Monday, December 12, 2011

On the market for a Universal Men's Grooming Device (UMGD)

We have a problem. My cheap plastic beard and mustache trimmer I bought from Macy's four years ago is dead. It ran out of battery after having its terminals badly corroded so that charging is no longer possible. At the same time, my beard will not stop growing so that I'm playing beat the clock before I look unacceptably unkempt and slovenly. I need a Universal Men's Grooming Device forthwith!

I'm looking for something of high quality, that will last virtually forever, but not something overly expensive. In other words, something that Jacob would approve of. I wasn't sure the difference between clippers and trimmers, but Yahoo Answers (!) told me that trimmers are probably what I want. That collapses the field somewhat.

MMM does not specify which model of UMGD he owns, though I can see from the picture that it is an Oster. My office mate at work told me he has had not one but two positive reviews from his friends regarding the Wahl brand. Here are two different trimmers from Amazon that look acceptable and have gotten mostly positive reviews.

Anyone have ideas on brand or models? With Amazon Prime two-day shipping, if I buy one by tomorrow afternoon, that means I should have it by Friday. It will be an uncomfortable few days but I'll tough it out because it's the right thing to do. If you have pertinent information I want to hear from you ASAP because otherwise I'm going to flip a coin.

Thanks in advance, fellow Mustachians.
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7 comments:

  1. MarekDecember 13, 2011 at 1:28 AM

    I can't really recommend a specific brand (I haven't seen these manufacturers in Europe), but I would look for one that you can rinse/wash with water. Using the brush might get annoying soon.

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  2. Mustachian AcolyteDecember 13, 2011 at 6:42 AM

    I did not even know that was something to worry about. Thank you for the info, good sir!

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  3. Leonardo Vilela PinheiroDecember 13, 2011 at 9:27 AM

    I'm also looking for an acceptable trim machine here in Brazil. I have tried Mallory Mithos Max, but cheap products in Brazil are like cheap products in China - they're REALLY cheap in quality. A friend of mine who is a professional hair cutter couldn't recommend me a machine. She just said: I go the cheap stores, buy any cheap battered Panasonic trimmer, and when the battery gets weared, I just dump it and buy another trimmer. There is a Wahl model to sell in my city, but it has 3 months warranty and no technical assistance.

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  4. AnonymousDecember 13, 2011 at 3:59 PM

    Not sure if this helps, but my mother has used the same Oster to trim dad's hair for 20 years now, and it hasn't died yet. My husband and I recently invested in one ourselves that's similar to the Oster model you're looking at. Also, if you live near any beauty supply shops, I would check them out, as there are some good deals hiding there sometimes.

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  5. AnonymousDecember 13, 2011 at 5:27 PM

    I bought a $15 beard trimmer at Walmart and it's going into its 8th year of cuts. My advice is don't over think it and take care of whatever you pick. My vote is $30 limit. I spent a similar amount on clippers at the same time - I've been cutting my own hair for over 10 years - that's probably $1700 of savings on haircuts!

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  6. Mustachian AcolyteDecember 13, 2011 at 5:30 PM

    Thanks everyone for the advice. I just bought a UMGD on Amazon, to arrive Thursday. I want to keep it under wraps until I can evaluate and write a follow-up post. To be honest I'm feeling a combination of apprehension and buyer's remorse. We'll see!

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  7. Leonardo Vilela PinheiroDecember 15, 2011 at 8:37 AM

    Ok, I bought a Wahl Basic Pro, it cost me a kidney, but I hope it lasts 20 years. Now I need to study how to keep it in shape.

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