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We purchased 8 nose hair trimmers and had a test team use them at home for a few months. We trimmed our nose, face, and ear hairs whenever we could and examined trimming heads and battery life.
The ConairMan Lithium nose and ear hair trimmer earns the top spot in this review for its uniqueness and impressive performance. “Its cutting head features a mushroom shape that can comfortably reach more places than any other trimmer tested,” our lead tester notes, and it doesn't get too clogged up with trimmings. The included lithium AA battery has an impressive run time of seven hours.
“We love the performance, but we wish it was a hair easier (pun intended) to disassemble this model for cleaning,” our tester quipped. Other products offer better serviceability in this regard. We should also note that the impressive seven-hour run time is only with the included lithium AA battery. Unfortunately, it is not rechargeable, and another type of battery may not offer the same performance. Minor setbacks aside, the ConairMan Lithium is our favorite trimmer for its long run time and wide range of coverage. For those who want to prioritize a trimmer with easy cleaning capabilities, another option is the Panasonic ER-GN30-K.
We like that the ConairMan Lithium comes with a bag and that its mushroom shaped cutting head works better than most.
The Wahl Ear, Nose, and Brow Trimmer is a comprehensive manscaping tool for many male facial needs and comes at a great price. It works like a standard nose hair trimmer and then some. The included slide cutter clicks into place and includes various guards for length adjustment. Three hours and 45 minutes is an acceptable battery life.
“Keeping track of and using all the various add-on features requires some practice,” commented our tester. Also, the rotary trimmer seems almost like an afterthought. It doesn't fit flush with the main body of the trimmer, for instance. It works just fine and doesn't look as odd as you might think, but it feels like it could have used a little more consideration. If you prefer a rotary-style cutter, we highly suggest stepping up to the well-designed ConairMAN Cordless Trimmer.
The Wahl Nose, Ear, and Brow Trimmer. This is the most versatile trimmer in our test.
The ToiletTree LED Trimmer is a simple rotary trimmer with a few additional helpful features. “Our initial impressions were that the LED light was a little gimmicky,” our tester remarked, “but it proved to be somewhat helpful in seeing spots that still needed trimming.” We appreciate the quiet rotary motor, and the safety lock makes it less likely that the device will turn on inadvertently if it is packed away in a suitcase. The head is easy to remove for cleaning, and the hexagonal shape of the whole thing makes for a firmer grip.
One notable shortcoming of this trimmer is the average battery life. Additionally, we think its primary performance as a nose hair trimmer doesn't quite match the rest of the product's heft. “It gets the job done, but it's not super powerful,” our tester said. Still, this one could be worth considering for folks who want a basic trimmer with a couple of extra features. If you prefer to use a trimmer with more versatility for other areas, such as facial hair or ears, the Micro Touch MAX Trimmer is a worthwhile option.
This is a basic product with a somewhat useful LED light and safety lock.
Vacuum consumes much more battery than cutter alone
SPECIFICATIONS
Rotary Cutter?
Yes
Measured Battery Run Time
0.75 hours
Slide Cutter?
No
Dissassembly For Cleaning
Good dissassembly, and a vacuum to suck up hairs
Power
1x AA (Not Included)
The Panasonic ER430K groomer is very similar to other models we tested, but what sets it apart is the inclusion of a fan-powered vacuum function that captures and contains stubble as it's created. “We found the vacuum wasn't perfect, as it didn't catch every stray hair,” our tester observed, “but it does serve its purpose.” Far fewer hairs go on the loose with this nose hair trimmer than with any of the non-vacuum-equipped models.
On the downside, the addition of the fan motor significantly decreases the battery life. When you turn on this device, you inevitably engage all the features. “As a result, its battery life lasts only a fraction of the time of other high performers,” our tester noted. Use the Panasonic ER430K regularly, and you can expect to replace the batteries more frequently than you would with many other models. For folks who travel more frequently or just want to avoid dealing with battery replacements, a battery-free option worth considering is the Groom Mate Platinum XL Hair Trimmer.
The Panasonic 430 showing its vacuum mechanism vents. The oval handle shape feels good in our hand.
The Groom Mate Platinum XL Hair Trimmer is entirely manual. You use two hands to turn the cutter yourself. It works like any powered version, but our lead tester commented that “it takes quite a bit longer to do any given trimming job.” For those who travel a lot, live simply, or can't be bothered to maintain a battery-powered device, this is the best choice. The construction is robust and simple; with no electric motor or circuits, the Platinum is fully submersible. We expect this product to last — speculation we aren't necessarily comfortable making about the electronic versions.
