When you first grab your beard trimmer, the shaving, clipping, and styling process will feel like something out of this world. As you continue to use it each morning, the thought will eventually creep up to you, do beard trimmers get dull as you continue to use them?
Beard trimmers get dull as the blades are used to cut the coarse, harder hair on your chin and cheeks, with unmaintained trimmers going duller faster. The blades on beard trimmers cut through some of the hardest hair on the body, causing them to chip, bend, and rust as they are used.
If you want to keep your beard trimmer, perfectly sharp, and ready, you should understand just how it can be maintained each day. There are many challenges to keeping a beard trimmer that you need to learn unless you want to buy a new blade every few weeks.
How Long Do Beard Trimmers Last?
A properly maintained and oiled beard trimmer will last between 6 to 10 years, with the blades needing to be sharpened or replaced every 3 to 4 years. A beard trimmer that is not maintained may become unusable within a year or two as they suffer from rust and hair stuck in the blades.
Many people assume that beard trimmers will last forever as the basic premise of the tool is much simpler than others. However, the truth is that beard trimmers all have specific lifetimes, with most trimmers being limited to only a few years, especially when you buy a bargain.
The beard trimmers that cost more will be made to last a lifetime, as the blades that the trimmer has will not be permanently attached. Many people make a big mistake buying the first, cheapest beard trimmer they can find, paying for it almost three times when the trimmers become dull.
Can You Sharpen Dull Beard Trimmer Blades?
Depending on the type of beard trimmer you have, the blades can be sharpened or replaced, with the blades specifically built to have this done at home or with a service. Most commercial beard trimmers have blades that can be removed and set in for sharpening, increasing the trimmer’s life.
Cheaper beard trimmers have blades that are attached to the trimmer, usually made from material that is too thin to sharpen. Causing the lifetime of the entire trimmer to be decided by how long the blades can stay sharp, which means a new beard trimmer every few years.
Beard trimmers with round blades, usually in a cluster of three, have different blades, with the entire head unit being replaced when the blades get dull. These beard trimmers go through more blades because the blades are so much thinner and are damaged easier.
How Often Should You Replace Beard Trimmer Blades?
When it comes to how often you should be replacing the blades, you will need to consider a few things; first on the list will be how often you are using the trimmers. Most long-bearded men only use their trimmers every few weeks to shape the beard for special occasions.
Further, it depends on the type of blades you have; trimmers with blades that are easy to replace will need blades more often. There are two categories for blades that need to be considered when you want to buy a trimmer, with consideration about how often the blades need replacement.
Replaceable Blades
Replaceable beard trimmer blades are made to dull slightly faster than other blades; if you use the trimmer every day, we recommend replacing them once a year. If you are only using the blades once every few weeks, we recommend only replacing the blades once every two years.
Naturally, we recommend this replacement schedule only if you maintain the blades properly; if you are not, the blades will rust away. Ensuring that the blades aren’t rusting and are taken care of properly is one of the biggest challenges of owning a beard trimmer.
Permanent Blades
These blades are not as permanent on higher-end trimmers, usually held in place with a few screws across the blade’s body. It is meant to be removed from the trimmer when not in use and sent to be sharpened by professionals that have specialized sharpening stones.
These blade should be sharpened once a year, regardless of use, and be replaced every five to six years. The sharpening process always removes some material; over time, this changes the shape and size of the blades, eventually making them too short to be used with accuracy on your trimmer.
How Can You Make Beard Trimmer Blades Last Longer?
The eternal question the moneywise have is how to make the money stretch; further, the high cost of beard trimmers has always made a victim of this. Ensuring that the trimmer and the blades last longer is one of the most important steps to having a clean shave every time.
The blades and components on a beard trimmer are sensitive parts that can easily be damaged if just left to rust when not in use. Many owners have found themselves crying after their trimmers have suddenly stopped working while halfway through a nice trimming session.
Oiling
The biggest enemy of any piece of hardened steel is rust, which is a chemical reaction between steel and oxygen. Unfortunately, this reaction is sped up when a material is wet, which beard trimmers usually get when you are trimming after a shower, and some water is trapped in your beard.
Oiling the blades after each use will displace any water that may be trapped, coating the blade with the right amount of oil to stop it from oxidizing. Further, the oil lubricates the moving parts of the trimmer, ensuring they are not shaving against each other, causing further issues.
Cleaning
We know it can be bothersome to do this each time you are trimming or shaving your beard, but you need to clean out any of the hair stuck in the trimmer. Newer beard trimmers have been made with waterproof abilities, allowing you to dunk them under a tap to clean out the stuck hair.
However, we recommend that you still wipe the blade using a clean brush, getting in between the blades, ensuring that there is no more hair stuck in them. There is nothing as disgusting as grabbing a trimmer and finding hair from several weeks ago still festering inside it.
Drying
Don’t let your beard trimmer stay wet after you have used it; instead, dry it out after you have used it, preferably with a dry towel. Adding the oil to the blades once you have dried the entire machine may seem obvious, but many people leave the blades to rust in their moisture.
It should be noted that many commercial beard trimmers are meant to be used on dry hair; as such, water should never get close to them. These trimmers have blades that must be soaked in a cleaning solution between uses; these should be dried before use.
Right Use
Possibly the biggest challenge we have been having with people and how they are using their beard trimmers. The blades and moving parts of a beard trimmer are not made for thinner, softer hair on your body or your head; there are only two locations that beard trimmers can be used.
The trimmer can easily handle thicker body hair, such as beards, without the hair clogging the movement of the entire machine. Many people forget about this and end up with a beard trimmer with long hair clogging its movement.
Conclusion
Your beard trimmer blades will get dull, whether you are using them or not; the good news is that they are easy to replace. Many people have thrown away beard trimmers that could easily have lasted a lifetime simply because they don’t know about sharpening the blades.
We always recommend that you check what the trimmer can do before you buy it!
