Buying guides
Which one, for the job you actually have
A hub compares everything in a family. A guide answers one question — a budget, a first machine for someone who has never cut hair — with a ranked shortlist and a reason for the order.
- Hair clippers
The best hair clipper for cutting at home
Three clippers for cutting your own or your family's hair, ordered by what decides a home haircut: the guard steps, and what else is in the box.
- Rotary shavers
The best rotary shaver
Three Philips rotary shavers ordered by what they publish: blade life, battery figures, and what a replacement head costs.
- Foil shavers
The best foil shaver
Three foil shavers from entry to flagship, ordered on published battery figures, blade counts and what each maker discloses about durability.
- Beard trimmers
The best beard trimmer
Three beard trimmers ordered on the only specification that decides a beard: the step between lengths in the range you actually keep.
- All-in-one kits
The best all-in-one grooming kit
Three multi-purpose kits ordered on the number of jobs they cover rather than the number of pieces in the box — and on where the length range starts.
- Body groomers
The best body groomer
Three body groomers ordered on guarding, water rating and reach — and one that publishes none of the three.
- Nose & ear trimmers
The best nose and ear trimmer
Three nose and ear trimmers, all washable, ordered on format, attachments and suction: the Braun EN21, Philips NT5650 and Panasonic ER-GN300.
- Hair dryers
The best hair dryer
Three dryers ordered on the design decision that matters most — separate heat and speed controls — and then on airflow, where anyone publishes it.
- Hot air brushes
The best hot air brush
Three hot air brushes ordered by shape — round rotating barrels, an oval one-step head, or three diameters — because shape decides what each can do.
- Straighteners
The best hair straightener
Three straighteners ordered on what their makers publish: temperature range, heat-up time and floating plates — and one that publishes none of them.
- Curling tools
The best curling tool
Three curling tools across three mechanisms — clamp tong, five-in-one wand set and automatic curler — and what each one changes about the technique.
- Air stylers
The best air styler
Multi-stylers that shape hair with moving air rather than a hot plate — and what each maker will and will not publish about the motor, the pressure and the heat.