ER-GB40-S

I’ve owned at least 4 of this style over the last 20+ years. They’ve become very hard to find and sell at a premium price. They are durable with great battery life and a hard to beat blade. I’ve never had to replace the cutting blade.

Here is the bottom line on this trimmer for me - it works very quickly and leaves me with a trim and neat beard. The most important things that I wanted in a beard trimmer was something that would be quiet, work quickly and evenly, and clean up easily. This trimmer hits a home run on each of these things. My beard is multi-grained, pushing in several different directions, but I get an even trim every time with just a minute or two of work. Cleaning it up couldn't be easier, just run the whole thing under water. When I'm done, it sits on an attractive charging stand. I kept it plugged in for the first few days, but then I decided to see how long the battery will last on its own. It's been a little over a week, and it still seems fully charged, which is good news for taking it on trips! And the noise... well, there almost isn't any noise at all while you're trimming! I do have a couple of small complaints. First of all, while you don't have to worry about sharpening the blade, the instructions say you should oil it before and after each use. It took me a little bit to figure out exactly how to do that, because the instructions were unclear. It turns out that you just pop off the razor and squeeze a drop of oil onto the two coils and the one razor. Problem solved, although I irrationally find it annoying to take fifteen seconds to oil it after every use. However, I do have a problem with the comb on top of the trimmer. It is really difficult to get off, and in just two weeks I think that I've already broken the pieces that hold the comb down. On the other hand, now the comb slides off easily but still stays put while I'm trimming, so this hasn't been an issue so far. Overall, this is a great product. Because I've never used a different beard trimmer I can't speak to whether another trimmer might be just as good for less money, but I'm very happy with my purchase!

I bought this trimmer over a year ago and am in the market for a new one. Overall it is a very functional beard trimmer, but there are 2 main things that have me looking for a new(er) unit. I keep my facial hair trimmed (beard & mustache, clean neck) and use this unit about once a week to do that. It trims well and is easy to clean. I've never used it in the shower though it is designed for that as well. Here are the 2 things that I have issue with on my unit: 1. When the trimmer is set to the max (10) the guard is VERY difficult to remove, and pretty much impossible to reinstall. It has 2 tabs that must fit in to slots on either side and at that max setting, it's a real bear to do. Sure, I just roll it down to the 5 or 6 setting, and it's easy. But if I forget and start to remove it, one side comes out easy while the other gets jammed, and now you just have to tug it and hope you don't break it. 2. Mine takes a VERY long time to fully charge. I would estimate it at 30 hours or more. I don't have to recharge often; maybe once every 6 weeks I would guess. So battery life is excellent. But that one time I needed to trim up before going out with my wife, and I had not trimmed in more than a week... and the battery died. I thought "no biggie, it should get enough juice in 1/2 hour.." NOPE. So now I drop it back on the charger every month to "top it off" and make sure that doesn't happen again. I do not keep it on the charger since I don't want to "overcook" the battery and shorten the life of it, but maybe I should. Overall, I'm satisfied with the unit. it does the job I need it to, and so long as I watch out for those two issues above, I've had no real problems. So why am I looking to replace it? Because those 2 "gotchas" really annoy me. My last trimmer didn't have as long of a battery life, but if I was "caught out", 20 min on the charger gave more than enough to get cleaned up. it also had changeable guards that popped on & off like a cover. It comes down to preferences, and having tried this unit and other, I prefer the removable guards. One last thing... the charging cradle is odd to me. With the way the trimmer gets inserted it just seems... backwards... a bit awkward... to me. I travel every 6 weeks on average and prefer a simple charging cord to carry, not this extra bulky cradle thing. Maybe the designers thought "oooohhhh, we'll make it look all fancy so it's on DISPLAY and guests can OOOHHHH and AAHHHHHH over the beard trimmer..." Sorry, I'm not that fancy. Function wins out for me 90% of the time. Panasonic has done a very good job, and they will never get everyone to like every aspect of their product. I don't hate it, but after 18 months of ownership I'm looking for those features that matter more to me.

