The Philips Norelco OneBlade 360 is a slim hybrid trimmer and shaver with a double-sided blade that flexes on its mount, sold with a 5-in-1 adjustable stubble comb, a skin guard and a body comb. TechRadar used it every other day for two months and found it extremely gentle and precise, with no razor burn, but inconsistent as a beard trimmer on the comb's longer settings. T3 found it gave a surprisingly close shave for the price and that the new comb coped better with longer hair, but its blades dulled noticeably after a few weeks of heavy use. Both note that replacement blades cost nearly as much as the trimmer.
Full review
A blade that flexes instead of a foil head
TechRadar describes the OneBlade 360 as closer to a manual razor than to most electric shavers: slim, barely heavier than a safety razor, with a rubberised grip, a single on/off switch and a small double-sided blade that pivots on its base. T3 explains that the head does not rotate through 360 degrees but flexes in different directions to follow the face, and found that this made shaping around the beard and neck more comfortable than with earlier OneBlade designs.
T3's reviewer was less taken with the look, calling the black-and-green styling 'a bit naff' and the light body less than premium, while accepting that it is cheap by electric shaver standards.
Shaving and edging
TechRadar's tester used the OneBlade as his main shaver every other day for two months. He found it cut through relatively thick facial hair and gave a close shave, a little slower than a foil shaver but much gentler, because the head does not heat up. The small head reached areas where foil shavers struggle.
T3 reports a surprisingly close shave around the jawline and neck with less irritation than a wet shave, though not as close as one.
Trimming a beard with the 5-in-1 comb
This is where the two reviews are most cautious. TechRadar found the adjustable comb 'a little inconsistent' for maintaining stubble, with patchy results on the longer presets, and advises anyone wanting a dedicated beard trimmer to bear that in mind; it lists 'Inconsistent trimming' among its reasons to avoid.
T3 says the comb is stronger and more reliable than the separate attachments on older OneBlades and helps cut longer hair in one pass with fewer tugs, but that the trimmer will still nick the skin here and there in longer, denser hair.
Battery, charging and blade costs
TechRadar got an hour of continuous use from a four-hour charge, enough for a few weeks of shaving every other day. T3 puts runtime at about 45 minutes per charge. TechRadar's main design complaint is the proprietary charging connector in place of USB-C.
On running costs the reviews disagree about how long a blade lasts but agree about the price. Philips says a blade lasts about four months. TechRadar's was still 'as good as new' after two months; T3's had dulled significantly after a few weeks of heavy use. T3 prices a three-pack of genuine replacements at about £30, almost as much as the trimmer, and TechRadar says replacement heads can cost as much as the razor.
Strengths
- +Extremely gentle: TechRadar reports no razor burn and recommends it for particularly sensitive skin
- +Flexing double-sided blade makes shaping around the beard and neck easier than on earlier OneBlades, per T3
- +Fully waterproof for wet or dry use and easy to clean, according to TechRadar
- +Slim and light, which T3 found comfortable to hold and good for travel
Watch-outs
- −Inconsistent trimming: TechRadar got patchy results on the comb's longer presets and says it works better at 1mm or 2mm
- −Blades dulled significantly after a few weeks of heavy use in T3's test
- −Replacement heads can cost nearly as much as the trimmer itself (TechRadar and T3)
- −No USB-C charging; it uses Philips' own shaver connector and takes four hours to charge, per TechRadar
How it compares
The Philips Norelco OneBlade 360 trims and shaves with the same blade, where the Panasonic Cordless Precision Beard Trimmer is a dedicated trimmer with 19 length settings against the OneBlade's 5-in-1 comb. TechRadar measured about an hour per charge and a four-hour recharge; the Panasonic is listed at 60 minutes with a one-hour charge and the WAHL USA Stainless Steel Lithium Ion 2.0+ Slate Beard Trimmer at 3.5 hours.
Rating sources
Counts as 3.92/5 in our score — this publisher's 195 scores on the site average 4.25, so its scores are adjusted down to compare fairly with other publishers.
Counts as 3.84/5 in our score — this publisher's 13 scores on the site average 4.38, so its scores are adjusted down to compare fairly with other publishers.
Our 3.9 score is the average of these published ratings, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. More about methodology.
