The 10 Best Beard Shaping Tools

Editor's Notes

October 05, 2020:

This round of updates saw these rankings all but rebuilt from scratch, with the only remaining selections from our previous round being the Aberlite Premium and BeardClass Multi-Liner. The Sharpiz Stencil, Beard Ninja, Heavenly Beard Co. and ULG Mustache Tool were all removed due to availability issues, while The Cut Buddy was replaced by The Cut Buddy Plus. The Beard Black, BeardOptima All-in-One and RevoBeard Lineup were eliminated to make room for new inclusions, many of which come with a selection of bonus implements, like beard brushes and beard balms. If options like that appeal to you, then you might be interested in hopping over to our rankings page for Best Beard Care Kits, but note that many of the options listed here may not include a shaping tool.

It’s also worth noting that all these extras were not a compulsory requirement for shaping tools to be featured on this list. But, with only minor differentiators separating many of these devices from each other, and small differences in price separating the tools with extras from the tools without, we did find ourselves including more kit-oriented options this time around, in the interest of presenting our users with the best value possible. If you prefer to shop for your beard gear piece by piece, we also maintain separate sets of rankings for beard washes, beard oils and even beard trimmers.

Some of our new additions this time around are the Monster & Son Rotary Shaper — which includes no extras, but we thought was still worth including, given its affordable price and clever, collapsible design; the Sminiker 10-in-1 — which comes with a brush, comb, scissors and even an e-book; and the Grow Alpha Beard 6-in-1 — which comes with a printed, beard-maintenance book and a boar-bristle brush made of organic bamboo.

A few things to think about for this category:

The Tool Itself: In this category, it’s difficult to definitively declare one tool better than the other, as each user’s reaction is likely to have much to do with the shape of their face, as well as their preferred shape of beard. Some companies have even taken note of this, like The Cut Buddy, which recommends its original offering for users with small-to-medium sized faces, and The Cut Buddy Plus for those with large heads.

There is, however, a few standout designs that are worth mentioning. The Beverley's Brink is the only option we listed that allows users to line up both sides of their face simultaneously, increasing their chance of achieving good symmetry, and the Monster & Son Rotary Shaper has a collapsible design that’s good for travel. On more of a negative note, the Megan Professional is the only offering we listed that’s opaque, which can sometimes be a hindrance.

Standout Extras: Many of the bonus items included with these tools look to be quite similar (the double-sided combs that come with the Bamoer Template & Guide, Sminiker 10-in-1, Grow Alpha Beard 6-in-1 and Fani Tool Set look to be virtually identical), but there are some standout extras offered with certain selections, as well.

The Bamoer Template & Guide comes with a foldable comb with a pocket clip, in case you’re somebody who doesn’t like to be caught without one, and the Fani Tool Set comes with a handy beard bib to help catch your whiskers while you shave. Interestingly enough, the BeardClass Multi-Liner comes with a keychain, although it isn’t made explicitly clear how that’s supposed to elevate your beard game.

Bulk Bonuses: If none of those standout extras catch your eye, then you may as well shoot for the tool that provides with the most useful – though, albeit, generic – implements. While the Grow Alpha Beard 6-in-1, unsurprisingly, includes six implements, the BeardClass Multi-Liner comes with eight, and — as you’ll likely infer from the name – the Sminiker 10-in-1 has 10.

October 23, 2018:

Selected the Beard Black over numerous knock-offs due to its superior construction and ease-of-use. Favored the Aberlite Premium after discovering multiple users preferred the large surface area, which reduced the number of adjustments that were needed during the trimming process.