Amazon.com: Customer reviews: ConairMAN i-Stubble Cordless Ultimate Flexhead Beard Trimmer for Men, Electric Shaver for Men

Top positive review

Perfect for 0.4mm - 5.0mm Stubble Lengths

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2013

So there seems to be a lot of confusion around this product, so its easier to state what it doesn't do to start with.

1. Its not a 'complete' shaver system.
2. Its not suitable for longer beards (0.4mm - 5.0mm is its total range).
3. It doesn't collect trimmings as you shave, so could be described as a 'messy' shave.

Its function is very simple - Its literally for achieving stubble and that's it - period, nothing more.

Its perfect for the stubble look and can achieve stubble from 0.4mm (looks like you haven't shaved for a day) to 5.0mm...looks like you have shaved for a few weeks. Anything longer than that and you are firmly in the 'beard' category and this is not the shaver for you.

Its cuts well and cleanly. Its mono directional pivoting head glides over the surface of the skin easily / smoothly and I find that I only need 1 - 2 passes to collect most hair. Difficult areas such as rear jaw line (between neck and ear) might need a few more passes and a shaving mirror, but this is the case for all but a few shavers that have multi-adapting / contour following, flexible heads.

I've tried a few different types of shaver that claim to offer a genuine stubble grooming solution and this is the only one that works REALLY well. It cuts cleanly, doesn't pull / tug on hairs and is very easy to use straight out of the box. There really isn't to much to it. Switch the unit on, push up / down using the buttons on the shaver to adjust the stubble cut length (0.2mm increments, as displayed on the LCD screen) and start shaving, that's it. It is possible to remove the guard and use as a trimmer if required.

A minor gripe would be that yes it doesn't collect your hair as you shave....but it doesn't claim to do this, so you cant really complain about it.

The other minor thing is that you have to charge the device for 16 hours before you use it for the first time. This is so the battery is primed and will potentially have a longer life in general. Whether it does or not, I'm not really 100% sure.

But those really are minor points...its only $38!! Which is such great value... It feels like a very well put together unit and the motor driven adjustment system works really nicely.

If you are after a 'stubble look' and want to try out a few different lengths and styles there really is no better shaver on the market than this one at the moment.

12 people found this helpful

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

V. Richie

Updated 07-2019 - New model is absolute rubbish

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2015

New review on newest model:
Well, after a couple of years, the plastic spacer broke on my original so I promptly ordered a replacement. Boy am I sorry I did.
The spacer that is on this (the part that sets hair length) has been re-designed, but not in a good way. This thing will barely cut at ALL now. I don't know why, but I had to spend almost 10 minutes literally grinding this into my face to try to get shaven, and i still have a shaggy look with hairs missed all over the place, this thing is an absolute disaster now. I can't stress this enough, DO NOT buy this thing now. The old model was somewhat irritating, but still worked great. Not this one. It is horrible.
Now I'm stuck shopping for something that actually works...

========================
Original review :
I have to say, this thing works beautifully in all respects except one. That leads me to the 3 star rating because it's a big deal to me.
first, this thing is fast and cuts so good, it's hard to believe how well it really works. It's smooth, the adjustment method is near genius, the battery lasts a long time, it has a backlight, I don't have to fool with a bag full of different size clip-on spacers... Everything about it is great... except...

The spacer. It's sharp on the ends. When I trim my mustache, the $%@$#% thing stabs the inside of my nose while I'm tying to get all the hairs. It's not just bothersome, it sends me into a cursing rant every time it happens... which is every time I use it, I'm thinking about taking something and cutting the sharp leading edges off of it to see if I can do it without affecting the way the thing works. the spacer is a good 1/2 inch or more ahead of the cutter and that makes for problems... especially when the leading edges are so dang sharp.

3 people found this helpful

2,793 total ratings, 1,586 with reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

Melbourne Designer

Perfect for 0.4mm - 5.0mm Stubble Lengths

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

12 people found this helpful

Helpful

Paul C. Seeberg

Far better than expected.

Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2013

Verified Purchase

I spent way too many hours reading reviews, looking on the internet, watching videos to pick a beard trimmer. As we all know, it is something we have to live with for a while.

