The Best Beard Shaping Tools for Shaping a Great Beard
How many times have you earnestly tried to achieve a clean beard line, yet always manage to somehow come up short?
Maybe it’s down to the irregular direction of your beard’s follicle growth. It could be your wiry beard. Or it could be too straight. It might well be the cream, the foam, or the gel obscuring the lines of your own highly-unique features—any of this could be preventing you from achieving that perfect line as you envisage it in your mind—and see on other men.
And it could be the case that you are generally not the type to be sold on yet another ‘must-have’ addition to your ever-expanding beard kit. Yet you are on the lookout for something. It’s just not turning out to be as easy as you anticipated in the beard department since you first envisaged that perfectly-shaped and trimmed facial hair across your finely-hewn features.
Problems with Beard Appearance
You may be starting to feel like getting the lines even or achieving any degree of symmetry is only for other, perhaps professionally-manicured types. You know that beards just don’t go with a misshapen cheek line, not to mention neckline, sideburns—not to mention the mustache line—but you always seem to be missing something.
Shaping is easily the most tenuous part of the process when trimming your beard in the mirror. Beard shaping may be more of a consideration for appearance-driven beard-wearing guys engaging with multiple different people on a daily or constant basis and cannot get to the barbershop so easily.
And this is when you have to shape it yourself. For this purpose, there are various tools available. These tools are called Beard Shaping tools and are widely-available according to various designs, quality, and pricing.
What is a Beard Shaper?
Beard shaping tools are generally made as rigid sheets of thin plastic with various curves and angles along the edges. They are, in a way, like rulers for trimming your beard with. Yes rulers — beard shapers don’t cut your hair.
A beard shaping tool is simple to use as you just need to line it up along the edge of the area you want to shape, and away you go with the razor. The tool serves as a guideline or a pattern for the razor, which is used to follow the line of the beard shaper. Thus you can shape and trim the edges and outline of your preferred style of facial hair to keep it looking well-groomed, symmetrical, and adequately proportioned curve-wise.
Do I Really Need One Though?
The four main areas that most beard shaping tools are geared towards are the cheeks, the neck, the jaw, and the sideburns. As it turns out these are the very areas that seem to cause the most problems, and a fair number of men need at least a little assistance shaping their beard at some point in time because of that.
Bearing in mind that it is quite uncommon for both sides of your beard to grow in the same way, or even at the same rate for that matter, a beard shaping tool helps even this out without you having to get too creative with combs and trimmers and potentially risk doing more harm than good. Any hair that extends or protrudes further than the guideline on the tool gets trimmed, whether by electric clippers or a wet razor, and this makes short work of keeping your beard well-trimmed and shapely.
If you’ve never used one before, let’s just say this could be the end of any future guesswork in your beard trimming routine. Say goodbye to botched necklines, cheeks, and serious mess-ups on the trim and shape that can easily take a few weeks or more to get right again.
Points to Consider when Buying a Beard Shaping Tool
It may first be worth noting that wearers of different styles and lengths of beard will have slightly varied specifications when it comes to their beard shaping tools. The tools won’t work on a ‘one-size-fits-all’ basis.
If you imagine the various angles and shapes involved with much fuller beards and mustaches compared to a closer, more angular style you’ll get the idea. The closer style will have more requirements for a wider choice of angles and trim length. Certainly if you are thinking about beard shaping tools that will help you to experiment, additional and multiple angle styles are of some benefit.
Do You Have Any Reference Points to Start with?
You bet. In fact we have a few in our list below, which contains information related to a few features of some of the best beard shapers out there.
Let’s see.
Aberlite Clear Shaper
This is a well-rated product (Aberlite Clear Shaper) if not a little overpriced. It’s a full size beard trimming tool with long edges, making it easy to cover large areas. The product comes with a barber pencil for marking the edge of the cutting line, thus ensuring a super-symmetrical line-up.
Hairline shaping for kids and adults is also a feature of the tool, which really allows you to experiment with a variety of styles. It is a great product, but no two beards are quite the same so you need to take time to learn the best way to make use of the curved, straight, extra-clean or nicely-shaped lines that this item helps you fashion. You’ll definitely get a lot more from this beard shaper by learning to experiment, but you need to work with what your beard gives you.
This won’t give your beard something that it currently lacks. But is a great aid when used to bring out your perfect style, and the edges are perfect for making either gentle or deep curve cuts, and straight or curved step cuts.
Pros: It is quite easy to use, being transparent. There are four tapered edges for choice, and it comes with a barber pencil. It also comes with detailed instructions showing you how to use its multiple beard-trimming options.
Cons: The material is hard plastic with just a minimal amount of flexibility, which might make it hard to line up on some faces. No comb is included, it is not inexpensive, and the fact that it is quite large might not make it that travel-friendly.
