Philips Body Trimmer 5000 Series After 5 Years: Why I Trim My Beard to 1 mm Instead of Shaving

This is the English edition of a review from my Japanese YouTube channel, iestaLife. I review gadgets from my home studio in Japan, so product links go to Amazon Japan.

Quick take

I have used the Philips Multigroom 5000 series body trimmer (MG5730/15 in Japan) for about five years. I stopped shaving my beard smooth every day and now trim it to 1 mm every two or three days instead. It is faster, it almost never hurts, and my skin is much calmer. After five years the blades and the battery still work as well as they did at the start.

Philips body trimmer 5000 series attachments — The guide combs and heads that come with the kit

What I tested

Beard: 1 mm guide comb
Eyebrows: adjustable 3–7 mm comb set to 4 mm
Undercut sides: the same comb at about 4–6 mm
Cleaning routine over roughly five years of use

What I found

Painless trimming. The only thing to watch is the tip of the blade, so I move slowly around it.
No hunting for missed spots. Small differences in length don’t show, so a trim is quick.
Long battery life. The spec is 80 minutes per full charge, and in practice I go months between charges. It doesn’t seem to lose much charge while sitting unused.
Useful as a pre-trim. When my beard gets long, I trim it first and then shave with an electric shaver for a cleaner result.
Eyebrows at 4 mm. 3 mm looked too obviously groomed; 5–6 mm felt a little long for me.
The nose trimmer head is hard to take apart, so it’s hard to wash and I rarely use it.

Removing the Philips trimmer blade to clean out hair — Hair builds up inside the blade, so I take it apart now and then

The cleaning routine is what keeps it going: pop off the head, brush away the hair (a cheap long-handled brush from a 100-yen shop works better than the included one), take the blade apart every so often to remove the hair inside, rinse it, and add a drop of oil. Skipping the inside cleaning is what makes trimmers start to smell.

5000 vs 3000 series

Philips also sells a cheaper 3000 series. For the way I use it, that would be fine too. The main difference is battery life: 60 minutes for the 3000 series versus 80 minutes for the 5000 series. You will rarely trim for an hour at a time, so pick the 5000 only if you want to think about charging even less.

Who it’s for

People whose skin gets irritated by daily shaving
Anyone happy with a short, even beard rather than a perfectly smooth face
People who want one tool for beard, eyebrows and undercut sides

It’s not ideal if you must be clean-shaven every day, or if the nose trimmer matters to you; a dedicated washable nose trimmer is easier to keep clean.

Watch the video

【もう髭は剃りたくない！揃えるだけで許して欲しい】フィリップスボディトリマー５年間の超長期使用レビュー

The video is in Japanese. The attachments are explained from about 01:00, eyebrow trimming from about 04:40, the before-and-after at about 11:20 and cleaning from about 13:00.

Limitations

This is one person’s long-term experience with one unit. Model names and kit contents can differ by region, so check the listing before buying.

Products

Philips Multigroom 5000 series (MG5730/15): on Amazon Japan

The Amazon Japan links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Check the listing for the exact model, current price and shipping availability in your region.

More reviews in English