Most of the negative reviews here seemed a bit weak, or was not a big negative to me.

I really miss my old Panasonic trimmer (edit - just saw my review for the er-203 trimmer. I bought it in 2003 - got almost a decade on that trimmer! The last trim was as good as the first. This iStubble trimmer actually IS better!) that I had for years and years..Felt it was the best out there and didn't want to change to something new.

Had my short list of trimmers to try. figured try this one first.

Pleasantly surprised. Naturally I couldn't wait to try it. gave it a quick, few hour, charge. tried it out.

Read some negative reviews about power on thick beards. Since this, is max, 5mm, I wouldn't expect it to go through a santa claus beard. it is not designed for that. It is for us that want a short, stubble, type beard. My beard was fairly long for me, and it is very thick, often stopped other trimmers in their tracks, even when plugged in. This one just went though like nothing. quick, clean, short. No hesitation, even on a short initial charge. Not a single pulled hair, no straining of the motor.

The claims of not being able to get good detail work done.. don't know where that comes from. great control, flipping up the comb, I am able to get a great edge, good trimming, very pleased.

Ergonomics. like another reviewer. Agree, needs something for better grip.. maybe some rubber or some molded in grips.. something.. however, not a deal breaker by any means. I do like the motorized comb adjustment. thought it would be a gimmick, but it is actually pretty good. edit-The stock images do not do it a service. It LOOKS clunkier than it is to use. It is quite nimble despite the poor marketing material

Honestly, I can't see any way to really improve on it. I like that you can't easily lose the comb, it gets out of the way so it is not a problem at all.

The only variable, to me, is how long will the battery last..

Again, this is for someone who wants a stubble type beard. You have a long beard, this isn't for you. It is called iStubble for a reason :)

I tried it at 4mm -- worked great..then tried at 2mm. WOW .. that's short! very even and great results. Very pleased.

Time will tell how it stands up... but initial impression is quite good. Other than some better grip on the unit, I can't think of anything I could tell the mfr to change. Has control, power, ease of use, flexibility for the short beard/stubble beard guy

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

EngineerDude

Very good, but some issues to think about.

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2012

Verified Purchase

First, the unit is well made and feels good on the hand. And it does seem to cut hair to .4 mm, which seems to be a much closer cut than the competition. In addition, the floating head feels good and, contrary to some reviewers, I had no problem shaping the stubble under the nose, though it did require some back and forth movements and, as in all razor situations, making faces. No skin irritation to report as well.

Now, the not so impressive but still a tad inconsequential: the battery as shipped requires 16 hours of charge... something not competitive compared to other products that are pre-charged, or that fully chargde in an hour or two. Conair needs to address this. In this age of immediate gratification waiting nearly two days to try the device is too much. Secondly, the trimmer requires application of oil to the blades.

Yet what might be something to think about is that the stubble cut by the device is, in many ways, not the "ideal" stubble grown in a day or two after a good traditional shave with a good blade (or safety blade). One explanation is that .4 mm is still not short enough for the ideal stubble if you have thick hair. I suspect something like .1 mm would be more like it.

The second factor is that not all of our beard hair grows out at once... some hairs grow faster than others. The result is that a day or two "natural" stubble after a good shave will be less dense than the day after day use of the iStubble. After a few days of using the iStubble all hairs have had a chance to come out, and even if all cut at 0.4 mm they do clearly form thicker and more pronounced stubble.

So, in a few words, if you have thick face hair or a lot of it your iStubble will work, but the stubble will not be that "ideal" light stubble that develops after a good shave --it will be thicker and more pronounced.

Still, I am happy with the iStubble as I do not need to shave every day, and do like the stubble look more than a clean shave look. Perhaps the best out there, but, as in many things, it could be even better.

** 2013 **

Continues to go on strong, and works fine! No oiling over a year and still no problems. Once you get used to a bit thicker stubble, no complaints at all!

** 2014 **

Continues still to go on strong. Have not used it as much as in prior years, but keep it plugged in. It still holds a charge.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Clark21236

Head Shaver

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2015

Verified Purchase

OK, I bought this to shave my head. I'm becoming follicly challenged on the top of my head and have been shaving my head once a week. I have several Wahl trimmers and have been very happy with all of them. I have a corded model, a cordless model, and my most recent purchase a Bald Fader. They are all great. I wanted a better routine though.

