I tested the Panasonic MultiShape trimmer — and it's the future of personal grooming

For anyone looking to cut down on the amount of gadgets in their grooming cabinet, the concept of Panasonic MultiShape is a real selling point. While multi-head grooming tools aren't new, the sheer variety of attachments available for this particular machine makes it stand out.

From traditional options like nose and ear hair trimmers and a 3-blade close-shaver to an electric toothbrush, ceramic foot file and even an oscillating facial cleansing brush – it's this versatility that is, frankly, game-changing, not just for the industry, but for your grooming routine.

That said, this particular pack contains just one razor head with a comb set designed for face, head and body hair trimming. As such, I'll be reviewing this unit based purely on its ability to perform these core functions. Is it worth all the buzz it's been getting in the press?

Panasonic MultiShape: Cheat sheet

• What is it? An all-in-one grooming kit that includes a versatile trimmer for beard, hair, and body care. It comes with interchangeable attachments to handle different grooming needs, from precision trimming to larger body grooming.
• What does it cost? $90 from Panasonic, or $79 at Amazon.
• Who is it for? Anyone wanting an all-in-one kit for male grooming, that tackles beard, hair and body care.
• What do we wish it did better? Although it sits at the more expensive end of the market compared to its peers, its bulky base unit can hinder maneuverability for certain tasks, and additional attachments must be purchased.

Panasonic MultiShape: Price & availability

With a price that hovers around the $90 mark, the Panasonic MultiShape personal care system is at the more expensive end of the spectrum alongside its competitors from Braun, Philips, Wahl etc in the hair maintenance market.

While a higher price point might feel like a negative, there are certain things to consider. The first is that some competitors with an initially lower price point, such as the models in the Philips One Blade line, require replacement heads throughout the year.

Of course, this leads to an increased cost over time. The MultiShape attachment, however, only needs a new blade every two years for optimal performance, as long as it's maintained properly with the provided oil.

Secondly, many of the cheaper units feel exactly that—cheaper. Unlike many other units I've tried with brittle plastic, activation buttons that stick and hard-to-use length settings indicators, the base unit and attachments feel far sturdier than many other trimmers on the market. This feels like something that travels well and will last for many years. It also does its job far better than many of its competitors (depending on your needs), but I'll come back to that in the next couple of sections.

Lastly, what really defines this unit's value for money is its potential. Yes, extra attachments will incur an additional cost and some competitor units at a similar price point include additional heads — but at the heart of this machine is flexibility, the ability to build a grooming cabinet that caters to your exact needs. That's priceless.

Panasonic MultiShape: Design & features

As mentioned earlier, this pack is effectively a starter kit targeted purely on the trimming and maintenance of hair on the top of your head, beard and body. In the pack you'll find the base unit, the click-on razor head, and four combs (one for facial hair, two for head hair and one for body hair).

There's also an AC charger with UK plug attached (no USB charging here), lubricating oil for the blade, a small brush for removing hair from the machine, and a cap that can be snapped onto the top of the base unit when there is no head attached (which makes it perfect for those who travel).

The base unit is sturdy and sleek, made of grey plastic with a simple on-off button. The snap-on razor head also feels well made and pops off easily for changing or cleaning with a simple push button. When attached, it can be set to different adjustable lengths by a straightforward twist mechanism.

Through a combination of the three guiding hair combs and this twist mechanism, there are 58 possible lengths you can trim to (from 0.5mm to 15mm), giving a huge amount of precise versatility—far more so than many of its peers. The three combs for beard and hair are labelled A, B and C, with their specific length settings clearly printed on the twist mechanism. This makes your preferred lengths far easier to remember.

The other advantage of the unit is that it is waterproof, so can be used both wet and dry. This particular head has also been designed with a rinsing channel so that, after a trim, you can flush out trapped hair under running water straight down the plughole — an exceptional feature that makes a shave with this machine far quicker and cleaner than many I've tried.

Perhaps the biggest concern I have is that the base unit with this head attached makes for a rather cumbersome beast — not heavier than its competitors, in fact it's surprisingly light for its size, but certainly bulkier.

As a head-shaver, it's lighter than many electric clippers, but for someone who wants to shave their body hair, its size can make it difficult to maneuver around body contours. And that's before considering how it might feel with other attachments (for example, it would make for a meatier-than-most electric toothbrush).

However, overall, the design has been well thought through, especially the precision of the twist length adjuster dial. It's attractive, sturdy, light, and fits nicely in the hand — and the potential convenience of having one grooming gadget with multiple heads on the side of your sink is undeniable.

Panasonic MultiShape: Performance

The modular design might be the sell, but without decent performance it’s just a gimmick. Thankfully, the Panasonic MultiShaper delivers. From my testing, this machine is most successful on the beard area. Fitted with the concave ‘A comb’ for shorter hair, the powerful motor ensured that the tool breezed through my week-grown stubble quicker than any other machine I’ve tried, with little need to go over areas (except the trickiest of contours) more than once.

It was equally successful on the hair on the top of my head when fitted with the longer-toothed combs (to note, my hair type is straight). I've never considered buying a hair clipper before since I don't have a buzz cut, but this machine made me realize how easy it is to tidy up the sides of my hair myself — great for sharpening up my style between barber visits.

Where this machine was less successful was on the body. It’s important to stress that these attachments are for trimming, not shaving. Removing the comb guards for detail shaving with the razor blade is fine (say, for getting a crisp edge on a sideburn or the occasional stray hair on the cheek), but attempting to shave larger areas will probably result in pulled hairs.

If you want to shave rather than trim your body hair, the body hair trimmer provided is set to 1.5mm — but doesn’t shave smooth.

I also found that the body hair attachment (D) tended to catch and snag the hairs more so than the combs. For that reason, I would also caution that this is not suitable for places where decreased visibility makes it harder to maneuvre the tool. In places such as your intimate areas, you'd be more likely to catch the skin or pull the hairs when operating the tool.

The battery life is generous and delivers around 70 minutes before needing a charge. The tool needs about an hour to reach full charge and if you do run out of juice while using it, it offers a 5-minute quick-charge function. This gives the tool a little boost to help you finish off your task, which is a really nice touch.

Depending on how many heads you're swapping out during your routine, these 70 minutes should give plenty of time for even the most in-depth grooming rituals — and probably will only require the average person to charge once a week.

Manscaped Performance Package 5.0: Verdict

The idea of being able to declutter the side of your sink is great, but it’s nothing without a solid machine that’s up for the task—or multiple tasks. The Panasonic MultiShape not only delivers the dream of versatility and utility, but the reality.

While one of the body hair trimming guards could arguably be improved (and the carry case supplied isn’t really big enough for all the included kit), the precision and adaptability of the length-setting dial is superb. Combined with the quality of the Japanese blades on the razor head, this powerful grooming tool delivers brilliant results both up top and down below, faster than many of its competitors.

On top of that, its modular system opens up possibilities for additional attachments to create a device that suits your exact grooming needs, while making it perfect for travel — whether that's in your suitcase when headed abroad or in your gym bag for some finishing touches post-workout. Sleek, stylish, sturdy and simple to use, with stellar results.

Panasonic MultiShape Clean Cut Shaver Kit : $149 at Amazon

This cordless rechargeable grooming kit is made for a close shave. It includes a 3-blade shaver head, ear, nose & facial hair trimmer attachment, toothbrush attachment, and rechargeable battery base.

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