After many clean-shaven years I decided to grow a beard this fall. I wanted to keep it relatively short but not stubble-cropped. I have always used a blade to shave and so hadn't ever used an electric razor. I wanted an ergonomically-designed razor. I also travel a lot on business so wanted something small that wouldn't take up space in a carry-on suitcase. The Panasonic ER-GB40 S model fits my needs exactly. I've been using it for three months and couldn't be more pleased. First, to address some of the complaints among reviewers here. I don't use it in the shower and I rarely flush it out with water. Whenever I do flush it and let it air-dry and then re-oil it. That's just common sense. It takes a few minutes and is no inconvenience. Also, please note that the light on the charging cradle does NOT go out when the razor is charged. The owner's manual specifically states (p. 5) that: "The charge indicator lamp glows and stays on until the plug is disconnected from a household outlet." So don't sit around waiting for the charge indicator to tell you when the razor is charged. Just leave it in the cradle for a couple days and it will be done. I have never run out of juice while shaving. And I only charge it every 5-6 weeks so far. I've recharged it precisely twice in three months. That's hardly an inconvenience. I just put it in the cradle for a couple days and take it out when I shave in the morning, then replace it. And then after two days I put the charging cradle away for another six weeks. Please understand that this is not a shaver for you if you want to maintain a long beard. The settings, in 0.5 mm increments, only go up to 10 mm (1 cm or 0.4 inches. That's more than enough for the beard length I want to maintain. I like, however, that the increments are 0.5 mm because I've been able during the past three months to experiment with a variety of short lengths on my beard and see what I like most. I'm particular about length so the small increments suit me. This razor is also a joy to use. It fits wonderfully in my hands and feels and looks great. It's short and doesn't take up much space in my suitcase when I travel. I'm careful to nest it so the pressure of adjoining items in the suitcase don't turn it on. However, because of the way the handle is curved, it's pretty easy to nest it so it won't turn on. It would be nice if it had a lock feature but it doesn't and that's fine. I've taken three one-week business trips since I bought it, during which I packed and repacked it several times on the trip, and have had no problems. I'm very happy with the razor and would buy it again if I were making the purchase today. It's a splendid product. UPDATE (February 2018): I've been using this for 1-1/2 years now and am still delighted with it. I travel on business overseas regularly (nearly three months last year) and have never had trouble packing this in my suitcase and having it inadvertently turn on in transit. I rarely have to recharge it, and I never have to worry about taking the charger with me to countries having different voltage systems from the U.S. It's a splendid product. I'm a thoroughly-satisfied customer.

I bought this thing well over 10 years ago and it still runs and works, and I use it at least every month if not every week. I'm absolutely stunned that it is still working and running great, and still has enough battery life to get the job done. Also, I've never changed the blade in 10 years... It's a little duller, but still cuts fine! IT LITERALLY JUST ALWAYS WORKS, POSSIBLY THE BEST PRODUCT I'VE EVER BOUGHT.

[Pros] Only 1 Attachment for 19 adjustable settings (!!!), waterproof (!!!), ergonomic, powerful enough to not require too many swipes. [Cons] None that I've found. Maybe other color options for the rubber would be nice? This is the perfect beard trimmer, especially at this price range (was purchased holiday season 2014 for $35). I understand that some people might give a bad review because they got a defective product; sometimes that just happens. That's one reason we shop Amazon, it's no hassle to get a replacement. -- But 95% of these complaints I'm seeing really aren't legitimate. Allow me to note the strengths of this trimmer, before debunking some of the cons: ~ The 19 Setting Single Attachment: Anyone who really maintains facial hair understands how crucial fine length-settings are. 1 millimeter's difference in length of hair on a face is noticeable. There's plenty of horrible trimmers out there with a couple of set attachments; with this one you can adjust in 0.5mm increments with JUST ONE attachment to keep up with (and clean!!!) ~ Waterproof: ... ... It's waterproof. Want to use it in the shower? It's waterproof. Want to clean the head? It's waterproof. Beard trimmings sticking to the rubber handle and can't be brushed off (an old pet-peeve of mine). IT'S WATERPROOF. ~ Ergonomics and Power: Pretty simple on this; it fits the hand nicely, the head isn't overly large so you can pop off the attachment and do detail work, and the motor provides ample power to clip hair cleanly. Now to address the common criticisms, which don't make a lot of sense to me honestly: ~ "I have to oil it after every use! Wah wah!": Um... use some common sense here. The instructions do say to oil it after every use, but... come on guys. Really? It's able to be used WET. If you're constantly running it through water, would you need to reapply oil more? Sure. Too much work for you? Use it as a dry razor and oil it as you normally would. -- You do not have to oil this any more than any other trimmer, unless of course you are washing away the oil all the time. ~ "Battery no last me long, only 50 minutes. Wah wah!": ... Ok, I'm noticing a trend here. Apparently, technology should run on fairy dust and magical rainbow farts or something. Who out there is seriously using their beard trimmer for 50 minutes in one use??? Or even a week??? So... let me get this straight: It's too much to ask that this hand-held, waterproof, compact beard-cutting machine be charged for a day once a week. ... ... ... ... Ok Justin Beiber, let's go to Spoiled Prince Land. I could go on with some of the other comments I've seen about parts snapping off or something -- Again, I'm not saying there has never been a defective product shipped, but I will say this thing is really heavy and sturdy and well... people who complain about having to reapply oil after WASHING IT OFF probably also have clumsy hands and don't pay attention to the way they are supposed to push/pull something and just break it. Conclusion: Best beard trimmer 35 bucks could buy. This should be a 4.5+ Star rated device.

