Philips Norelco Beard Trimmer Series 3500, QT4018/49, Cordless Mustache and Beard Groomer for Men - NO BLADE OIL NEEDED

Norelco quality is a cut above the competition.I have written many product reviews of shaving products over the years. I can honestly say that most of the products that I have reviewed were of good quality. I have owned four beard trimmers. The first one was a Norelco that lasted sixteen years (I had to remove the original battery and replace it with an equivalent NiCad after the third year). While I had that one, I also simultaneously owned a second Norelco. The second one did not last long and the first actually outlasted it. Last year, I bought a Remington. I used the Remington for about 11 months before I decided to purchase another Norelco. The Remington was more suited as hair clippers, for your head. The comb attachments were large and while adjustable, was just a bit cumbersome to move around your chin to trim the goatee. The Remington functioned better as hair clippers than as a beard trimmer.I like the Norelco's adjustable comb. This particular unit was designed for trimming the beard rather than head hair. The unit feels good in your hand. Sturdy, but balanced. The balance is not as important on a beard trimmer as it is on a razor, but good balance is still desirable. The rotating trimmer adjustment works great. The adjustment ring has contact points in front and in back, for easier adjustment.One peculiarity with Norelco trimmers is that they do not need lubrication. Most other brands will come with a small bottle of oil that you use to lubricate the blades. The Norelco's blades do not need this lubrication; however, it doesn't hurt to use a product like Shaver Saver. My first Norelco, the one that lasted 16 years, never went dull. The blades remained sharp and the replacement NiCad battery lasted over 12 years. I only replaced the unit when the battery charge started to get shorter. I could have ordered another NiCad battery and soldered it in place of the deteriorated unit. However, I am getting lazy in my old age and it was quicker to just buy a new trimmer. This new trimmer uses a lithium ion battery. Yes, the blades move faster and the recharge is much faster. However, do not expect lithium ions to last 12 years. On a subjective level, the performance is the same as my previous trimmers. However, the faster blades do have a slight comfort advantage. Faster blades will decrease the chances of hair pulling. This is the same reason why the Panasonic electric razors are very comfortable. The faster blades decrease the amount of pulling on the hairs resulting in increased comfort. The hair is cut before the trimmer has moved even a micro millimeter. That is one of the advantages of having a lithium ion battery. The amount of power available to the motor allows it to operate faster.Unlike my previous Norelco trimmers, this new Norelco can be cleaned under tap water. You can put the blades under running water, though you do not want to submerge the whole unit. It comes with a small cleaning brush. The product is of very good quality and it should last a long time.So, why did I buy this one instead of the next model up? The one with the built in vacuum. The price of this one is in the sweet spot for beard trimmers. The less the trimmer is doing, the more reliable it is likely to be. You know what, I just want my trimmer to cut my beard.Highly recommended.

5/16/19 - Update:Okay, so, I am actually giving the last star to this trimmer (if you can find it.. if not, get the newer model, I'd imagine it's just as good...)Why? Well, over two years on (2 years, 4 months, to be exact) and this trimmer is still going strong. The battery life hasn't decreased _at_all. Maintains a good sharpness to the blades, not needing to cart around attachments is still very useful. It's also east to clean, and overall, I couldn't be happier with the thing. Highly recommend.Original review follows:_____________________________________________________________________________I've given this a few uses so far, and I like it a lot.I looked at quite a few and I've been shaving my beard/mustache for about thirty years. (Mostly mustache till the last five or so.)I used Norelcos from back before Phillips bought them. This works as well as those in the past, but a few points.Pros:1. Lithium! Yeah, baby. Charges in an hour. MAKE NOTE OF THIS. Few other current trimmers actually charge up in an hour. Most being sold at this price point still require a charger stand and "an overnight charge" (of 8 hours) for ONE hour of charge.2. To me, that's kind of a big deal. I don't want to leave my trimmer on a charger all the time, and frankly, I don't *want* to have to think about it at all. Which includes, as others have pointed out, not having to worry about 14 different attachments.3. Now that I have multiple power cords, over the years of buying Norelco, the same old power cords are still compatible. (Not a selling point for everyone, but still nice.)4. The trim is effective and sharp, without any issues.5. It's also light, but, can also be considered a negative (see below).Cons:1. I feel like the build quality isn't as solid as the old trimmers, however, they do give it a 2 year warranty, and for registering it, tossed in another six months. So, this is a "it feels a bit cheaper" - but time will tell if it really is.2. I'm not a HUGE fan of how the hair leaves the trimmer. I had a pretty healthy trim to go through (probably an inch+ long beard all over my face and was bringing it down to 5MM) - and it just kind of falls on your hand while you're shaving. I'm a bit spoiled by the vacuum one I had in the past, I guess, I don't recall older trimmers working quite like that.3. You do have to take the trimmer attachment off to get to the edge clipper. There's no second one like I've see on older Norelcos. Not really a huge con, since you'd be taking it off anyway to clean it. But some people may miss being able to just slide their thumb up to get to it, and dropping it again, and spinning it around easier, etc.That's really it - obviously, I feel the pros outweigh the cons, and it's seemed to have been on a sale for $30 for a while now. At that price point, you can't argue with the quality and the features compared to others at this price point. I think it wins hands down. (1 hour charging, the fact that it's rechargable, uses lithium instead of NicAD, no need for a dozen attachments). It's also a pretty attractive trimmer, all things considered.

I purchased this beard trimmer several years ago and I love it. I did not pay 25% of the price that is being asked for here. It can be found elsewhere for a lot less money. Apparently the seller wants to retire early.

After 8 years, I finally did my review. It’s still working great and I never had issues. I think it will last me 5 more years. It’s now 2025 and still working like I just bought it yesterday.