Philips Norelco Series 3000 Beard & Stubble Trimmer Review
Philips Norelco Series 3000 Beard Trimmer
The Philips Norelco Series 3000 Beard Trimmer is a slimmed down more streamlined version of the Series 5000 trimmer. It comes with only one trimming attachment but is much easier to store or travel with.
Pros
Rubberized Plastic makes it easy and comfortable to hold
Easy to take apart for cleaning purposes
Easy to use settings wheel to ensure proper beard length
Charges Fast
The power button requires more pressure to push, and it out of the way so you don’t accidentally turn it off
Cons
The length setting wheel is very easy to turn, and could accidentally be switched while in use
Fewer attachments mean fewer options for beard length
The “Lift-and-Trim” system has trouble with getting longer stray hairs at the edge of the beard
Greetings Lads and Lasses! It has been a while since we took a good strong look at a beard trimmer. Yours Truly was getting somewhat scraggly looking, and I needed a trim.
Therefore we are going to take a long look at the little brother to the Philips Norelco Series 5000 Beard Trimmer: the Philips Norelco Series 3000 Beard Trimmer!
While I wasn’t a complete fan of the Series 5000, let us see if the Series 3000 has the power to wow us.
Model Numbers and Differences
Philips Norelco can get kind of weird with their product numbers and which generation of a series is which. The current models in this generation begin with BT32xx/xx.
Model numbers of this generation include: BT3206/14, BT3210/14, BT3216/14, BT3222/14, and BT3236/14 (others may follow).
BT3206/14 – White with trimmer attachment
BT3210/14 – Black, with trimmer attachment and storage pouch
BT3216/14 – Silver, with trimmer attachment and storage pouch
BT3222/14 – Silver, with trimmer attachment and storage pouch
Color: As you can see, the Series 3000 – 32xx comes in standard white, black, and silver, and the color type changes the model number. Black and silver are the preferred choice for many. However, this aspect is purely based on visual appearance preference.
Country availability: Within the US, the BT3210/14 is the only model available currently, while in Europe and other countries, others on the above list are available. Philips is a Dutch company, and because of this, Europe & UK consumers always have more models available to them.
Previous Models: Models from previous 3000 series generations include beard trimmers from the BT3100 and BT3500 range.
About the Brand: At the risk of repeating myself, Philips Norelco (known worldwide as just Philips –and Philips Noreclo in the US) is one of those big names that just dominates the shaving industry. Like Gilette or Schick, Philips has been making products for men’s shaving since before I was born. They have staying power. This is a brand you can trust to deliver a product.
For the purposes of this review, I am using the BT3210/14 purchased from Amazon.
Philips Norelco Series 3000 Beard Trimmer Product Description
In this box, I received: the trimmer itself, a cleaning brush, a charging cable, one plastic cutting guide, the instructions, and a black burlap carrying bag.
Special Features of the trimmer include:
- Dual Cut Blades for quick trimming and cutting without having to drag the razor over your skin slowly.
- 10 Adjustable blade lengths from the dial on the trimmer and 20 in total when using the attachment.
- 90 minutes worth of continuous use on 8 hours worth of charge time.
- The “Lift-and-Trim” system lifts up the lower hairs in your beard to make sure everything gets trimmed.
- Comfortable semi-rubberized plastic housing and grip. Very hard to drop or lose even with wet hands.
- Easy to store and easy to transport with the black bag.
- Simple cleaning and maintenance process.
- 2-Year warranty that the blades never need to be oiled and the trimmer is compatible with voltages worldwide.
How Well Does the Series 3000 Perform?
For the purposes of this review, I used the trimmer on an extremely bushy beard growth and a well-trimmed beard.
This was mostly to test how well it does with different hair lengths and if the frequency of use had any impact on the performance of the trimmer itself.
As I noted in my Series 5000 review, my beard hair is very curly and likes to curl back in on itself a great deal. That makes trimmers very hit-or-miss as to how well they do with my beard hair.
Often times they can get seriously gummed up and I have to spend a long time cleaning them between passes just to keep trimming.
Overall Shave Experience
I am not going to lie or beat around the bush with this one, y’all. This trimmer was a dream to use.
It cut through my beard hair like a superpowered lawn mower, and I really enjoyed using it. My beard felt good and clean, mostly without any strays sneaking away from the cutting edge.
The dial, which can be turned from both the front of the trimmer as well as the back, can dial up to 10 different settings for the guard. This gives you a greater refinement of exactly how long you want to leave your beard.
