimmer attachment it comes with as well. 

The benefits of an “all-in-one” trimmer are significant. Many men do prefer having a single device capable of doing it all, as opposed to having to buy and store several different devices to meet all their grooming needs.

The Philips Norelco Multigroom is a fantastic option for a man with a medium beard. It comes with 14 length guards ranging between 1mm and 16mm.

But remember, this doesn’t mean it can only be used for beards shorter than 16mm. These length guards would be able to neaten, trim, and maintain a beard much longer than this.

The guards themselves are of very high-quality, having been reinforced with fiberglass to prevent bending. 

It’s also waterproof, which may just clinch it over the Beardscape for men looking for a wet trim or shower trim. Or a man just looking for a trimmer they can rinse clean with no fear. 

The battery life of this cordless trimmer is very impressive. It amounts to 5 hours when fully charged. More than enough for a beard of this length. Again, much like the Beardscape, this is thanks to an extra-large Lithium battery. 

What you may not like

Storage is an issue that people do occasionally complain about. As you would have guessed, this trimmer does come with several length guards and attachments that need to be looked after.

Some men just can’t bear the thought of this, but others to celebrate this feature simply due to the versatility it brings to the table. 

Some users have also criticized the design, mainly because hair can sometimes clog up immediately underneath the blade. 

Conclusion

This was a very close contender for the no. 1 spot, but Bearscape wins by a small margin simply because this article is specifically about beards. The Beardscape would be a better choice if you’re looking for a beard trimmer and only a beard trimmer – it does this better than anyone. 

But if you’re looking for an ultra-versatile trimmer that can trim most body areas competently, then go for the Multigroom. 

3. Wahl Stainless Steel 9818 

Best Features

A brand favored by professionals worldwide, this to me is one of the most user-friendly and simple trimmers they’ve come out with. 

Much like the Norelco Multigroom 7000, it’s an all-in-one trimmer capable of trimming beard, head, ears, nose, and body.

This is done using four different multipurpose attachments: a T-blade, detail shaver, rotary personal trimmer, and detail trimmer. The beard can be debulked trimmed, neatened, and edged very competently. 

It comes with 12 different length guards ranging from 1/16th of an inch to 1 inch, giving you a good range of options for a medium beard without having an excessive number of items to store. 

In terms of versatility, durability, and competence, it comes a close second to the Norelco.

Battery life, like the others on this list, is impressive. It clocks in at 4 hours on a full charge, with a great “quick-charge” option providing just 3 minutes of runtime after just 1 minute of charging.

This is ideal for those emergency morning trims. 

The blades are made from high-quality stainless steel and are also self-sharpening. They rarely pull or tug, especially when cleaned properly, which I’ll come on to shortly. 

It’s a sleek and aesthetically pleasing beard trimmer (if that makes a difference to you).

Finally, I’ll mention the feel. It does feel comfortable to hold despite the frame being made from a very sturdy stainless steel. The palm doesn’t ache even during longer trimming sessions.

What you may not like

The trimmer isn’t waterproof. Again, if you’re looking for a wet trim, this isn’t for you. But in terms of cleaning, it needs regular brushing and oiling to ensure the device doesn’t pull or tug.

Although this is just good practice for any trimmer, this could cause pulling and tugging in the coarser parts of a medium beard if not done. 

Again, if you’re looking for a waterproof device, the Norelco would be a better option.

Positioning the length guards over the blade can be quite tricky at first but becomes easier with practice. 

Conclusion

A very competent trimmer from a classic brand. In terms of all-in-one trimmers, the Multigroom Norelco 7000 does have a larger following and better reviews when it comes to trimming beards specifically.

But the aesthetics of this trimmer are hard to ignore.

4. Remington MB4700 

It has a bunch of features that are not only surprisingly useful but also fun. The modern touches it’s been built with are worth discussing.

In several ways it’s probably the most unique beard trimmer on this list.

Let’s talk through them and why they are worthy of a medium beard.

The in-built memory can store previous length settings. Although it’s a simple feature, it does save time in the long run, especially when paired with the “wake up” feature.

Just picture it – you wake up, walk into the bathroom, and pick up your beard trimmer. It automatically turns on, set to your favorite length setting. Great, right?

A very good-looking digital touch display boosts the user-friendliness of the device in a big way. It’s used to adjust the comb length, and also displays the remaining battery life.

It displays how much battery you’ve got left, so you aren’t stuck with a dead trimmer mid-trim. The guessing game is never fun when you’re in the middle of a trimming session.

The fully motorized comb removes the need for storage of a load of length guards and attachments. The comb can be adjusted in 0.1mm increments between 0.4mm and 18mm. That equals a remarkable 175 length settings.

Although you’ll most likely only be using a few of them, the options it gives you are excellent. You’ll almost definitely find a length setting that works for you.

You’ll be able to vary the length of your beard very slightly where necessary, giving a more sophisticated and nuanced appearance when you’re more experienced with it.

Overall, it gives you everything you need for a medium beard. 

Finally, the “auto turbo” feature automatically adjusts the blade speed according to the thickness of the hair being trimmed.

This customized trimming experience minimizes tugging and pulling, and leads to a very even cut. 

What you may not like

The battery life isn’t amazing, clocking in at 50 minutes on a full charge. This is more than enough for a single trim, of course.

But you will need to charge it more often than you would for the other trimmers on this list. 

Conclusion

It’s a modern, fun, and effective beard trimmer that doesn’t pretend to be anything else. The little details that focus on making the experience just a little bit easier do make this trimmer stand out from the rest. 

Ultimately, regardless of the frills, it does its job. It’s able to trim a medium beard efficiently and effectively. At the end of the day, that’s really all that matters.

Final Words

A trimmer for a medium beard needs to be able to trim more intricately than you might initially think.

Yes, there are times when de-bulking is necessary. But there are also times when neatening and edging take priority.

The trimmer you choose needs to be capable of it all, ideally. Doubling up on trimmers would just be a waste of money. 

The trimmers on this list do meet the criteria we outlined above. Hopefully, this is a useful resource that you can use when making your decision. 

Do you know of any trimmers that you think should have made the list? If so, drop them in the comments below!