Philips (Norelco) Beard Trimmer 7000 Series Review – A New Iteration
Philips (Norelco) 7000 Series Beard Trimmer
Norelco Philips brings us another high-quality trimmer (Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer 7000 Series) and attempts to iterate on the classic beard-trimmer design with new options. Unfortunately, some of those new options are more trouble than they are worth.
Pros
Fits in the hand comfortably
The settings dial is easy to read and out of the way
The power button is recessed and textured
A multitude of trimming options
Easy to clean and maintain
Blades are easy to swap out
The standing charger helps reduce clutter
No blade oil needed
Cons
The charging light is not intuitive
Changing out the trimming combs is not intuitive
Trimming guides feel like cheap plastic
The beard hair catcher is less helpful than I hoped
Charger is only a USB cable and doesn't have its own plug
Recently, Norelco Philips has taken the opportunity to update their line of Beard Trimmers, including introducing the new Philips (Norelco) Beard Trimmer 7000 Series.
This gave me the opportunity to revisit other beard trimmers, including Philips, which I have used and reviewed in the past, and assess whether they have designed anything that can enhance or improve the beard-trimming experience compared to others.
The Philips (Norelco) 9000 Prestige ranked at the top in my best beard trimmers roundup. However, this 7000 does not come close to the 9000 Prestige in terms of design or performance.
In this review, I’ll outline the pros and cons of the Series 7000 features (as I experienced them), its actual performance, and who I believe it’s best suited for. As always, this is based on my own hands-on experience — no fluff, no hype, just a real perspective.
— Related: Best Beard Trimmers – Tested & Reviewed
Description and Features
For this review, I am using the Philips Series 7000 Model number BT7670/40. It might seem like a minor point, but different models will come with different accessories.
My bundle includes: Metal Blade, Wide Blade, Detail Trimmer Blade, Short Trimmer Comb, Long Trimmer Comb, 2 Fading Trimmer Combs, Attachable Hair Collector, Charging Stand, Travel Bag, USB-A Charging Cord, and Cleaning Brush.
Other models may lack the wide trimmer blades, the charging stand, and the two fading trimmer combs. Other models, such as the BT5775 and BT5785, have a battery life of only 100 minutes, rather than the 120 minutes this 7000 Series provides.
Build Quality and Design
The overall design of the Series 7000 is both compact and lightweight. The majority of the parts are made from heavy-duty plastic, with only a few parts fashioned from metal. In the past, I have reviewed some trimmers made mostly of plastic, but they have always felt fragile when I held them.
Build & Design Ratings
The Series 7000 doesn’t feel fragile at all. In fact, it feels very sturdy. I could drop this from the two feet in front of my face to the counter without worrying about it shattering into a million pieces.
The scroll wheel for selecting a cutting length is light enough that I can switch it with two fingers, but it is recessed into the trimmer, so I won’t accidentally trip it while trimming. Sounds like a real nitpick, but it is always a danger with wet and slippery hands just after a shower.
The wheel also moves in 0.5mm increments and is clearly labeled for each comb you are using.
The same is true for the power button, which is set into its own divot with the power symbol itself textured. This way, I won’t accidentally turn off the power when I am mid-trim. I’ve had this issue with the Manscaped Beard Hedger Trimmer before.
The Series 7000 is also waterproof, making it ideal for trimming in the shower rather than over the sink, if needed.
Ergonomics and Grip
Being made almost entirely of plastic, the Series 7000 is extremely light compared to trimmers like the Philips Norelco Series 9000, which is almost entirely made of stainless steel. Being heavy and almost impervious to damage is only so good, as I found that I can fatigue my wrist after just 5 minutes of trimming my beard due to the weight (In other words, light and heavy-weight trimmers have their pros and cons).
Ergomomics & Grip Ratings
The entire Series 7000 trimmer is textured to prevent it from slipping in my hands while I’m using it. Again, this is a boon if you want to use it in the shower or if you are like me and cause water to go everywhere when you wash your face in the sink.
Overall, the Series 7000 fits extremely comfortably and securely in my hand when I am using it. I’m not going to drop it, and it won’t fatigue my wrist as I trim.
Blades
The blades for the Series 7000 are your standard precision self-sharpening trimmer blades, as seen with other (Norelco) Philips Beard Trimmers I have used and reviewed.
Blades Ratings
I am a huge fan of the wide blade and the short precision blade. They are perfect for letting me shape my beard as I like, without having to use only half the cutting edge.
The blades are also very easy to swap out (see next video clip below). You just pop them out, and pop a new one in. I like having a whole modular system for maintaining my beard like this.
Length Settings and Guide Combs
We get four guide combs with this trimmer: 1 long comb (covers beard lengths from 10.4mm to 20mm), 1 short comb (covers beard lengths from 0.4mm to 10mm), and the 2 fade combs for left and right.
Length Settings and Combs Ratings
I do run into issues with the Guide Combs.
While the trimmer itself is made from sturdy plastic, the guide combs are made of a less durable plastic. It constantly feels like I am about to snap them when I am literally just swapping them out like I should.
I really like the dial settings and how they can be adjusted with the attachments based on color (i.e., white with black attachments and blue for the blue), as shown in the video clip below.
