Philips OneBlade Pro review: right hair right now

Philips is really one of the first names that come to mind when one talks about men’s grooming products, and not without good reason. I got my first electric shaver years ago, and haven’t gone back to a regular razor since. Needless to say, it’s a Philips, and it’s serving me well to this day. The market is flooded with a plethora of options when it comes to grooming devices right now — shavers, trimmers, what have you… but I did sit up and take notice when I got wind of the OneBlade Pro. This new all-in-one device looks quite interesting, and when I got a chance to try it out for myself, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

The OneBlade Pro is touted as a face and body trimmer that lets the user shave, trim, and style, and that’s quite a handy set of features to have in its repertoire. The deceptively large box contains just a few things — the device itself, a couple of blades, a click-on skin guard, a click-on body comb, a precision trimming comb, and a charging adapter. A travel pouch and a protective cap are also included. Don’t go by the limited box contents though, as the combination is more than capable of handling most of your hair-chopping needs.

The device, which is powered by a built-in rechargeable battery, is lightweight and easy to grip, and also sports a small LED display on the front that indicates battery status. There’s an on/off button alongside, and long pressing it toggles a travel lock that prevents the device from switching on accidentally. The chrome finish on the front gives the device a premium look, while the texturised sides aid in grip. The power adapter is of the two-pin variety, and one typically used by such devices. The techie that I am, I wish the folks at Philips had provided a Type-C port for charging, but it is what it is.

In terms of what you can do with it, well… the range of its capabilities seems quite broad. You can shave your face, trim and style facial hair, and get rid of body hair, all using the same device. It’s designed for both wet and dry use and needs just about an hour to charge fully, promising to deliver up to 120 minutes of total run time. I have been using it daily for over 15 days now, and still have 45 percent left in the tank.

Coming to the attachments and accessories, Philips provides two blades in the pack, one of them with the click-on skin guard attached. The latter is meant for sensitive areas of the body and ensures there are no nicks or cuts. Then there’s a 3mm body comb, and a precision trimming comb with 14 different length settings ranging from 0.4mm to 10mm. The blade itself is dual-sided, with a fast-moving cutter that can handle even longer hairs easily. Thanks to its glide coating and rounded tips, the blade works quite well on its own as a shaver… doing its work smoothly and efficiently. Philips recommends replacing the blade with a new one after about four months of usage, and you can snag one for Rs 649 — which isn’t too bad I think.

Its design has some inherent advantages and disadvantages though. While it doesn’t shave as close as a regular shaver and also covers a smaller surface area in comparison (requiring multiple swipes and more time to cover the face), it does help quite a bit in styling edges and creating clean lines – a godsend for anyone who wants to keep their facial hair and sideburns neat. Remember when I said earlier about not going back to a regular razor? Well, that’s not really the complete truth. I still needed to use one to make sure the edges of my moustache stay clean, since that’s something my triple-blade Philips rotary razor can’t handle well. With the OneBlade Pro, however, it’s a simple task and offers better results too. I found the device extremely effective when it came to getting rid of body hair as well.

Priced at Rs 7,495, the Philips OneBlade Pro isn’t really the cheapest in the market. And it isn’t for you if a close shave is what you’re looking for. However, it’s quite an all-rounder, and as one blade that does it all, a versatile tool that can get you out of hairy situations in a jiffy.

Editor’s rating: 4 / 5

Pros:

• Versatile
• Works smoothly
• No risk of nicks & cuts
• Fast charging & good battery life

Cons:

• Doesn’t shave extremely close
• Covers a small surface area
• A tad pricey