REVIEW FOR SHAVER AS a "BODY GROOMING" DEVICE ONLY... The funny thing is that even the Panasonic website doesn't market this device as a "body groomer" but Amazon's website does. Regardless, I owned a Norelco goatee razor with a very similar design back in the mid-nineties. I utilized it for "dry" body hair trimming and it worked quite well. When I saw this had 19 different adjustments and could be used in the shower I was "all in". Upon receipt I observed that it is very lightweight, very modern, sleek and masculine looking. This is never a bad thing in regards to a -- "man groomer" tool. The long charging time (30 hours I believe) is a minor inconvenience. If I were still single and needed a quick groom before regular dates with hotties this would be a significant downside of this razor. ROUND 1: On my first trial in the shower I tried shaving "wet" WITHOUT any liquid body wash. That pointless experiment failed miserably. The "drag factor" with the razor on skin was unbelievably terrible...the guard on the razor just kept bouncing across the skin but cut very little. Thus, I immediately lathered up with body wash and began to shave away. I went with the lowest setting and that achieved a nearly "hairless look". Someone would have to be "up in your grill" to see that body hair was present on your body. Even with body wash applied I did have to hit some hairs from multiple angles. I didn't time it but I know I spent approximately 35-40 minutes in there to complete a FULL BODY SHAVE. Even still some hairs were missed due to having to "back track" and try and hit hairs from multiple angles. But overall it took care of 90% or so. And possibly this will improve as my skill with it improves. The razor didn't seem extremely powerful but maybe that is because it is very quiet and doesn't vibrate significantly. I used to trim with an Oster hair clipper and you get quite a vibration with the pro models (plugged into the wall). The clean-up with the Panasonic is easy as you simply hold it under a stream from your shower head. The hair frees itself from the comb area pretty easily and washes down the drain. This easy clean-up was the most compelling reason I was attracted to the idea of "wet shaving". When you "dry shave" with the Oster barber clippers hairs have a way of "flying away from you" and making a hand vacuum mandatory. Contrary to my Oster barber clippers I didn't have ingrown hairs running rampant post-shave with this Panasonic. Contrary to other Amazon reviewers opinions I thought the razor disassembled for cleaning quite easily. I did almost feel like I was going to break it given its lightweight materials and the way the guard pops off but it was no worse for the wear. The map pointing to where you are to oil the razor isn't perfectly diagrammed but you get the idea upon further examination. All in all, I think this is a very good product for BODY GROOMING with the only real recommendation being that a little more TORQUE to the motor may help cut those pesky hairs on the first go-around versus having to hit them from multiple angles. My body hairs aren't extremely coarse (like my facial hair) and it seems like I shouldn't have so many problematic hairs. However, since this same problem occurs with electric facial razors it is possibly just part of the reality of shaving and the way your hairs decide to grow in different directions. ROUND 2: The body groom on the lowest setting lasted about 2 weeks. I think this is pretty standard for body shaving. You go 3 weeks and it is just too hairy and doesn't look good. On this second attempt I used Dove Body Wash on a section of my body at a time (i.e. chest, left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg etc.) since soap dries quickly when you aren't under the water. This worked fairly well but I believe the ergonomics issue design of the shaver plus the human body (ex. difficult to shave lower leg due to bone or knee due to thin skin surrounding it etc.) it was not "easy as pie" to get the job done. On Round 2 I spent about 45 minutes in the shower and had to hit some areas twice and had to hit the hair from ALL DIFFERENT ANGLES to shave it off. By the end you really do just want it OVER as 45 minutes under the water makes you feel like a water mammal. Again, my hair isn't very coarse and I am a moderately hairy dude. NOTE: I did NOT shave the "goose neck" nor the "eggs". I don't believe this type of shaver is ideal for that but if you raise the guard high enough you're likely fine if you can pull the skin tawt. At the end of the day, I think 80-85% of the hair was "gonzo" but this left me doing a brief touch-up dry shave with this razor outside of the shower. I really do believe that it is either a WET SHAVE ELECTRIC issue OR a WEAK ASS MOTOR issue. This razor is the softest, quietest I've ever heard and it clearly does chop hair but if the manufacturer gave it MORE TORQUE I think I could finish shaving quicker and easier. I imagine someone with very coarse thick hair may have more issues than I've had given the not-so-powerful motor on this unit. My new rating for this shaver is: *** 1/2 Depending on how long the lifespan is on this and future results I may consider a Norelco Body Groomer on my next go-around. We'll see... ROUND 3: I spent OVER 45 minutes in the shower doing "body grooming" (no goose neck or eggs) and even with MANY passes in all different directions I would say 25% of the hairs were missed. I used a "gel" type body soap and a Dove "creamy" type body wash. Neither worked much better than the other. As a result, I had to do dry shaving outside of the shower and even that didn't go smoothly (so-to-speak). I spent another 30 minutes cleaning up all the MISSED HAIRS and still ended up with 10 % of the hairs being missed. It's an amount which will likely only by noticed by your female friend but given how much time I spent I expected better results. The KEY PROBLEMS with this shaver APPEAR to be as follows: a) The MOTOR is a weak pile b) The BLADE isn't sharp and thus barely cuts hairs and misses many so you have to hit them 12 times in all different directions As a result, my FINAL RATING = ** 1/2 stars.

