“Get a Wahl Peanut. They last forever.” This advice came from a trusted neighborhood haircutter in South Philadelphia, a place where barbers are still repositories of important information. The next barber I consulted told me the same thing.

Why do barbers like it? The wee Peanut may look funny, but it doesn’t mess around. There are no doo-dads or eyebrow attachments: just four trimmer guards, from an eighth inch to a half inch. And the classic Peanut’s most revered and durable option still gets its juice through a wall socket.

But this pint-sized trimmer is fast, deft, and light. The rotary motor packs surprising punch, and it’ll trim, outline, and even detail like a champ. If you oil it at least twice a year, you’ll likely have it for a long time. It’s a tiny corded tank with consistent power, best on shorter beards that won’t bog it down with bulk. If you use it to shave your neck without a guard, note that the Peanut doesn’t bite or nick but might pull on wispy wild hairs. While it’s an admirably close shave for a trimmer, foil shavers and blades are notably closer.

Without a cord, tho’: Peanut Li for $100: Note, however, that if you know and love the Wahl Peanut but want a cordless version, the sky-clue cordless Peanut Li improves heartily on the previous-generation cordless Peanut. This still means the same blades and guards beloved by generations of barbers, but with a whole lot more juice. The Li can rev up to a heady 7,000 rpms, making it nearly impossible to bog down even in a beard as thick as a horsehair broom. I know this, because I tested using a horsehair broom.

This BabylissPro beard trimmer, codesigned with barber tool company Tomb45, arrived this year with a lot of industry fanfare. One of the biggest sells was this trimmer’s ability to charge wirelessly on a charging mat (which will run you $50 extra). For barbers who use trimmers all day long, this charging mat is maybe a killer app.

But this thing’s lithium-ion battery keeps buzzing for more than three hours by my testing, meaning most home users won’t need to charge it more than once every month or two. What I love is the sharp and tight-toothed blade, which is nearly but not quite zero-gapped for clean lines and a close shave. I care about the powerful motor that revs up to 7,500 rpm on “turbo” mode, and I care about the unusually ergonomic rubber grip, which somehow manages to feel stylish while molding comfortably to my hand. And I like the visible battery life indicator.

But especially, I like the innovative upside-down blade, oriented upward so you can see exactly how you’re lining up the blade on your neckline, your sideburns, or your cheek line. It’s a handy feature for detail work, one that leads to even better visibility than our previous lineup pick, the elegantly designed Wahl Pro Skeleton. I hung onto this Babyliss for months to test durability before adding it among the top picks here.

This is a fade and line-up tool marketed at pros, but it is compatible with standard Wahl trimmer guards if you’re not a free-hander. A nice set of guards is $40 from Wahl, assuming you don’t have Wahl guards floating around your bathroom cabinet already. (Honestly, I’ve gotten oddly good at free-handing my beard without trimmer guards, and I get more precise results this way than with guards … but this requires faith, attentiveness, and a steady hand.)

Value pick: Andis T-Outliner for $70. This corded outliner is the device old-school barbers have been trusting for edge work since the phrase was invented. The T-Outiner offers a durable edge on its carbon-steel blades. There are few extra features—just an on/off switch. But this Andis lasts like the dickens, according to testimony from barbers. And it gives good edge. A newer cordless version Andis Slimline Pro exists for basically the same price, though you’ll have a hard time matching the long-term reliability on this one.

A Philips Norelco OneBlade is like the Swiffer of the beard world, an agile little T-shaped detailer that’s probably the lightest stubble trimmer I ever expect to like, weighing in at less than 4 ounces. At 63 decibels it’s also quiet, registering at a sound level my phone demarcates as “chat with friends.” That’s a sweet sentiment rarely applied to beard trimmers, but this OneBlade is indeed a friendly little thing.

It details like a little hero, seems constitutionally unable to cause nicks, and mows across your face admirably. But for that, it’s not overly versatile: The guard’s 12 settings top out at 9 millimeters, shorter than 3/8 of an inch. This device is made for speed, and for short-stubbled beards. But though it’s fast, it also arrives with an admirable 120 minutes of life. It’ll take you a month or more to use the blade for this length of time. But note that unlike many trimmers, the OneBlade’s actual blades do need to be replaced two or three times a year if you use it regularly, at $25 a pop.

If you’ve been on social media or downloaded a podcast lately, you will have heard about Manscaped and their groin-taming Lawn Mower trimmer. But honestly? Keep it above the neck. The Bear Hedger is blessedly attachment free, with a one-wheel controller for lengths from 0.5 to 10 millimeters. It’s waterproof. And in a beard trimming world far too full of proprietary beard charging attachments—why, oh why?—Manscaped’s Beard Hedger is one of all-to-few to allow USB-C charging.

All of this put together makes this Beard Hedger wonderfully useful for travel, when you don’t necessarily want to carry around 12 attachments, nor six charging cords when one will do. Heck, even the design is straightforward, something in the school of “90s-era Batman utility belt.” Some call it sleek. Some call it dull.

This trimmer uses small- to midsize stainless steel teeth and a high RPM motor, which is great in particular for shorter beards, noted WIRED reviewer Andrew Williams. There’s a bit of give in the plastic length guide, which could be seen as a flaw—but it also means you can apply extra pressure to get a closer shave. Consider it a happy accident, once you’ve figured it out.