Hair Collector
The Hair Collector isn’t useless, but it doesn’t collect all the trimmed hair (see the next video clip example). It got maybe 60 percent of the cut hair from my beard when I was trimming. It fills up quickly and doesn’t seal well, so hair constantly falls out when I turn the trimmer over or move it around my face.
Taking off the Hair Collecter is a pain. From the pictures on the box, one could assume it is on some kind of hinge, or at least held on well. Instead, it is just two pieces of plastic holding it on. The moment you remove the collector, be prepared for hair to go everywhere. Make sure you are standing over the trash can when you empty it.
Honestly, I think the Hair Collector attachment is more trouble than it is worth.
I suppose the likes of the Remington Vacuum Beard and Stubble Trimmer have spoiled me.
Cleaning and Maintenance
The Hair Collector does make cleaning up after a trim slightly easier, but only for the sink — not the trimmer itself. I still found hair in the sink, but not as much as I would have under normal circumstances. A win is a win.
As mentioned above, the Hair Collector is also tricky to remove and will disperse some debris; therefore, have a sink or a place that allows for the collection of fallen debris.
However, it isn’t all doom and gloom in the cleaning department. The blades and the guards are very easy to clean with the supplied brush. Additionally, the trimmer is easy to rinse because it is waterproof. Although I wouldn’t immerse it in water, that would be asking for trouble.
In addition to all of that, the blades do not need to be oiled at all! So you don’t need to worry about messing with any of that every couple of weeks.
Charging, Battery, and LEDs
Now, I don’t know of anyone who needs a full two hours to trim their beard, but if you do, then fella, this beard trimmer has you covered.
Charging, Battery, and LEDs Ratings
I love how fast it charges and how much it holds. This means if you are traveling for short distances, you probably don’t even need to bring your charger.
Charging the battery for a trimming session in just 5 minutes is lightning fast. While that obviously isn’t a full charge, it is still enough for about 5 minutes of easy trimming. You can almost use this trimmer right out of the box.
Additionally, I believe charging trimmer stands is the way of the future. It removes clutter from my countertop and makes everything look organized.
I do have a pair of issues in this department, though.
The charging light on the Trimmer itself is not very helpful. It has three settings: Orange at low power, Flashing when charging, and Lit when at full charge.
Why would that be a problem? Well, it will turn the light off to nothing if it has been sitting fully charged for 60 seconds. This annoys me because when I see no light on an appliance, I would assume it is completely out of power. I need to turn it on to see if it is charged at all, and that uses some of the power available.
Honestly, men’s grooming companies, just give me a green light that stays on.
Secondly, the charging cable is a USB-A cable. Fair enough, USB is the wave of the future. However, that is no excuse to ship the product without the actual charging brick that lets me plug it into the wall! I had to scavenge something from an old phone charger just to charge the trimmer.
Seems like we are throwing the baby out with the bathwater on this one.
Trimming Experiences
For this review, I spent three weeks trimming with all three blades and using multiple settings on the guide combs. I always used the trimmer after showering and getting my face and beard nice and clean.
Trimming Performance Ratings
You don’t need to worry about using this on a dry beard, but I would recommend it. Philips says it can be used on a wet beard, but I’m always paranoid that I’ll burn out a motor.
The overall experience was serviceable. Not the best I have ever had, but not the worst either.
I had to go over spots two or three times with the trimmer to make sure I cut all the stray hairs in that area of my beard. That is normal for most trimmers so I won’t knock too many points off for that.
Here is an example of me trimming with the attachment.
This is an example of me using the wide blade to edge my beard around the neck area.
Every once in a while, my beard hairs would catch in the blades, and it felt like they were yanked out instead of cut. I think this may be a problem with the blades’ self-sharpening. However, I also have very curly beard hair, which is always an issue. I will say that the precision small blade and wide blade worked really well, allowing me to shape my beard and get any straggling hairs at the edges. I always have issues with those, and these blades really helped me out.
Value for Money
Currently, the Series 7000 is on sale on Amazon for about 20 percent off. That puts the cost at around $80 USD before shipping prices.
For a robust, powerful little trimmer that works great for travel, I honestly think $80 is a pretty good price.
This isn’t going to be a beard trimmer you use once or twice and dump for a new one. This trimmer will probably last you at least a few years or more before you might want to upgrade.
Going off our pizza scale, that means 8 pizzas for 2 years’ worth of trims, plus a two-year warranty. That seems like a pretty good deal to me.
Final Thoughts – Verdict (Whose It For?)
The Philips Norelco Series 7000 is a powerful and useful little beard trimmer. I like it despite the few faults I have mentioned.
It isn’t the best trimmer I have ever used. That reward would go to something like the Philips Norelco 9000 Prestige, Panasonic ER-GB42 Beard Trimmer, or the Remington Vacuum Beard and Stubble Trimmer.
However, it is a solid and useful little device that does the job perfectly well with little to no hiccups.
I would say the Philips Norelco Series 7000 is a pretty damn good trimmer for any guy, but especially guys looking to upgrade to the next level of beard care. Say you are rocking something like the Panasonic ER240, then this would be a more than worthy upgrade to something more serious without breaking the bank.
