A goatee trimmer is a handheld electric device specifically designed to trim and shape facial hair and which also is widely used to groom beards, mustaches and sideburns. Although it is similar to an electric shaver that removes facial hair entirely, devices like a goatee trimmer are able to cut hair without removing it entirely, making it useful for maintaining a neat appearance. Often referred to as a beard or mustache trimmer, this device is commercially available with a wide range of features. For instance, power options include trimmers that must be plugged in, those that are cordless and rechargeable as well as trimmers that use batteries. The price of the goatee trimmer will vary with the quality of the motor, blades, attachments and any extra features, and cordless trimmers generally are a more expensive option.
Like the electric shaver, the goatee trimmer uses a spinning or oscillating blade to cut hair, with a protective shield of some type, usually a small-toothed comb or a perforated screen, to make sure that only hair can reach the blade and that the face is protected from nicks and cuts. While the blade glides over the face, cutting hair at the base and leaving the skin smooth, a guide comb ensures that the blade remains a fixed distance from the face and the hair is cut to a neat, even length. These guide combs are either one of a set of attachments or come as an adjustable part of the trimmer itself, meaning that the beard can be groomed to the desired length. Trimmers can be used without a guide comb for edging, such as along a mustache, the edge of a goatee or sideburns. A goatee trimmer also can be used to shave the face without coming quite so close as a razor or electric shaver, resulting in the “designer stubble” look.
Most men shave daily, and this includes many men with beards. In fact, many styles of facial hair such as the goatee require that a portion of the face is still shaved regularly, meaning that maintaining a beard takes more work than simply shaving the face clean. Before the goatee trimmer was available, facial hair was trimmed with a razor or scissors. Barber’s scissors still are commonly used to cut beards and mustaches precisely, but this is a lengthy process that can be tricky enough in the mirror and requires a degree of skill. Electric trimmers have simplified this process, allowing a man to easily trim his goatee or beard while reducing his grooming regimen to just a few minutes.