So I got this. And I said I'd wait a little bit so I could get a real good feel for the product. I wanted an easier routine for keeping my head shaved. I have plenty of hair on the side of my head that grows insanely fast. The heat from it growing so fast, or the incredible power of my brain seems to have worn our the follicles on the top of my head. So I found that Bald Fader was REALLY close and I liked the 5 o'clock shadow look of a day or two after using it.

This seemed to be the perfect answer. My first use I tried it with the guard clipped back. To me, that seemed a little bit unforgiving on my head. It was fine, but it wasn't as close as the Bald Fader, and it seemed to be a bit tough to do on my head. So I moved to using the guard and keeping it at the 0.4 setting.

I have found that this works great. The key is to keep cleaning the blade. My hair grows really fast, so in a day or two there is a lot of it, well, except up top. So when I first started, I found that it seemed to take more effort than I thought it should. So, it was my fault. Today I tried a different approach. I found that it was indeed "clogging" up with hair. I flipped the guard back and used the included brush to sweep away the hair buildup on the blade and the shave was so much better. The key for what I was using it for, was just to keep cleaning at a pace that was quicker than you would think would be needed. I have a schedule of shaving my head with this about every two days and am very pleased with it.

Battery life. It's insanely good. I didn't time myself, but this time I shaved my eye brows. Then my better half wanted to manscape my chest hair. And I shaved my head. I had used it the previous two times just to shave my head. And after all this it was down to two bars.

As for the height adjustments. It worked well on the eye brows. For my taste, I think it was too close at the highest setting for my chest though. Your mileage may vary.

Oh, and yeah I tried it for my face too. Crazy, but it seemed to work well for that too. Go figure.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

V. Richie

Updated 07-2019 - New model is absolute rubbish

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2015

Verified Purchase

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Big Amazon Fan

Great for old man skin

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2024

Verified Purchase

I'm an old man with old, sensitive skin. I don't give a fig about close shaves, but I detest a long beard. When I have to shave I do so in a hurry with this stubble razor. Afterward I use an air canister to clean it out in about two seconds. I've used this model for several years. No problems with it.

Helpful

Mike Ciavarella

A great trimmer - but only for as long as it lasts

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2019

Verified Purchase

I've been using this trimmer for 5 full years. Here's a timeline of how my perception of this trimmer has changed:
2014 - This thing works great! It has a lot of power for something that uses a battery, and I get about 3 full trimming sessions before I need a recharge. I love the adjustable head and how I can fine-tune the smaller measurements to get my beard looking perfect. I also love that I can remove the guard to clean up my neck and get more defined beard lines on my face. My only gripe is that it's still hard to trim close to my nostrils. But most razors this size have the same problem, so I'm not too bummed about it.
2015 - This thing still works great, but it's starting to die sooner and sooner. I'm lucky if I can trim my face twice without having to recharge this. I start plugging it into the charger, which is a large wall A/C adapter with a long 5 ft cable, after every use. It's only a minor inconvenience though, so I still really like this thing.
2016 - The battery is now lasting just under a full trimming session, so I decide to look into replacing it. Well, it turns out that the battery is not only proprietary, but also soldered into the device. Without a soldering iron, I have no means of replacing the battery. The good news is that if it dies before I'm done, I can just charge it for another 15 minutes, come back, and finish the job. So I'll keep doing that - again, it's only a minor inconvenience, and I'm willing to deal with it for now.
2017 - Now the battery is completely dead. It will only last about 10 seconds if it isn't plugged in. Again, I can't replace this battery without soldering equipment and somehow procuring a proprietary replacement battery that ConAir doesn't sell. However, the trimmer STILL works if I keep it plugged in the whole time when I'm shaving. The wire for the charger is long enough that I can easily do this with only another minor inconvenience. So, since I'm too cheap and lazy to find a new razor, I guess I'll keep doing that.
2018 - The trimmer has reached the point that it won't stay on for more than a minute even plugged into the charger! Also, if I change guard lengths and turn it back on too quickly, it immediately dies. What were only minor inconveniences before turn into huge pains. I'm starting to miss spots when trimming because I have to stop mid-trim to let it recharge.
2019 - I've maximized the life of this trimmer, and it is barely functional anymore. I think it's time to buy a new one.

