On the eve of the Battle of Gaugamela in 331BC, Alexander the Great ordered his men to shave. Legend says that he feared the Persian soldiers, commanded by King Darius III, would fight dirty by grabbing the beards of his warriors.

Fast-forward to 2022 and my facial-hair policy is similarly governed by a superior power, my wife, who says I look too weird without a beard.

Now returning to the office full-time, though, I need to up my male grooming game… and as today is Men’s Grooming Day, what better time to start?

Braun Series 9 Pro Shaver with SmartCare Center

If you’re a clean-shave sort of guy whose daily stubble spells trouble, the Braun Series 9 Pro is for you. Lightweight in the hand, it’s a foil rather than rotary shaver. But that’s over-simplifying its appeal.

Four spring-loaded heads on the top deliver 40,000 cutting actions per minute, with the gold-coloured pro-lift trimmer in the middle capable of handling beard growth of up to seven days. A retractable precision trimmer on the back does the fine tuning.

The handle has a textured back to aid grip and the fluid head articulation keeps the foils in contact with the skin at all times. A rechargeable shaver, it’s also waterproof so you can use it in the shower.

The accompanying SmartCare Centre is where it’s placed for automatic cleaning, lubricating, charging and drying. It’s a classy product and it gives a gentle, reliable and thorough shave.

Buy it for £249 from Braun Shop.

Philips BT9000 Prestige

The Philips OneBlade Pro with its 1,200 movements per minute cutter has been my favourite beard trimmer of the past few years. But there’s a new contender in the Philips BT9000 Prestige.

Boasting a stylish stainless steel construction, the main body has a precision trimmer dial built in, offering beard lengths between 0.4-10mm. Rechargeable, it features a sensor that reads hair density and adapts the motor to maintain consistent power while cutting dense or thinner facial hair.

Buy the OneBlade for £99.99 from Philips and the Philips BT9000 Prestige for £120.

The Wahl Precision Ear, Nose and Eyebrow Trimmer

I have a problematic history with nasal hair trimmers. An old rotary model, which turns, grips, pulls and cuts the strands, once packed up mid-operation. I was left with it attached to hairs dangling from my nose. It was not a good look.

The Wahl Precision Ear, Nose and Eyebrow Trimmer is a revelation. Powered by one AA battery, its cutting mechanism has dual vertical blades. This means the trimming mechanism gets stuck straight into the hairs and has little chance of getting stuck elsewhere. It also has a dinky attachment for trimming eyebrows. At a tenner, it’s a bargain.

Buy it for £9.99 Wahl.

BaByliss Super-X Metal Series Cordless Hair Clipper

The BaByliss Super-X Metal Series Cordless Hair Clipper with its Japanese steel blades, sounds like a grooming accessory for steam punks and Manga fans. And it does have an industrial look.

The build quality, however, is its standout feature, from a robust metal handle and chrome-look business end, to a side lever for taper control and funky power indicator. It’s solid in the hand and made from quality materials. Its beast of a motor chomps through hair, too.

If you prefer a low-maintenance style, the BaByliss Crewcut is worth a look. Its sole purpose is to cut hair from grades zero to four and provide an even trim.

An ergonomic handle makes it easy to hold and apply pressure as you go over your head, and four comb guides attach to twin rotary blades to do the cutting. It’s simple and no-nonsense.

Buy the BaByliss Super-X Metal Series Cordless Hair Clipper for £80 from Babyliss and the BaByliss Crewcut also for £80.

Balls Trimmer

Confession time: my first attempt at manscaping involved a razor and a nervous hand. Coupled with poor eyesight, my downstairs pleasure garden resembled an abattoir floor. Technology, however, has moved on.

The delightfully named Balls Trimmer has micro-trimming ceramic blades and a firm-yet-gentle motor to power them. It trims without pulling, nicking or snagging. There’s even a light built into it so users can see ‘under the hood’ while deforestation is in process. It’s a painless performer.

Buy it for £55 from Balls.

Wahl Aqua Blade 10 in 1 Multigroomer

If all-over removal is your thing, the Wahl Aqua Blade 10 in 1 Multigroomer is the primping equivalent of a Swiss army knife. A modular unit, it has interchangeable heads for hair trimming, smooth shaving, precision grooming and nasal/ear hair.

Fully rechargeable, it can be used in the shower for manscaping and its nicely designed non-slip grip means it doesn’t get dropped either.

Buy it for £66.66 from Wahl.

Oral-B iO Series 9 Toothbrush

The Oral-B iO Series 9 is not a cheap rechargeable electric toothbrush. But there’s a lot of tech packed in for the price. Once connected to its app, artificial intelligence analyses your brushing routine via a 3D map of your mouth and offers guidance to improve it.

Users are awarded a score and, in some cases, virtual medals. I am currently a Sparkling Star! I have also been ignoring my back molars. Who knew? The Oral-B iO Series 9 did.

Buy it for £250 from Shop Oral-B.

The Wahl Cordless Mini Massager Gun

Aching arms and stressed shoulders after a killer day on the keyboard? Worry not. The Wahl Cordless Mini Massager Gun is a compact powerhouse of pounding for maxed-out muscles and tight tendons.

This rechargeable device has four attachments for different body areas and six power settings. It’s eminently portable and manages to be both lightweight in the hand while being solidly built.

Buy it for £89.99 from Wahl.

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