“The speed of operation is its primary drawback,” our tester said. Getting an effective and complete trim with this product is more of a meditation than an efficient process. What takes under a minute with a powered version might take 10-15 minutes with the Groom Mate. If you need a trimmer with more efficiency and power, the battery-operated Remington NE3845A makes for quick, effective trimming.
The Groom Mate requires two hands to operate. It is the only product that requires that, but it also the only product that doesn't require batteries or tens of minutes to do the job.
Credit: Rosie De Lise
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How We Tested Nose Hair Trimmers
Our initial testing of these products was during quarantine, and we used that time to get wild and wooly. We tested most products in an early round of trimming, let it all grow back, and went at it again with the other portion. In the second round, we also took the opportunity to compare the first round's top performers to those only tested later.
We used four performance metrics to test and score these nose hair trimmers:
Trimming effectiveness (40% of overall score weighting)
Power system (25% weighting)
Ergonomics (20% weighting)
Ease of cleaning (15% weighting)
Why Trust GearLab
Our nose and ear hair expert, Jed Porter, admits his mom bought him a nose hair trimmer when he entered high school. Embarrassing? Yes, but we'll go to great lengths to test and demonstrate our authority. Jed isn't afraid of revealing intimate details if it demonstrates his decades of experience with a particular type of product. On top of a lifetime of orifice hair grooming, our test team conducted more than a month of side-by-side testing with these trimmers.
We tested in “real world” conditions, including cleaning each in the manner specified by the manufacturer. In most cases that means removing the cutting head and rinsing it.
Credit: Rosie De Lise
How to Pick the Best Nose Hair Trimmer
While it might not be the most glamorous piece of gear you own, a quality hair trimmer ensures you leave the house fit and trim. After testing all of these trimmers side-by-side, even we admit that it can be difficult to tell them apart. Before we get into the nuanced differences between these products, you can ask yourself a few key questions to guide your purchase decision.
How Often Do You Need a Trim?
Our hair grows at different rates, and depending on your needs, you may need a trim every day or only every once in a while. Our Trimming Effectiveness metric not only accounts for how well a trimmer gets the job done but also how quickly. If you're trimming every day, you should also consider how easy it is to clean the trimmer, which we discuss in our Ease of Cleaning metric. Under the specs listed in our comparison chart, we also assess the average disassembly required for each trimmer.
Do You Need to Trim More Than One Orifice?
We consider these both nose and ear hair trimmers — depending on the design, they're quite effective at maintaining a trim appearance in both orifices. Rotary cutters are useful for nose and ear hair, while a slide cutter — imagine a miniature electric razor — is really only useful for the lower reaches of your nose. We list the type of cutter under the specs in our comparison chart, and some models we tested feature swappable heads to include both. We also noticed that the design of the trimmer can play an important role, especially for trimming ear hair. We discuss these nuanced differences in our Ergonomics metric.
Cleaning is easier with a cutting head that can be removed and disassembled.
Credit: Rosie De Lise
Analysis and Test Results
Nose or ear hair can make a person feel self-conscious, and you may want a tool to manage said hair. We've done the work for you, identifying which tool does the job the best. We've tested each top contender and summarized our findings for clear examination.
What's the Best Value?
Though we don't score the products we test based on their pricing, we understand that price is definitely a major factor in purchase decisions. None of these options are exorbitantly expensive, but some present a better deal than others. Our favorite value option of the group is the Wahl Trimmer, which includes various attachments and has a decent battery life, too. Our favorite option, the ConairMAN Cordless Trimmer, retails for a bit more but can often be found online for less than its list price. If you can find a deal on it, this is a great value for a top-of-the-line product.
Three different shapes of cutting heads. Left to right, “slide style”, mushroom-shaped cylinder, and simple cylinder.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Trimming Effectiveness
We assessed how thoroughly and quickly each device removed hair. A tool like this is supposed to cut hair, but does it do that efficiently and effectively? There is a remarkably wide spectrum of performance in this category. Because we tested both powered and unpowered options, this scoring metric is the most wide-ranging of all the metrics. Powered ones are faster than non-powered ones. Rotary trimmers are faster than slide style, and bulbous, “mushroom” rotary-style cuts more thoroughly than cylindrical ones.