TL;DR: This is a great trimmer for the price, but it is not, by any means, a "buy it for life" item. Only expect to use it for around 2 years, maybe 3 tops if you're as patient as I am, before having to replace it. If they actually sold replacement batteries for this, I would rate it an instant 5/5. But because of the short lifespan, I have to lower the rating.

87 people found this helpful

Helpful

Brian Visser

I think I have gone though at least 15 different trimers and this is the best one I have owned.

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

If I could give it a 4.5 I would, but since I can't I'd say it's closer to a 5 than a 4 thus the 5 star rating.

Pro's:
1.) By far the most accurate and reproducible cut of any beard trimer I have owned. I think I have gone though at least 15 different trimers and this one is the best in that area.

2.) If you are really picky about getting the exact length you want this is the one (unless you want it really long). From 2.0mm to 5.0mm,(0.4,0.6,0.8,1.0,1.2,1.4,1.6,1.8,2.0,2.5,3.0,3.5,4.0,4.5,5.0)

3.) Easily contours to your (at lest mine) face. With most of the others I need to jockey them around to make the blade contour to my face. This one seems to float across my face with ease.

Cons:

1.) My last one only lasted about a year. It really struggled to cut my hair toward the end (yes, I use it to cut my hair as well) and the battery seemed to be dying near the end of a hair/beard trim. However, I should mention that part of that may of been my fault as I never oiled the blades.

2.) Seems like there are about 4 or 5 hairs right under the middle of my nose it can't seem to reach. Haven't had this issue so much with other trimmers. It really isn't that big of a deal because I can just flip up the guard and trim them in a few seconds.

A couple things worth mentioning.

1.) Not a big deal but My last i-Stubble of the same model I would put the setting at 3.5 for my beard. This one I need to put it at 2.5 to get the same cut. However, the cut is still very accurate, just need to use a different setting.

2.) I have no reason to believe that this wouldn't work for thick beards but since I have pretty thin hair I can't comment on that.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Marcus Matos

Love it when it works! (I seem to have gotten a defective one.)

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2013

Verified Purchase

For years I've been buying those "cheap" trimmers at my local superstore. They typically last me a couple of years and get the job done, but I usually spent way too much time trying to get the "look" right. My routine would usually be to completely shave, let my facial hair grow up, and use my trimmer to touch up every few days. Eventually my trimmer would fail to give me the look I wanted (uneven or too much time required), so I'd completely shave and start the process over again.

I figured there had to be a better way and started looking into higher quality trimmers. To my surprised, they weren't much more expensive and after reading a ton of reviews, I settled on this one.

As a gadget guy I was super excited to try it out, but as someone with lots of battery powered gadgets, I know the damage you can cause to a battery if you don't condition it properly. I left it charging for the 16 hours initially required.

The next day is my anniversary, and I'm ready to try it out as I want to have the perfect look for my anniversary dinner. The hardest part was deciding on the right setting, seeing as how my previous trimmer just had the numbers 1-5. I arbitrarily decided to go for 1.4mm (although in retrospect I should have started at a higher number and just gone with multiple passes, lowering as I went along.)

On the first pass over my face, I'm surprised as how it leaves a trail of...well, perfectness. Holy crap! A single pass and every single hair looks perfectly trimmed and even? Depression sets in as I realize I've wasted countless hours of my life with crappy trimmers. The depression subsides quickly as I continue trimming my stubble and realize 2 minutes later that I'm done. It just seems way too good to be true.

I call my girlfriend over and she approves. Okay, so what am I supposed to do with the 7 minutes I've just saved? Oh, the trash needs to be taken out? The dishwasher unloaded? Great, now I have the time!

I'm a new owner but I'm already in love.

Okay, so now the bad:

1.) The trimmer head is a bit big and kind of painful to use around your mustache/under nose area (as many other reviewers have noted). I decided to stick with my old trimmer for this area. -1 star.