Bought this back in 2014 and mine FINALLY died in 2025. I only manually oiled it for the first year, but after that, just kept using it, rinsing it, and so on. I was able to bring this thing on 1-2 month vacations and it kept a charge, using it a few times a week. The only thing I wish Panasonic would have done by now is attach a USB-C port to their latest model as opposed to forcing every to keep their proprietary charing adapter handy, or at the very least, allow it's battery to be charged using an existing wireless standard and/or form factor. As someone who travels, I hate the idea of carrying around some bulky adapter the entire time simply to charge it once or twice. Great design team, excellent product, and while I'm excited to try the latest 2025 version of this, I do hope to see this design actually improved on and finally made smaller + USB-C.

I'm very happy with this shaver. It cuts well, is well constructed, and from what I read online will likely last several years. This is to be expected from Panasonic, as they have always made high quality products. The downside for me was that I accidentally plugged the charger into a 240 volt power supply (it's only rated for 110 volt, not 110-220 volt like I had assumed). At first, the charger lit up and appeared to be working fine, so I left it to charge and walked away. When I came back I found the light was off, and the charger was broken. I opened it up to try and replace a fuse, but the unit does not have a fuse and is essentially a throw away. The internals of the charger are pretty basic: a few cables and (I think) a transformer (which is normally glued in place but I dug around with a screwdriver trying to free it, looking for a fuse). A replacement charger cost me $50 with shipping. I don't like things that I can't fix. One more note: the charger takes 15 hours to fully charge the handset. It only allows a trickle of power through over a long time, as I think Panasonic assumed that you would always return the handset to the cradle after use. I found this annoying as the charger could be made to automatically turn itself off once the unit was fully charged.

Muy bueno producto, corta la barba perfectamente y es muy fácil de limpiar. Llegó antes de lo previsto y sin ningun costo de importación.

I have been using past 10 months. it's an amazing and premium product. Noiseless and effective operation Compared to Philips trimmers compact size and beautiful body. Waterproof trimmer we can use under the shower.By the way, it's high cost but worth for your money. I really felt the love with the product. I strongly recommended

Fantastic product. Has been working for almost 3 years exactly as promised. Highly recommend

Does not cut well leaves long hairs when trimming beard.