The ConairMan Lithium has the test's only bulbous “mushroom” shaped cutting head, and we found it to cut more effectively than the others. Among the powered options, at the other end of the spectrum, is the slide-style cutter of the Micro Touch Max. It does a good job of trimming/sculpting beard and other facial/surface hair but is clumsy in your ears and nose. The Remington NE3845 and Wahl each come with a cylindrical cutting head and a slide-style cutter head. The inexpensive Panasonic ER430 and Panasonic ERGN30 both have cylindrical cutting heads.
We also reviewed unpowered options, which, as we expected, are considerably slower than powered versions. Luddites and those “off the grid” might appreciate an unpowered option, but we expect most folks won't be able to justify the time and energy required of an unpowered orifice groomer. The Groom Mate Platinum XL is faster than we expected and our top choice for a manual trimmer, but still significantly slower than any electric model we tested.
All your nose and ear hair trimmer has to do is get the blades in the right position. An elongated, round handle works great. Even better is a handle with some texturing, contouring, or oval shape to it.
Credit: Rosie De Lise
Power System
First, we divide all trimmers into powered or unpowered. The unpowered ones have a virtually infinite function. That's cool. The Groom Mate Platinum XL is built such that it will likely never need any sort of service or maintenance. It is super simple and sure to be reliable in the long term.
Next, we looked at battery life. All the battery-powered trimmers used AA batteries. Most included them; only a couple did not. To test, we started with fresh batteries and let them run out. The vacuum-equipped Panasonic ER430K only lasted 45 minutes. This isn't surprising, as it has significantly more going on than the others.
This is as glamorous as gear testing and modeling gets.
Credit: Rosie De Lise
Among the others, the battery life ranged from 1.75 hours to seven hours. This is a broad range of numbers. First, we have to look at the seven-hour number. The top-scoring ConairMan Lithium achieved that performance. This ConairMan product is great and cuts better than most. The battery performance (and its very model name) is defined by the inclusion of a disposable lithium AA battery. You can run the ConairMan on a nonlithium battery and get different results, just like you can run any of the other battery-powered options on a lithium battery and have them function longer.
The ConairMan's battery performance is impressive, but it put it in perspective. Throwing out the outliers (the vacuum product at 0:45 and the ConairMan at seven hours), we get a scattering of more consistent results. In practice, you likely won't notice a massive difference between battery-powered trimmers. The batteries last long enough that replacement isn't a frequent and onerous task.
All the powered products we assessed are driven by a single AA battery. Choose a better battery and you get better battery life, all else equal. Here, the ConairMan with its included Lithium battery.
Credit: Rosie De Lise
Ergonomics
How is it to use and hold the device? The biggest differentiator is whether you need one hand or two. Only the Groom Mate Platinum XL requires two hands. The rest can be operated with one. The one-handed products are differentiated by subtle and subjective differences like rubberized texture, ribbed surfaces, and shape. An oval shape is easier to work with than a round one; rubbery is nicer than smooth. Switches that click on and off are easier to work with than switches that turn to engage.
The slide cutters of the Micro Touch Max are harder to navigate in ears and noses. The Remington and ConairMan trimmers both have twist-activated switches, which is somewhat annoying. On the other hand, their shape and texture are nice to work with. The ConairMan Lithium is narrower than we think is ideal but didn't hamper function.
The ConairMAN trimmer is great, but its narrow and perfectly cylindrical shape isn't as easy to manipulate around your ear as some others.
Credit: Rosie De Lise
Ease of Cleaning
Your nose and ear hair trimmer will collect trimmings in one way or another, and you need to be able to get those out. The easiest to clean are the unpowered models, which are fully washable. The Groom Mate Platinum XL fits this description — it can be washed in soap and water without any concern about disrupting electronics.
Next are those that can be disassembled at home. Your hair plugs up the system; you know this from your shower drain. The compact moving parts of a trimmer are even more prone to clogging. If all the parts can be disassembled, you can best remove the clogging hair. Beware that these products that can be taken apart involve small, delicate parts; make sure that the cleaning you're doing is gentle and careful. The ConairMan and Remington trimmers offer minimal disassembly but can be rinsed in one way or another. Finally, the Micro Touch Max slide cutter cannot be taken apart at all.
Whether cleaning your tool while dry or wet, a small brush is nice to help get hairs out. Some come with a brush, but most do not.
Credit: Rosie De Lise
Conclusion
You will likely benefit from a new trimming tool. We've devised a series of metrics, which we used for each contender. We tested in real life and in our lab, performing objective tests and creating assessments. We've also highlighted our award winners and the metrics they will excel in. You want to look good and forego thinking about the performance of grooming tools — we've done the research and testing so that you don't have to. Any of the options we test are serviceable, but some do certain things better than others.
