That V-shaped angled head also makes it easy to navigate nooks and crannies, like the under-butt and the sides of your armpits. (Like we’ve said, the best way to trim armpit hair is to cut off whatever sticks out when your arms are down.)
The hardest part of using the Panasonic Body Groomer is making sure you don’t cut too much off, because this thoughtfully designed wand can magically mow away hair without much thought or physical strain. (Seriously, once you master the behind-the-back glide across with this one, it's over for the other devices.)
Two attachment guards make sure you’re not free-handing things when you want to leave some length: larger guard that goes up to 12mm (you’re probably using scissors for anything longer), and a mini buffer designed to protect loose skin (you can imagine where) from the kind of nicks and cuts that can come from a bare blade. It’s also handy for a quick facial hair or neckline cleanup, since the bare blade can leave one or two momentary teeth marks on sensitive areas like the neck. Because neck hair is body hair, too.
Best Body Shaver for Men: Philips Norelco Bodygroom Series 5000
Why we like it: I’d consider this the very close runner-up to the Panasonic Body Groomer above, with the differentiator being that it’s not as good as a straight-up trimmer—the central task when manscaping—but it does bring a Swiss Army skillset. To wit: the head is both a guarded trimmer (though with only three more lengths: 3mm, 5mm, and 7mm) and a foil shaver in one, and you can attach the over-the-back handle attachment for a radically easier time eradicating your sasquatch situation.
Back to the Bodygroom’s unique dual-mode trimming head: two rows of trimming teeth clip longer hairs while the foil shaver at the center mows over the stubble. If you want a smooth finish on your chest, shoulders, groin, or anywhere else without the risk of in-growns and skin irritation that can come with razors, the Philips Norelco is the hybrid of your hair-free dreams. Plus, I like the angled trimming guards, too—they make it easy to cradle the skin no matter what angle you’re mowing.
The Panasonic’s genius blade design makes it a better body hair trimmer, but for a full-body smoothness, the Philips Norelco Bodygroom Series 5000 has the edge.
Best Chest Hair Trimmer for Men: Happy Nuts Lumberjack Electric Hair Trimmer
Courtesy of Adam Hurly
Why we like it: Happy Nuts is an aptly-named personal care brand with products that range from anti-chafe lotions to, well, the Lumberjack—a body hair trimmer that’s priced nice and does the job well if you don’t need to do too much. Its bare blade will shave hair down to the industry-standard half millimeter, while two guard attachments let you manage length fairly easily (plus a completely functional and fine nose hair trimmer). That makes the Lumberjack a well-priced tuner-upper for anyone whose sole manscaping needs are the chest and pubes.
I keep it in the drawer for those quick-hit cleanups, though I’ve also used it to take my chest hair down considerably for a beach weekend. The two accessory guards (1-5mm and 7-11mm) are a bit fiddly, but the longer one let me cut my chest hair to 7mm—short, but not stubbly—with no pulling or pain. The Lumberjack is also fully waterproof; I wouldn’t suggest shaving your pubes in the shower, but it’s nice to just rinse the trimmer under the faucet and move on.
Best Back-Hair Trimmer for Men: Mangroomer Intellimax Pro Back Shaver
Courtesy of Sam Hurly
Why we like it: Shaving your own back is a time-honored chore for the hairiest among us, and the Mangroomer Intellimax Pro brings a home-inventor level of crazy brilliance to a job that otherwise requires extreme contortions. You just unfold it, power it on, drop it over the first shoulder, and get to mowing. The trimming head doesn’t bite or leave marks, but will take hair down to the normal .5mm, while the foil-head shaver attachment will get you smooth-skinned (for maybe a day or two). You can even adjust the length of the Mangroomer’s handle for taller torsos or to get better angles on tricky spots.
It was a lifesaver for me when I was single (before I could sweetly ask my partner to do the job)—and so simple that shaving my back almost became fun. I would use it directly in the shower, making for easy cleanup. (Though never with the shower running; it's waterproof, but I didn't want the handle getting slippery enough that I’d drop it.) I never had any issues with nicking or razor burn with the Intellimax Pro’s main trimming head, though it was trickier to get a uniform shave using the foil shaving head. Frankly, it was easier to just use the .5mm trimming head every day if I wanted to stay stubble-free.
Best Ball-Hair Trimmer (and Pubic Hair Trimmer) for Men: Balls Archibald Trimmer
Courtesy of Adam Hurly
Courtesy of Adam Hurly
Why we like it: Subtlety isn’t exactly the forté of BALLS (note the price), but this simple little trimmer really does excel at the daunting task of trimming your coin purse with ease and precision. A lot of that comes down not so much to the blade-and guard-situation—which I’ll get to in a moment—but the design of the body. The Archibald has a reinforced matte grip to prevent it from slipping, plus a silicone wrist strap to keep it from hitting the floor (or your feet) if you drop the trimmer. For both reasons, this is the only device here that I felt comfortable using in the shower. At least, if you’re just going to trim the bush, why not make clean-up easier?
