Visiq Hygenic Trimmer

Entering the market at what could be possibly the cheapest nose hair trimmer available which doesn't look too cheap, the new "Argos Value Range Hygienic Trimmer " was initially available at the cost of £2-99 (2008) under the old name of "Visiq" which seems to be an exclusive brand to Argos. Now priced at just £2-00 it is hardly going to set any new goals other than do what it suggests, and for some guys, especially students on a budget, this value line up of body and mind products from Argos looks like a winner. I forgot to bring my Babyliss nose trimmer with me when I first left home to take up a temporary contract job and was desperate to find something that I could rely on, similar to the excellent service and ability of my cherished Babyliss.

Nar2's Quick Skip Product Spec

• Powered by single AA 1.5v battery.
• Nose and Ear trimmer with blade protection cap.
• Slide on/off switch. (silver but not numbered as shown in picture)
• Soft moulded feel in dark blue colouring.
• Acrylic top safety cover.
• Lightweight and 12.5cm in height.
• Stainless steel blades - not washable but comes with a brush to clean.
• Argos price 2008 £2-00 cat number 440/6662.
• Argos price 2012 £1-99 cat number 440/6662.

The Price, The Product & The Promise

Surprisingly for 2012, the Visiq hygiene trimmer has been replaced by the cosmetically challenged "Argos Value Trimmer," and priced 1p cheaper these days at £1-99, it's hardly moving the game on in terms of value. I say "cosmetically challenged," because if you check this appliance out at Argos UK website you'll be given two photos of two different looking trimmers but with the same pull of head. You still don't get a battery equipped with this model either and although on first impressions, the Argos Value/Visiq trimmer doesn't look very cheap, it isn't until you use it and get to know it that the realisation of it's build was probably farthest from the company brand's minds! Looking at it with its strange slots and slits on the silvery top certainly looks more like some sort of trimmer than an actual flush toy.

Designed to fit closely to most men's electrical gadgets these days in the bathroom, it complements my Philips micro shaver quite well even though it shows the name of "Visiq" in large pastel blue lettering running vertically down from the cheap silver switch, which pushes up to reveal it's on mechanism. The top of the blade surround and battery cover are both silver look against the navy blue of the plush feeling rubber body and mimics the Babyliss on design.

I must stress that the little paper manual that comes with it explains that it cannot be used near water, and that the blades are not water proof. This was an early downside for me given my other trimmer's hygienic advantage. A little black brush does come supplied with the Visiq so cleaning the blades is easy enough but there is nowhere to store the brush, so you could lose it over time and yes, eventually I did lose mine!

So when you've worked out which side of the negative or positive points the single AA battery goes into, screw over the battery cover, pull off the clear acrylic protection cap and switch on for use. What a pity that for the price you're paying here, there are no indication arrows let alone battery polarity signs to make installation of the batteries quicker and easier to recognise.

Performance & Results

A gentle whirr vibrates against the hair and removes it easily, fast and out of sight whilst reminding me of my similarly designed Babyliss model, the Visiq impresses on what it does but whereas my Babyliss blade is also stainless steel it can be washed under a tap, this Visiq model cannot - but in this respect you do get what you pay for, despite the nice design of it.

The noise of the Visiq isn't obtrusive at all but then again just like my Babyliss model; it is very similar in use, from the initial feel and motor noise. When the blade for example finds hair, you can hear the blades cut up the hair with a slight grating action but importantly, there is no pain afterwards. Without a doubt these types of trimmers which exercise a spinning blade under a cover do remove hair safely.

In use apart from nose hair and ear hair, this little trimmer can also tackle side burns too even though the manual does suggest that it is only suitable for ear and nose hair. If it starts to clog, it is easy just to whip off the top, blow on it softly to eradicate the clogged hair, and start again.

Holding it for a long period of time means that the body doesn't get very hot thanks to the rubber coatings on the main point where you grip the cutter. It is a shame though that the plastic quality of the switch feels cheap even though it is ribbed for closer contact and feels cheap when it is pushed upwards to turn the trimmer on and slide back down to switch off; again you get what you pay for in this instance and inadvertently whenever I've taken the trimmer away with me, it has switched itself on when in my bag - so the switch here could be improved with a stiffer mechanism for safety sake rather than risk the battery burning out.

Cleaning & Maintenance

For cleaning, once you twist the top blade cover off, a small intricate design of blades at angles on a small white holder is revealed and they are extremely sharp. It is difficult to clean them unless you grab the bottom of the holder onto your finger. Unlike the Babyliss here which has a similar blade mount but only 2 blades which aren't designed to harm you, the Visiq has four blades coming out of the plastic holder and there is more of a chance you will cut yourself unless you don't clean the blades in a hurry. The white holder is also very small and can also fall off unless you hold the Visiq upright and steady. Whilst it is handy that Visiq have included a cleaning brush, the procedure for cleaning needs extreme caution to your fingers!

Downsides

The most important downside though is just how hot the trimmer tip gets when cutting out nose hair. I found it surprising given the rubber coated "handle" on the main body which is cool to the touch of your hand, but to your nose the longer you spend cutting or looking for hair around your face, the longer the top gets hot and can cause a burning sensation thanks to the over use of the trimmer cutter in one go! You won't get burnt with this trimmer, but it's not that far off, especially given that the skin in and around the nostrils are generally thinner and more fragile.

The extended use also means a drain on battery power. Used a couple of times a month, depending on your nose and ear hair (for guys only I guess) in terms of growth, I used a Duracell battery which lasted a month and find generally that despite this great battery in terms of name and reputation, the Visiq's power soon starts to weaken if it made to get hot in one single use, time and time again.

Final Thoughts

The Visiq Hygiene trimmer on spec seems to emulate everything my Babyliss has, but at the end of the day it goes to prove that just because one trimmer happens to look similar to the other, it's not always the case that they are the same when it comes to the action function they are supposed to perform. For emergency hair removal compared to using manual tweezers, the Visiq works well at the price and is a far quicker and more efficient way of cutting hair - its the maintenance after wards that can cause harm and needs extreme caution. And at the cost of poor insulation and a lack of cool touch metal at the tip, you'll always be wary of the tip as it gets hotter in longer use whilst also draining the battery on board. Sadly I didn't last long with the Visiq Hygiene trimmer, not when it kept cutting my fingers each time I cleaned the blade

My Visiq lasted 3 years and whilst it was used many times, I really couldn't wait to get rid of it and replace it with something else that was that little bit safer, because even if it is safer than using manual tweezers, the build quality and the design just isn't as effective as others. Thanks for reading! ©Nar2 2012.

www.argos.co.uk