Stuff - UK (2020-12)

What’s the story?

Anyone who’s seen the Kill

Bill films should be aware of

the reputation of Japanese

steel. Luckily, rather than

separating sword-wielding

samurai warriors from their

heads, BaByliss is only

interested in keeping your

facial hair nice and neat.

Is it any good?

Unlike every other trimmer

tested here, the BaByliss isn’t

fully waterproof. Ah well, that

just means you can’t shave

in the shower, right? Almost,

but it also makes cleaning the

thing a fussier proposition.

The lone attachment and

blades must be removed

before rinsing, and it’s also

recommended you oil the

blades after every use.

While it maxes out at

12mm, the large flat top of

the adjustable comb guard

makes shaving to your

desired length really easy

and allows for smooth,

consistent motions all over.

It’s just about the perfect

width too, although you’ll

struggle to fit it under even

the smallest schnozz.

The attachment gathers

hair clippings like nobody’s

business, but comes off and

snaps back into position very

easily. In fact, the BaByliss

feels particularly well put

together despite being the

slimmest and lightest on

test. It also comes with

a sturdy carry case that’s

big enough to hold the

charger, cleaning brush,

lubricating oil and even the

instructions, so you can keep

everything in one place when

it’s not in use – a relatively

rare luxury.

Price £80/ stuff.tv/BBJS

O Max 12mm O 1 attachment

O 120min O Not waterproof

What’s the story?

Philips used to sell a Series

9000 beard trimmer with a

laser attached to it. Sounds

like real Bond villain stuff,

right? Yeah, that’s what we

thought, but it turned out to

be rubbish. The new model

dispenses with gimmicks

and puts all its eggs in the

‘premium’ basket – and at

£120 it’s easily the most

expensive option here.

Is it any good?

This thing is built like a proper

tank: all stainless steel and

sturdy rubber, capped with

a flat plastic bottom so you

can stand it up on a bathroom

shelf. Handy. It’d probably

double as a pretty effective

cosh if anyone ever broke in

too – also handy.

The dial allows you to

adjust it in sub-millimetre

increments and the built-in

metal comb is as solid as

they come, but without an

attachment it maxes out

at 5mm. The single included

guard doubles that, but with

its plastic build and basic feel,

this ‘long beard comb’ does

spoil the high-end vibe.

In action, though, the fully

waterproof BT9000 is very

impressive. Apparently its

PowerAdapt Sensor checks

the hair density 125 times

per second and adjusts the

motor to maintain constant

power, but all we noticed was

the authoritative, consistent

trim it gave. Its cutting head

is quite narrow and it scatters

a lot of hairy shrapnel, but

you’ll be too busy admiring

your neat face-fuzz to care.

We also like the locking

function that stops it being

activated accidentally.

Price £120/ stuff.tv/BT9000

O Max 10mm O 1 attachment

O 120min O Waterproof

BaByliss Japanese Steel Philips BT9000 Prestige

Stuff says ++++,

A solid weapon in the war against scruffiness

Stuff says +++++

Looks the part and makes sure you do too... at a price

BASE LINES

The BT9000 has

a light-up battery

indicator built into

the base and takes

about an hour to

charge from flat.

MIN EFFORT
2hrs plugged in will
fill the battery with
the same trimming
time, while 20mins
juices it enough for
a couple of shaves.

DOZEN MATTER

The BaByliss might

not go longer than

12mm, but half-mil

adjustments mean

you get a choice of

24 lengths.

A CLOSE SHAVE

The Philips’ carry

case is a little on

the snug side. You’ll

need to remove the

guard to squeeze

it in.

T

E

S

W T

IN

N

ER

BEST FOR

LEBRON

JAMES

BEST FOR

CAPTAIN

BIRDSEYE