2.) Today I went to use it and ran into a weird issue with the trimmer only allowing me to choose between .4 and 5mm. There's no in-between. I took a video of the issue: http://youtu.be/PiFJ3ELVZxk I've ordered a replacement and we'll see if this happens again. -1 star for now, but I'll happily give it back if the replacement works properly over time.

Overall, I'm happy with my purchase and will highly recommend it if the replacement arrives and works without issue.

Edit on 10/7/13: I received my replacement and haven't had any new issues since. Back to 4 stars.

Update on 02/10/14: Sadly I've had to drop my review back to three stars. I think I figured out why I had that original issue - this little trimmer is VERY susceptible to moisture/water getting in to it. Basically, if I have the trimmer sitting next to my sink, and I wash my hands and shake them dry and a few drops land on the buttons of the trimmer - the water seems to just get sucked into the electronics and the device starts acting up (buttons become non-responsive). I'm not talking about immersing the device - it's literally malfunctioning just from the collateral water splash of using the sink. A huge design flaw for a device that's primarily used in a bathroom. Fortunately I've been able to keep it alive by immediately drying it out with some heat after the occasional accident, but I don't expect this to work forever.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

A. Jeske

Good product, gives a VERY close trim.

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2013

Verified Purchase

I bought this to replace a previous trimmer, looking for a closer "stubble" result than I was able to get from the other.

Based on the lowest setting of my old trimmer, which that manufacturer reports as 1.6mm, I initially set the Conair to 1mm. That was a mistake. The resulting trim was MUCH shorter than I expected, almost a shave. So beware of the reported settings; they're not very accurate.

When this trimmer is set to the same 1.6mm as my old one, it gives a MUCH closer shave. For me, it's exactly the stubble length I was looking for. My advice would be to start much higher than you think, and work down. The reported lengths are misleading. But once I arrived at the setting that works best for me, I've been very happy with the results.

The head pivots, which does allow for a very comfortable ride as you go over the edge of your chin, etc. But I think it sometimes results in the head losing contact, and you may notice some uneven patches when you're done. Just go back over them at the same setting. Simple fix.

Like any trimmer with a raised blade guard, it's not perfect at getting under your nose, etc. I've never found a trimmer that is.

I think the open design of the top, where there's space between the unit and the shaving head, reduces the mess a bit. There seems to be less hair trapped in the shaver, and the flip-up head makes cleaning very easy. (Of course, you'll need to shave over the sink or in the tub/shower to avoid a mess all over the counter in any case.)

I've noticed a few oddities with the on/off switch:

If you press it once when you're done trimming, the blade shuts off but the unit stays powered on. You can see the battery life display and trimmer height setting. If you do nothing, it will turn off a few seconds later but "remember" the height setting the next time you turn the unit on. That's fine.

But if you hold the power button down for a couple of seconds to turn the unit off manually, it will lower the blade to the lowest setting before turning off. So the next time you turn it on, it's at .4mm. If you don't notice that, your beard is gone. I find that arrangement a bit dicey.

I've had no issues with battery life. I've used it a few times a week for several weeks and the battery is at 3/4 full. Just charge it for the full time suggested in the manual and you should be fine.

Overall, very good trimmer at a very good price. Can't imagine you'd need your beard to be closer than this trimmer will get it.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Questions? Get fast answers from reviewers

Need customer service?

‹ See all details for ConairMAN i-Stubble Cordless Ultimate Flexhead Beard Trimmer for Men,...

ConairMAN i-Stubble Cordless Ultimate Flexhead Beard Trimmer for Men,...

›

Customer reviews

Customer reviews

ConairMAN i-Stubble Cordless Ultimate Flexhead Beard Trimmer for Men, Electric Shaver for Men

Top positive review

Top critical review

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

Questions? Get fast answers from reviewers

ConairMAN i-Stubble Cordless Ultimate Flexhead Beard Trimmer for Men,... › Customer reviews

Customer reviews

ConairMAN i-Stubble Cordless Ultimate Flexhead Beard Trimmer for Men, Electric Shaver for Men

Top positive review

Top critical review

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

Questions? Get fast answers from reviewers

ConairMAN i-Stubble Cordless Ultimate Flexhead Beard Trimmer for Men,...

›

Customer reviews