Philips QT 4045 Vacuum Power > Reviews (6)

Philips QT 4045 Vacuum Power
No don’t get excited I haven’t suddenly sprouted a beard however my husband does have one and it seems it is one of my jibs to do the beard and moustache trim every couple of weeks so I am actually the one who manipulates the thing but not on my body so to speak.

We had a previous shaver/trimmer but it died from over work so replaced it with this some five years ago now so this one seems to be coping with shaving the beard. I chose this as it said it vacuumed as well as shaved so I got quite excited by this. No, I wasn’t expecting it to vacuum the floors but I was hoping it would catch all the grey hairs from the beard trim sot hat they didn’t end up all over me and my husband’s clothes. We always put a cloth around him but somehow the beard hairs being so touch managed to get into everything despite that.

We bought this from Boots and paid around £20 but you can probably get it for far less today.

WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE BOX?

The main unit is pretty heavy and substantial so easy to hold in the hand and maneuver around the face. There is a charging cord with a two pin plug so you either need to use a shaver socket or an adapter which is the route we have chosen. The plastic guard thing which allows you to alter the level of cut fixes on to the main unit. You also get a little brush to clean the shaver cutting bits and then finally a comb. Plus of course you get a small instruction booklet as well as a guarantee and it is now so long since we have had this shaver that I can’t remember what the packaging was like but I do remember it came in a pretty large box with plastic inserts for protection.

BEFORE YOU USE THIS

The first time you use this you must charge it for 10 hours before first use. After that initial charge you can top it up but any full recharge e takes 10 hours again. You are NOT supposed to use the trimmer while it is plugged in. In order to charge the unit should be switched off first.

USING THE BEAST

As I said I use it to trim my husband’s beard and sometimes it gets quite long, especially if we have been away as we don’t take it with us. When it is long then it gets cut at grade three which you need to select from the black ring around the middle until you see a 3. You need to have the comb attachment AND flexible hair guide on for the levels otherwise you get a close shave. We discovered this accidently after my son had borrowed the shaver when he came back from Canada at Christmas. I went to trim hubby’s beard and set it at grade 2 and it seemed very short. The comb attachment was on but not the flexible hair guide so that in actual fact it was probably less than grade 1. Having started I had to finish and my husband was less than impressed with the result.i He was cursing my son for not putting it back properly, luckily he was safely back in Canada by this time.

Anyway set the grade level ensuring the comb attachment and plastic guard thingie (flexible hair guide) are both on then I just cut against the way the beard grows all over the beard area until all is an even length.

I then take the plastic comb thingie off and do all the bits just outside the beard area closer, so the neck area, the cheeks that have extra bits and then finally I have to get around to the moustache. I hate doing that because if I cut it too short one side then I have to even it up and it would look awful. Firstly I use the trimmer with no guard and get the level right around the top lip. Then using the comb I comb through the moustache against the hair and run the trimmer over the hair that comes through the comb. I keep doing that until I have it a decent shape and it looks as even as I can get it.

That all works fine and the we take it apart and clean it all up before putting it away till next time.

ANY PROBLEMS?

Yes, this vacuum idea is rubbish as it doesn’t vacuum at all in my view. It might catch short shaven hair and some gets through into the little plastic catcher but I spend half my time having to get thee little brush and cleaning out the hair from around the cutters as it get clogged up after one run up the beard. That in itself is annoying enough but in order to do that you must first take off the comb attachment. That is easy but then you have to put it back on again and sometimes it goes straight on with no trouble while other times I fiddle or about two minutes trying to slide it on just the right way. This is absolutely infuriating; I get really exasperated as I must have to go through that procedure about four times every time I trim my husband’s beard.

I wouldn’t mind so much but this is sold as a beard trimmer not a shaver so this is a major design fault in my view. I am sure my husband’s beard is not that unusual and so to have to take the thing apart every two sweeps up the face,clean it and then put it back together is not great in my view. It is especially annoying in that the comb attachment does NOT slip easily onto the thing, it is fiddly and has to goon in a very precise spot otherwise it doesn’t do the leveling job properly.

SAFETY ADVICE

Don’t use it while it is charging or of course near any water so really just be sensible as it is electric.You should not let the unit, the power cord or the plug get wet and don’t charge it near water. Check that the voltage on the plug is the same as the local mains you will be plugging it in to and use only that cord and plug not any other you find lying around!

Keep it away from children and don’t use this for any other purpose. The mind boggles her; trimming the poodle? Cutting the hedge? The appliance is only to be used for trimming the human beard!!

You should charge and store the unit between 15°C and 35 °C and if it has been subjected to a major change in temperature, humidity or pressure ( like on a plane in your luggage in the hold) then allow it to settle for at least 30 minutes before using it.

IF IT DIES

Do not throw this in the normal rubbish to create landfill. Hand it to an official collection point for recycling. The built in battery contains chemicals which are harmful to the environment.

There are so many places that collect batteries these days that it shouldn’t be hard to find one and most towns have recycling places now so think of your grandchildren and the fact that they want to have a world to enjoy too and recycle this once it is no longer useful.

SUMMARY

This is not the best beard trimmer in the world and the vacuum part is pretty rubbish in my view. The comb attachment should go on more easily that it does and I shouldn’t have to stop and de -clog the thing every two sweeps of the beard surely that is a design fault. However we are not the sort of people who throw things out that work even if they are not that great so I will continue to use this until it finally gives up and then I shall be taking it to be recycled down at our local recycling place.

Thanks for reading. This review may be posted on other sites under my same user name.

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