Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsNot great for stubble look
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2018
I love the dial-a-depth adjustment and the simplicity of a single comb attachment. I don't want to be storing and changing combs for every different length I want to trim. Its the reason I bought this one. It goes as short as .5 mm, and goes up in .5 mm adjustments from there. But really, once past, say, 2 mm, 1 mm increments would be fine. Though that would be more difficult to do with the way this dial works, so I understand why they didn't.
This thing is powerful, the charge lasts a long time, and I just love everything about it. Except for One Thing. And its a big thing for me. The way the comb is designed, you have to hold the device at just the correct precise angle to get it to trim to the exact length the dial is set for. That's not an issue at all if you're using any of the lengths beyond say, 2 mm. Your hair doesn't grow perfectly evenly, so its perhaps a more natural appearance if every hair isn't the exact same length. But if you're using this for one of its signature features, the stubble look, its a huge problem. You dial the comb for .5 mm, but unless you've got it at the exact correct angle, you're really cutting to maybe 1 to 2 mm. So you end up with some parts of your face close to .5 mm, but most of the rest of it somewhere between 1 mm - 2 mm. To get them all close to .5 mm, you have to keep going over and over and over the same areas, each time trying to find that elusive angle to get the full depth of cut.
What this replaces is a super cheapo, and old, AA battery powered trimmer with dull blades and a finicky power switch. that thing has this sliding comb that you manually extend to desired length. There are no marks to indicate length, you just guess. It has detents to set the comb at specific positions, but you can easily set it to any spot between those set spots. It can go as short as .5 mm. This old piece 'o junk works way better than this new, much more costly, sophisticated name brand device, all because of the design shape of its comb. The old unit cuts to the length you set. Sure, if you really hold it at an off angle, it cuts a little longer than you have it set for. But the sweet spot, where it cuts to, or very, very close to the length you set it to, is wide. Meanwhile for this Norelco trimmer, the sweet spot is elusive.
If you aren't going to use the stubble feature, this thing is excellent. If you are buying it for the stubble feature, be prepared to endure the abrasion, and time, involved in repeatedly going over the same areas over and over, trying to obtain the setting you've dialed in on the knob.
