Philips Norelco T980 Turbo Vacuum Trimmer Review

I’m generally a big fan of the Norelco trimmers, having own several over the years, so when I broke the old T870 model in a clumsy accident, I figured it was time to upgrade to the Philips Norelco T980 Turbo Vacuum Trimmer. I was a little hesitant to upgrade. After all, why fix something that ain’t broken? Fortunately, the Philips Norelco T980 is an awesome trimmer! First of all, it’s a great looking piece of kit. It’s very sleek looking and feels very solid and well made. It’s very lightweight but not in a cheap way. It does generally feel of good quality.

The blades are super sharp and make light work of my beard (a task that not all trimmers are capable of) and they’re also self sharpening. I can only presume that this feature is working as I’ve been using the trimmer for a good 9 months now and as far as I’m aware the cut is as good as the day I first bought it.

My favorite feature has got to be the built in vacuum that sucks up the hair trimmings as you cut them. A lot of beard trimmers have been offering this feature in recent years but to honest, up until this point they’ve been little more than marketing hype in my opinion. With the T980 though, it really is worthwhile. It’s not 100% perfect but it does avoid a lot of mess. I’d say it manages to collect a good 90% of the hair and with the clear view chamber you can see when it needs emptying.

The T980 comes with a turbo feature for an extra boost. The trimmer has it’s regular power level and then you can either turn the turbo mode on or off. Overall, I’d say the trimmer works better with the turbo mode on in terms of cut and the effectiveness of the vacuum. The downside to this is that the turbo mode is louder and more draining on the battery. Still, I keep the turbo on for the majority of the time, and as I say, I’ve been using this for a good 9 months with no problems.

This handy device also comes with a contour following comb as well as a unique mini beard trimmer as an attachment with it that makes it easier to neatly trim a beard, side burn or even a mustache for that matter of fact.

One thing I don’t like and that I’d like Philips to improve on all their trimmers, is the fact that the rechargeable battery is not replaceable. Once the battery is dead, the trimmer is useless, forcing you to get another one. While the batteries are very good in general, it’s still a huge waste in my opinion, and an inconvenience.

So here’s a summary of the T980:

Pros:

• Extremely lightweight
• Good quality build and feel
• Blades are very sharp and self sharpening
• Vacuum effectively sucks up majority of hair, avoiding mess
• Great looking design

Cons:

• Battery is not replaceable
• Turbo setting makes it louder than some models

Overall, it’s hard to fault the T980. The main problem is that the rechargeable battery can’t be replaced and that’s a problem the majority of these sort of trimmers have, so unfortunately, it’s not really avoidable. But other than that, the trimmer itself is fantastic and I’d happily buy it all over again. Very impressed and would recommend it to anyone. This would be a particular appealing gift for any man.

Price Alert: Right now, Amazon.com is providing free shipping and a 11% discount for this Philips Norelco T980 Vacuum Trimmer. The current price is $5.00 cheaper than the usual retail price.

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