Comparison test
Warentest tests beard trimmers – and rates a discount trimmer for 15 euros as “good”
According to Stiftung Warentest, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a good beard trimmer.
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The principle with which beard trimmers trim the hair is always the same. And yet the devices in the test cost between 15 and 139 euros. The surprise: the cheapest device is completely sufficient.
In order to determine which beard trimmers are really good, 25 men were asked to shave one side of their face once a week using two devices. 40 percent of the overall grade is made up of the subjective impressions of these tests and long-term use of horsehair brooms. 20 percent is due to the skin-friendliness of the trimmer, which means the risk of cutting yourself. Another 20 percent is handling, 15 percent is durability and five percent is testing for harmful substances.
Braun failed Stiftung Warentest because of a small button
Although the latter is not particularly heavily weighted, it led to the Braun “Beard Trimmer BT9420” (112 euros) resulted in a downgrade to the grade “poor”. Here, according to Stiftung Warentest, benzo(ghi)perylene was found in the on and off switch “in a concentration just above the limit specified by the GS mark”. Since this substance had a mutagenic effect in animal experiments, the testers drew the red card.
The most expensive device in the test Panasonic “ER-SB60-S803” for 139 euros, only rated “satisfactory”. Of all things, the luxury product did not convince the testers in terms of skin protection, which led to a downgrade in the overall grade.
Philips became the test winner with the “Beard trimmer series BT5515/15” for 55 euros. Apart from slightly worse results in the drop test, the device received a grade of “good” in all categories and achieved an overall grade of 2.2.
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A good beard trimmer doesn’t have to be expensive
The testers’ price tip is only slightly worse, but significantly cheaper. The drugstore chain Rossmann offers the Ideas World “Beard Trimmer Best Basics RFC-1908”, a device with an overall grade of “good” (2.5), which is available for 15 euros. Compared to the test winner, according to Stiftung Warentest, users have to expect slightly worse handling, especially due to the lack of accessories for storage and complicated cleaning, but they save 40 euros when purchasing.
The complete test can be found for a fee at test.de.
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