Red alert Bold pops of colour are all the rage again these days, energising a neutral palette Phillips OneBlade

What is it?

A grooming aid designed to both trim and shave with a single electric blade. For those of us with sensitive skin, the thought of shaving every day is horrid: cold metal scraping the skin until it’s red and sore, followed by dryness that feels like someone is stretching your flesh and then setting it on fire.

Philips has designed the OneBlade to avoid this by limiting direct contact with the skin. This results in a slightly less clean shave but greatly reduces irritation.

Good points?

Traditional razors have the contact blade at the bottom edge to perform a pulling action, but Philips has put cutting edges at the top edge too. This allows for an up and down motion which reduces the time needed to perform a shave, thus minimising discomfort.

This, coupled with the oscillating head cutter that guides hair onto the contact points, further reduces friction and eliminates painful hair pulling and catching.

Three supplied guard combs – 1mm, 3mm and 5mm – distance the blade even further from the skin, which is perfect for those who don’t mind some stubble for the sake of pain-free mornings.

Bad points?

The battery doesn’t last particularly long, with 45 minutes of use from 8 hours of charge.

Best for …

Those who travel regularly and need to look their best on the road. The device weighs 100 grams with the battery, which is not much more than a conventional razor blade.

Avoid if ...

You require a super-close shave in your daily life.

Score: 8/10.

Philips OneBlade, £39.99 (philips.co.uk)

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