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The King C Gillette Beard Trimmer is an affordable facial hair grooming kit. With three combs for different lengths of beard, it's super-versatile for taming all manner of facial hair, including moustaches. It loses half a star because a bag to store spare combs and / or a stand for the trimmer while the unit is charging would be useful. Professional Trimmer Line
Easy to use and clean
A storage bag would be handy
Plastic could feel more premium
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The King C Gillette Beard Trimmer will let you sculpt and style your facial hair just how you like it. It's super-affordable, with many other beard trimmers and shavers coming in at more than double the price. Plus, it's ready to go straight out of the box, and has a quality feel in the hand.
In fact, I'd say it's right up there with some of the best beard trimmers and electric razors, with the King C Gillette Beard Trimmer in line to claim the spot for our best budget option. It may set you back just $30/£30, but it certainly delivers on all fronts.
The King C Gillette range of grooming and styling products has everything you need to keep on top of your style. From beard and face wash to beard trimmer kits, the products make especially good gifts. The King C Gillette Beard Trimmer is sold without any styling products, making it the cheapest option to keep your facial hair trim.
Named after Gillette's founder, the range encompasses the brand's 119 years of experience in the areas of caring, trimming and styling facial hair. Having been designed in Boston by Gillette and powered by Braun, the King C range of beard trimmers and shavers are the see the coming together of two of the most recognised male grooming brands in the world.
The branding on the box gives the King C Gillette Beard Trimmer a plush look, while in your hand, its balanced weight gives it a premium feel. I was impressed by the price and the quality of trim achieved during testing. I've been using this trimmer for three months, and will continue use to deliver a longer-term review of it. So far, the only downsides are that the actual plastic material could feel more high-end, and accessories such as a storage bag and charging stand would be useful.
The King C Gillette Beard Trimmer is available to buy in seven options from the Gillette website. On its own, it costs $30/£30. It's also offered as part of a number of kits, such as the King C Gillette Style Master and the King C Gillette Beard Trimmer & Beard Care Kit, for example, where it arrives accompanied by styling products.
While reviewing the King C Gillette Beard Trimmer, I did see it being sold for half price over Black Friday and the Christmas holidays. At the time of writing, it was available for a small discount on select sites.
It's available to buy in the US and UK either direct from Gillette or through resellers such as Best Buy (opens in new tab) and Target (opens in new tab) in the US, and Amazon (opens in new tab) , Boots (opens in new tab) and Superdrug (opens in new tab) in the UK.
The overall design of the King C Gillette Beard Trimmer is impressive given its price. It may not come sporting bells and whistles, but it has the essentials.
Its shaft is sleek with sufficient weight to make it feel like a premium product. It sits well balanced in the hand, with an indented area on the lower end to achieve a better grip.
The wide on / off switch is located at the lower end of the shaft, and is controlled with a slider. It's easy to move this up and down with the thumb when the trimmer is being held in the palm of the hand. The textured grip ensures that you can control the device comfortably, even with wet hands.
The King C Gillette Beard Trimmer comes with three interchangeable combs for different styles of beard: a stubble comb, 1mm; a short beard comb, 3-11mm; and a long beard comb, 13-21mm. You can switch between them by simply sliding them on and off with a little pressure using your thumb. The two larger combs can be adjusted for a more precise trim, which keeps things simple and does away with the need to supply lots of plastic combs of different lengths.
The King C Gillette Beard Trimmer is ready to use straight out of the box. It's a cordless beard trimmer that arrives with some battery power, so those who may have been neglecting their grooming for a while, can get to work straight away.
Its design makes this trimmer super-easy to operate. The wide on / off switch slides to start / stop the blade. Without any comb attached, I was able to shape my sideburns; you could also use it to shape a moustache, for example, or a partial short beard. Note that a degree of precision will be required if attempting to use just the blade to tackle a full beard; you'd be wise not to rush the job.
The quickest and neatest way to achieve a tidy finish on a beard is to use one of the three combs. The curved profile of the combs made it easy to reach the difficult areas around the jaw and neck. My preference was the short beard comb, 3-11mm – although I did swap it out through the months of testing to achieve a different look.
In the box you'll also find a cleaning brush, which proved ideal for loosening tiny hairs that may have become trapped in the blade, on the rear of the comb and behind the head of the trimmer. The head and combs can also be rinsed under running water, and reattached once completely dry.
The King C Gillette Beard Trimmer arrives with approximately 5 minutes of juice, so it won't be long before it needs recharging. A charger is included in the box; insert it into the base of the trimmer and then plug into an electrical outlet with the motor switched off.
A full charge takes some time at 10 hours, so you'd be wise to plan your trimming sessions in advance to ensure you have enough power to tackle the job. Annoyingly, the unit doesn't arrive with a charging stand, so the King C Gillette Beard Trimmer will need to be propped somewhere for the duration of the charge time.
You want a simple trim The King C Gillette Beard Trimmer is comfortable and lightweight in the hand, and is super-easy to use.
You want to switch up beard styles With three interchangeable combs that are simple to swap out, you could change your look at every trim.
You're on a budget For £30, you're getting plenty of bang for your buck – plus you'll soon make back your money from no longer having to visit a barber.
You prefer to be clean-shaved This will only trim a beard and head hair; those who are looking for a smooth finish should opt for a shaver instead.
You're a frequent traveller The King C doesn't come with a storage pouch, which means carrying its combs and protecting the blade won't be so easy if you're travelling.
If you're not looking for a beard trimmer, here are a couple of shavers to consider...
Panasonic Arc6 If you're willing to splash out, the Panasonic Arc6 is a worthy investment. It performs wonderfully for wet-shaving and is decent for a dry shave, too. In addition, it comes with such features as a self-cleaning station, which makes the morning grooming session as easy as it can possibly be. Check out our Panasonic Arc6 review
Remington F6 Style Series Aqua This electric shaver boasts excellent battery life, convenient USB charging and it's easy to keep clean, too. It isn't the best travel companion, though, as a result of its bulky design; but it's waterproof so suitable for wet and dry shaving. Check out our Remington F6 Style Series Aqua review
I've been using the King C Gillette Beard Trimmer on and off for around three months. During this time I've used it to trim my beard to keep it a neat length and in good shape.
The three interchangeable combs have all proved useful during my time with the trimmer, but my favourite is the short beard comb (3-11mm) since it's most suited to keeping my particular style of beard in shape.
This is the first beard trimmer I've reviewed, but it isn't the first beard trimmer I've used. Since my late-teens I've had facial hair to tame – plus a budget to stick to. As such, I've used my personal experience and knowledge to assess the performance of the King C Gillette Beard Trimmer.
Read more about how we test
Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.
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