The dial was really easy to use and figure out, but it only numbers the length on a scale of 1-10 and doesn’t give you a length in millimeters.
Quality and Design
It is more compact than the Series 5000, but that compact nature actually helps this trimmer feel more solid. Unlike the Series 5000, I don’t feel like I am going to shatter the plastic if I squeeze down too hard.
The rubberized exterior is a matte black finish, with enough of a texture for you to hold onto the trimmer even with wet hands.
Even the power button is placed in such a way that you can not easily turn it off and on while trimming. This was a problem with some of the trimmers I have used in the past.
The guard itself can easily be slipped on and off the razor itself. Two posts go into a pair of holes on either side of the cutting edge, and the dial itself raises the guard.
The only real complaint I have with this part is that the dial for beard length takes very little pressure to scroll. So if you slip up while shaving, there is a minor chance you could change your whole beard length mid-shave.
Cutting Power
I’m not sure if this was just from the way I was using it, but the power in this little trimmer is great. It really does work to get in and get every hair in my beard easily without having to go back over places because something was missed.
The only real issue here is that the trimmer has a problem with the longer stray hairs that populate the edges of my beard, but they are quickly dealt with by just taking off the guard and using the cutting edge like a beard shaper.
Ease of Use
One glance at this trimmer tells you everything you need to know about it. It is no-nonsense and has no frills.
While some people might find that limiting, while others might find the simplicity rather freeing.
I am in the latter category. I think this trimmer is easy to use and easy to figure out.
Granted, I have been doing this for a long time now relatively, but I can see exactly how this trimmer works out of the box, and I believe others can too.
Battery Life
The advertised battery life on this trimmer is 90 minutes of cordless use per 8 hours worth of charging.
I don’t know about any of you, but typically it takes me only about 5 minutes to actually trim my beard, and I have a fat face.
Overall, I would say this little trimmer has more than enough battery life for most people. I only needed to charge it for 1 hour out of the box to get a good and complete shave.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Cleaning this trimmer is easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Just hold it under running water for a few minutes to rinse off the stray hairs, and you’ve got yourself a nice and fresh trimmer ready to go for the next trim.
The cutting edge itself can be removed with a neat pop to let you brush out any hairs that might be trapped underneath.
Unlike the other trimmers I have used, this one caution against running water over the innards, so the brush should be all your need to get things cleaned out.
Value for Money
Another part of this trimmer that makes it almost a must-have, this trimmer is very inexpensive relatively speaking.
At the time of writing, you can get this on Amazon for $35 USD, with overnight shipping if you have Amazon Prime.
I also know that I have seen this model on the shelves of my local Target and Walmart stores, for those of you who want to actually leave the house every once in a while. (Who does that any more?)
Overall, the Series 3000 trimmer is inexpensive and easy to get your hands on. This makes it an A+ in my book.
Consumer Complaints, Issues, and Overall Reviews
The overwhelming majority of customer reviews for the Series 3000 are rather positive. Many speak about how easy it is to use and the reliability of the model. It is very sturdy, and doesn’t break easily. There are multiple reviewers on Amazon who comment about buying the same model over and over again just because it is their favorite and is so easy to use on their beard.
Of the lower-star reviews, there seem to be two points that are brought up often: blade bite and lack of options.
For the blade biting crowd, it seems like these are guys who are shaving very close to their faces, and I will concede it might be easy to nick your skin if you are pushing the blade against your face. However, trimmers are really designed to just glide over your skin. If you are pushing into your face, you need to back off and let the razor do its job. In fact, that is how most trimmers eventually wear out, they are being forced against the skin and cutting way to much hair at once.
There is a lack of options if you want to have a very long beard trim. With just this trimmer, you are not going to get something that accommodates larger, fuller beards. Mostly you are going to get a nice short beard. Think Commander Riker from Start Trek, rather than Robert Redford in Jeramiah Jonson.
I can let you in on this neat trick though, the guides for the Series 5000 actually fit the Series 3000. So if you already have one, that is going to give you even more options.
Final Thoughts – Who is the Philips Norelco Series 3000 Beard Trimmer Really For?
To sum up everything I have said before, I honestly believe this is a nice, neat, and simple little trimmer that is pretty much good for anyone.
I would definitely recommend this trimmer to guys who want to start getting into shaping their beards but really don’t know where to start. This is a great beginner’s trimmer to get a guy to know what he likes before moving on to a trimmer with much more bells and whistles.
For this price, that can be almost everyone, really.
