It can be hard enough to shop for yourself when it comes to personal grooming products, but what about when you’re trying to shop for someone else? With gift giving season fast approaching, it’s only natural that you are on the hunt for the perfect gift for the man in your life, and a personal trimmer and shaving system can be just that.

As you start your search, the first thing you will probably notice is just how many options there are, which can make picking the perfect one a whole lot more difficult. Obviously, you want to hear him say the words “this is my best shaver ever”, but how can you ensure this happens? Well, here are some shopping tips you can use so that you know what to look for in a system.

The first place to start is by deciding if you want a cordless or corded model. Some even give you the option of both. Typically, the corded models offer more power. What this means is that if your man has a long, thick beard, you’re going to want that extra power to cut through it. Then there’s the fact that with a corded model, your man won’t have to worry about running out of a charge halfway through his shave.

On the flip side, cordless models are much easier to travel with - and are more flexible to work with in general. Your man will be able to move about from room to room in the house while shaving if necessary, and it can easily be thrown into an overnight bag or even his gym bag. It’s that portability factor that so many men appreciate.

The next question to ask is how easy it is to clean. There will be a build-up of hair and stubble each time it is used, so ideally you want one that can be cleaned quickly and easily after each use. It's best to look for a model that you can take apart, run under the water to clean, and then snap it back together. Often, trimmers and shavers come with a cleaning brush to clean off the blades.

Because men tend to have different lengths of hair on their face, for instance, sideburns can be longer than a short clipped beard, they will want a trimmer attachment meant to handle long hair. Take, for example, the Philips Norelco G370, which comes with seven different attachments. Each of these is meant for precision grooming of different lengths and types of hair. For example, there are separate trimmers for the mustache, nose, and eyebrows.

Finally, the last thing you want to look into is how long the battery can to hold a charge for. This obviously applies to the cordless models only. It needs to be able to hold a decent charge and, at the same time, not take long to reach a full charge in case you're in a hurry.