Customer Reviews

Panasonic ER389K Rechargeable Beard and Mustache Trimmer

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

So here's the deal: I owned a Panasonic ER389K for about two years and it worked great. Then the battery died and it is not replacable. I thought, "Forget this, I'm getting a dual mode trimmer." I ordered the Remington MB40. Well actually two. One of the pins that holds on the depth gauge broke off even before I got to use the first one. It turns out that if the depth is set to "0" then there is at least a reduced possibility of breaking these pins. Then I got the second one, gingerly handled the depth gauge as if it might break, charged it up and began trimming. I was immediately impressed with the power. I was not impressed with how close of a trim I could get. But I discovered that if I used the mustache trimmer (about 1/2" wide) I could get as close a trim as I got with the Panasonic. Very tedious. After a couple of weeks of this I ordered a new Panasonic. It's less expensive, the depth gauge will not break, I can get a much closer trim, the charger is built in, it's smaller, it's much simpler to use, and loads quieter. THAT'S 7 THINGS BETTER! I decided that I could do without the corded feature - I don't like cords anyway.
I don't believe that there are any trimmers that are water proof - that would be a useful feature for cleaning.

I've owned two Norelco beard trimmers. One lasted three years and wasn't fixable when it broke. The other lasted almost 2 years, was noisy and didn't do a nice job trimming, or shaping. This trimmer is excellent. It's compact, quiet, trims uniformly and can trim closely to the skin when shaping my beard. I was also pleased to see that the blades are replaceable. The built in plug for charging is very convenient. I'm very pleased with this product and highly recommend it.

Simple, sturdy, effective. No cords, travels well.
Favorably priced. Both my previous trimmers seem
like junk by comparison. This one doesn't snag or
pull hairs, and it gets the job done quicker too.

I have had this shaver for years and it stills gives me excellent service. I recently bought a Brawn but it does not come close to this panasonic shaver. The panasonic shaves close, gives me the reliability i need in a shaver and charges in little time....this definietly is a life saver for me.

I have used this trimmer for 10 years for various looks from full beard to tightly groomed mustache. The trimmer performed well at trimming my medium density coarse beard. The beard length guide works well, but will move if too much pressure is applied. With the length guide removed, the trimmer edges hairlines wonderfully, giving the beard a crisp outline. I especially like the internal charger. The plug slides out of the side of the trimmer and you plug it in the wall. No other charger pieces to keep track of. After 10 years of use, two times a week, the battery no longer holds a charge, and can not be replaced, but after 10 years, I can't complain.

I used to have one, it does a great job and quickly, had to throw it out when the "rechargeable" battery would not recharge anymore and no one had a replacement. Has anyone told Panasonic yet that NiCad batteries stink?

I owned one of these "disposable" trimmers for almost 10 years and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I actually broke it open and desoldered and replaced the non-replaceable battery when it finally quit just to keep it going, as nothing else compared to it that I tried to use. It's still going.

This thing is quiet, effective, and small. No separate charger to forget! No vacuum or nose hair attachments or any other useless junk to foul up or lose. Just a good trimmer that doesn't jam up or snag, with the best (and most robust) height adjustment system there is.

A real winner.

I've had this beard trimmer for about 4 years now, and I've been quite happy with it. Previously I had a crappy Wahl one that died after only a year and was cheaply made. The Panasonic one is easy to use, stays sharp, and is convenient.

The only downside to this trimmer is that it is cordless-only, so that you cannot run it when plugged in (though that would be awkward in any case given the design, with the pop-out plug in the base). The battery no longer holds a charge well (after 4 years, 2x per week), and so it needs to be replaced. There is no way to replace the battery separately, though given the cost of batteries relative to the cost of the trimmer I'm not sure that's a big deal.

I would recommend this highly as an inexpesive trimmer. I'm replacing it with the Panasonic 203 model, which has corded operation (so I'm hoping I can continue using it after the battery is really weak) and is dual-voltage, which is occasionally convenient.

My old Panasonic trimmer was showing it's age, so I thought I'd try a new one--a tremendous disappointment! This ER389K was completely unacceptable,and I returned it. The cutters are too fine, and the thicker beard hairs (most of them are,of course much thicker than the hair on your head!) pass over the cutting teeth unscathed. The height adjustment is difficult to set, and there isn't a positive enough lock. Finally, it is a rechargeable only cutter, without a cord option like my old one.
I decided that my 20 year old Panasonic ER200B still works well enough, and I congratulate Panasonic for that design. Why not remake it?

First of all, forget about those beard trimmers with all of the various interchangeable heads. (Did you ever use all of the gadgets that came with that all-purpose vacuum cleaner?) They simply get lost and, moreover, rarely justify the trouble of interchanging them. A "dedicated" beard trimmer is quicker, more convenient, more effective. My last was a Remington, built much like this Panasonic. I dropped it and broke one of the "guards," leading to some strangely-streaked beards. A replacement guard unit, I discovered, would cost me more than what Amazon is currently getting for this comparable Panasonic trimmer with a built-in, pop-out adapter! (A real steal--just compare some of the other prices on the internet).

As for the trimmer, the guard is more accurate than my Remington's was, even when new, and the black design I find more appealing than Remington silver. Admittedly, the guard mechanism doesn't move into place with micro-accurate ball-bearing smoothness (users with weak "morning fingers" may find it initially challenging), and there are no niceties such as a charging light. Still it does the job for a song while imparting self-confidence. If a clincher is needed: this product bearing a famous, trusted Japanese brand name is actually manufactured in Japan! (More often than not, even products from Sony, Toshiba, Onkyo are being manufactured in China and Malaysia. The Japanese have copied us once again, but in this instance, rest assured the product is "Japanese made."