If you're anything like us, your bathroom cabinet is probably a prime example of a cluttered mess. What with a host of moisturisers, hair products and grooming essentials at your disposal, you're probably frustrated at the sheer number of things you've got to keep hold of to keep your beard, hair and face looking as good and clean as possible. Wouldn't it all be better to have one device to take care of your morning routine? Panasonic is inclined to agree, as it has made the exceptionally versatile Multishape.
Combining several of your most-used morning tools, the Multishape is an absolute dream for cutting down on the myriad devices you've got tucked away in the draw, bringing every aspect of your daily grooming routine into one powerful device. A ready-made travel companion, this trimmer can brush your teeth, tidy up your beard, trim down your nose and ear hair and shave your neckbeard with swappable heads that give you the freedom to clean up pretty much your entire head in one go, with a battery long enough to bounce between each task and have plenty left over.
The Swiss army knife of grooming is an exciting prospect for most men, but is it any good? We've spent a few weeks using it to complete our shaving and tooth-cleaning needs for the past few weeks, so read on to find out exactly what we thought. And if you're keen to find out our thoughts on a wealth of other grooming tools, like the best beard trimmers, hair clippers, electric shavers, or electric toothbrushes, we've got you covered there too.
Multishape is a multi-tool
The major selling point here is just the sheer number of tasks this beard trimmer can complete, and all for a pretty reasonable price. Included, you'll find an electric toothbrush head, a nose and ear hair trimmer, a foil electric razor head, a beard trimmer and a hair clipper, which can all be quickly snapped onto the slimline handle. It's a pop-clutch button that helps you snap your chosen head on, and the motor will instantly start working as soon as you hit the power button.
Use a bit of quick maths and you'll realise that's five separate tools for your daily grooming routine to make it one of the most comprehensively useful devices you can buy this year. The handle itself is ergonomic, lightweight and made of sturdy waterproof materials, which is grand for doing a full clean in the shower without having to worry about clean-up afterwards.
If your calendar is starting to fill up with work trips and winter holidays this can be an absolute godsend, as you can pack your wash bag with all your other grooming stuff and just bring one tool (with your selection of grooming heads you might need) to cut down on having to pack your shaver, trimmer, electric toothbrush and anything else you end up bringing with you but not using. Each head also comes with its own individual case as well, so you don't get loose hair in your bag as you go.
If this all sounds a bit weird – using the same handle to brush your teeth as you do to cut your beard hair– we get it, but we're here to assuage your concerns, as you quickly get used to popping off the new head, and the individual heads are designed to be cleaned easily so you're not cross-contaminating as you tidy up. You can buy the whole set as a pack or choose the individual heads you're most likely to use, which will invariably drop the price.
Performance is key
Let's talk about each individual head's performance, as there are some stand-out options and some less-impressive features. The beard trimmer itself is a great option for lengthening your beard and keeping things tidy, with a scaling comb that stretches from 0.5 to 15mm with two combs to guide longer hair.
The motor is powerful enough to deal with the reasonably tough beard hair, but this is perhaps where the device starts to look at its weakest, as the motor isn't strong enough to contend with really stubborn hair. The shaver head is excellent for sweeping away short hair on your neck and cheeks for an ultra-clean shave, and the nose trimmer kept the annoying hair from creeping down into our moustache without friction or pain.
Given that it can do so many different tasks, the battery is surprisingly adept at keeping up with your routines. You get about an hour and a half of use from it in one charge, brushing teeth twice a day, shaving three or four times a week and tidying up whiskers as and when you can. In reality, it meant we charged up once every two weeks or so, and even then, that was only one hour plugged into a wall.
Panasonic Multishape verdict
We're all for reducing the number of detritus we own in our bathroom cabinet, so we really do get excited when a gadget arrives that allows us to streamline our grooming routine. And the Multishape probably is the most useful, comprehensive device we've seen out there. Getting all your grooming needs done in less than 20 minutes with one handle is a lot more stress-relieving than you might give it credit for, and it's good enough to tackle most of your hair-grooming needs without the need for additional gear, despite its minor setbacks in power.
Easily one of our favourite items to throw into our suitcase for a trip, the Multishape is a great gift for any man looking to keep things simple in the bathroom but still get good results. And, given its affordable price point, we can see it being one of the most sought-after grooming essentials of the year.
The Panasonic Multishape is available from £119 at amazon.co.uk, currys.co.uk & very.co.uk