Approximately $20.00 @ Amazon
BEARDCLASS Beard Shaper
This beard shaping tool is multi-functional in that you have a choice of different edges to help craft various shapes of beard and neckline with both curved and step cuts. The straight edges are for shaping around the ears and the stand-out features of this tool are the fully-functional comb and the 6-in-1 multi-liner tool.
The product can help you smooth facial hair and trim precise edges more precisely, and the beard template helps you minimize what you carry when traveling. Even though it is transparent you still get 3 different color options, and the item comes as a kit complete with beard scissors, a comb for your mustache, and a keychain.
Pros: It includes a full-sized comb along the side, it is large enough for most faces, and it comes with accessories.
Cons: It isn’t ideal for anyone with a thick neck, and it doesn’t have any anti-slip rubber to keep it in place. Nor does it seem as durable as some of the other, more solid-looking options available which doesn’t quite equate with the price.
Approximately $21.99 @ Amazon
The Beard Black Shaping Tool
The Beard Black Shaping Tool is a small and compact tool that utilizes design to the fullest effect. You get precision edge cut-outs instead of the usual ruler style, and the product comes with extensions for longer curves or lines. It lines up nicely and evenly for maximum symmetrical effect, it is easy to hold, and durable.
The fact that it’s not transparent is a definite downside though as it makes hard work of accurate adjustments. A barber pencil might be necessary here to make sure you’re lined up properly before making any major cuts.
A bit of practice before use might be an idea with this item, but as with anything it gets easier with use. This tool is small enough to fit well in any shaving kit.
Pros: Contains two combs for all beard types and has precision markings to let you line up the tool easily. It is ideal for shorter beards, and is absolutely one of the best-priced items in this post.
Cons: It’s not transparent, is tougher to use on long beards, and again has no rubber grip to hold it in place.
Approximately $9.95 @ Amazon
My Perfect Goatee
Rather than a beard shaper that runs along the edges of the face you have an adjustable shaving template designed specifically for shaping a more centralized goatee with this tool (My Perfect Goatee).
You can create and maintain a perfect goatee shape and save time in the process with this tool. The selling point is that it fits different sizes of face and styles of goatee, and eliminates one of the main issues for goatee aficionados – a crooked beard. The item has a mouth piece to enable a firm hold while using the shaping template, which you could either love or hate.
Pros: The grip mouth piece allows ‘hand-free’ goatee shaping. There are various settings and 5 different sizes.
Cons: Limited goatee shapes are facilitated. Even with all three guides on the template adjusted out to the max setting the template still falls short for some styles. The template does not lock in place once the guides are set which means users could easily adjust the three guide settings without being aware.
Approximately $24.99 @ Amazon
RIMOL Transparent Goatee Shaper
This product is a great example of the kind of simple and inexpensive beard shapers that still get the results.
Rimol’s goatee shaper means perfect goatee lines and symmetry every time are guaranteed with this very easy to use tool. It is simple but effective, and comes with 5 different-sized pieces to suit various faces, lengths, and styles. This shaping tool is easy to hold and clean.
Pros: Easy-to-use, easy to clean, transparent–and inexpensive.
Cons: No obvious ones on first impressions!
Approximately $9.99 @ Amazon
Anti-Slip Beard Shaping Tool
This Beard Shaping Tool gives the ability to draw on your creativity by using either the curve or straight cheek lines, and the possibility of some extra clean neck lines. If it’s curve or straight goatee lines or perfect sideburns you seek then this is the beard shaping tool to try.
It’s easy to hold and grip and high quality while still being very reasonable price-wise. The precision of this tool is really good for getting the sideburns and beard on point, and you won’t have any future issues with lining up the goatee beard as well. You can effortlessly trim the bottom of your beard with this product.
Pros: Lightweight & compact, great for home and travel; it works with all types of beards. The tool is nicely-priced and quite sturdy.
Cons: Anything negative seems to relate to a lack of even simple instructions.
Approximately $9.99 @ Amazon
Aberlite FlexShaper 2.0
This product (Aberlite FlexShaper 2.0) comes highly-recommended for anyone struggling to maintain a defined beard neckline. It is easy to position and may significantly reduce shaving time for anyone with ‘blind spot’ issues in this area.
The tool is fully-adjustable and stays firmly in place without too much hassle. The headband is elastic and adjustable which gives plenty of room for flexibility. So if you want to skim yet more time from your shaving routine then this tool will ensure a perfect line up for neck-line duties.
Pros: Adjusts to different head and neck sizes.
Cons: There have apparently been complaints from some users of the strap being too short, and the item reportedly not being worth the price tag materials-wise.
Approximately $16.99 @ Amazon
– That just about covers it for the Best Beard Shaping Tools category for now and if any other great options become available worth trying, they will join this list.
