Review of the budget trimmer Felfri FFTR-01 with many attachments

Felfri FFTR-01 claims to be a universal device that allows you to care for facial hair, as well as do a simple haircut. Let's find out what we can do with a budget trimmer

^* Contrary to popular belief, this is not the time limit after which the device will necessarily break down. However, after this period, the manufacturer ceases to bear any responsibility for its performance and has the right to refuse to repair it, even for a fee.

The device is delivered in a small rectangular cardboard box. The box looks durable and neat, highlighted by a minimalist design: black base, simple fonts with white lettering. A high-quality color photograph of the device adds to its appeal.

On the front side of the box there is an image of the device, and on the back there is a list of key features and contents of the box. The Felfri logo is duplicated on the side edges.

In the box we found a plastic tray containing the main attachments and combs. Additional accessories (for which there was no place in the cradle) were placed under it. The equipment, as you can easily guess from the “11 in 1” inscription, is rich. In the box we found:

• trimmer motor unit with trimmer attachment installed
• four combs for the main trimmer
• precision trimmer and one comb for it
• ear and nose trimmer
• design trimmer
• micro razor
• body attachment
• stand for storing the device and accessories
• lubricating oil
• cleaning brush
• comb
• Micro-USB adapter and cord
• storage pouch
• manual

The box contains a lot of attachments, but it should be noted that their number is not much different from the configuration of another Felfri trimmer — FFTR-04, which is announced as “5 in 1”. It is likely that in one case the designer considered the comb attachments as separate elements, while in the other he did not. Both trimmers look very similar, but there are some differences.

As usual, it should be noted that the packaging reliably protects the device and all components from damage during transportation and storage. The trimmer can easily be put back into the box, for example, for long-term storage.

After removing it from the packaging, we were presented with a completely standard budget trimmer. However, as a rule, only a few additional attachments are found in the kit with such devices, while in our case there were quite a lot of them.

The trimmer's motor unit is made of affordable glossy plastic, and the decorative plastic inserts are painted orange. The assembly is neat, the device looks quite decent. However, it should be noted that a glossy surface will be prone to smudges and fingerprints.

An interesting point is that the back of the device uses a more pleasant (in our opinion) matte plastic. Therefore, the designer’s decision to use glossy plastic on the front side of the device, in our opinion, raises doubts.

There are no buttons for fixing attachments in our trimmer. The attachments simply snap into place with light pressure and can be removed with light force.

The weight of the motor unit together with the main trimmer attachment is 126 g.

After removing the nozzle, we can see the mechanism for transmitting torque from the motor to the knives. Here a regular metal pin is used, offset relative to the axis of rotation. Also noticeable are the metal latches that secure the attachments in place.

At the base of the motor unit there is a Micro-USB connector, which is used to charge the trimmer. We note that the younger and more affordable model FFTR-04 uses a modern USB Type-C connector. The use of an outdated Micro-USB in the older model seems to be an unusual solution, perhaps due to the fact that this model was developed at an earlier stage.

The length of the wire is 1 m. Also included in the kit was an adapter with a stated power of 5 V 1 A.

Let's consider replaceable nozzles. Trimmer attachments with stainless steel blades are very similar to each other. The assembly is of high quality; metal screws are used, which allows the user to disassemble the nozzle independently if necessary.

The main trimmer attachment has a working area of 34 mm wide (top center). Combs of 3, 6, 9 and 12 mm are installed on it.

They all look alike. To avoid confusion, each of them (except the lower left comb, designed to work with a precision trimmer) says what length of hair it is designed for.

The next attachment (on the left in the image) is a precision trimmer with a working area of 2.5 cm. This tool is designed for more detailed processing of certain areas, such as the beard, mustache and sideburns. This attachment comes with one comb (on the left in the photo), which allows you to set the length of the bristles from 1 to 4 mm.

Finally, the attachment on the far right (if you don't count the nose and ear attachment) is a trimmer design suitable for precision trimming even individual hairs. This tool is useful for particularly careful contouring and eyebrow correction.

All attachments are installed and removed with light effort. We did not find any difficulties; the main thing is to correctly place the latch on the nozzle relative to the trimmer body.

The attachment for the nose and ears turned out to be quite standard.

The 28 mm wide foil attachment is designed for shaving and trimming short stubble on the face.

After removing the mesh, the insides of the nozzle become visible — a knife block with a spring fastening.

The kit also includes a body attachment, consisting of two elements — a cutting part (trimmer) and an attachment for adjusting hair length (with three different positions).

What else is included in the kit:

A bottle of oil for lubrication, a plastic comb and a miniature plastic brush for cleaning.

...as well as a plastic “base” that makes it easy to store the trimmer and numerous accessories.

An additional bonus is a soft fabric storage bag with string ties.

The trimmer has a built-in lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 600 mAh.

After a visual inspection, we got the impression that the trimmer is generally worth its price. The main point of interest, of course, is the cutting quality, and we expect it to be at least decent given the budget specifications of the device.

The instruction manual is a compact black and white brochure printed on high-quality glossy paper.

There are 14 pages with a detailed description of the trimmer itself and a variety of attachments. Instructions for operating, cleaning and maintaining the device are also included, complete with black and white illustrations.

We note a special section devoted to the correct disassembly of the trimmer for the correct disposal of the battery. We thank the developers for caring about preserving the environment!

The device turns on and off using a single mechanical button.

There are LED indicators under the button that are difficult to notice when the trimmer is turned off. While the device is operating, the indicator displays the remaining battery charge level as a percentage. There is also a charger connection indicator, which is activated when the trimmer is charging.

What should you pay attention to before using?

As always, the trimmer needs to be charged before using it for the first time. It is recommended to leave it on charge for 1.5-2 hours, not exceeding the total charging time of 2-3 hours.

If the trimmer is not used for a long time (more than 6 months), before the next use, it is recommended to fully charge it, leaving it connected to the adapter for 14-16 hours.

The operating instructions for the device are standard. Replacement of attachments is described in detail in the manual: they should be carefully installed and clicked into place.

Recommendations for the position of the attachments in relation to different areas of the face are presented in the form of simple and understandable illustrations in the instructions. In most cases, cutting is done against the direction of hair growth.

Before cutting, it is important to make sure that the hair is dry and do not use lotions. Hair should be combed in the direction it grows.

The user manual does not contain any direct prohibition on using the trimmer while the charger is connected. In fact, when connected to a charger, the trimmer works. However, it is worth considering that the device is not used very often in this mode, and it is unknown how this may affect the battery life.

As for our impressions, the trimmer during operation demonstrated decent results for its class. The haircut was done smoothly and confidently; there were no noticeable problems when processing thick hair.

The trimmer requires regular cleaning, which is recommended when necessary. After each use, the manufacturer advises rinsing the trimmer head and blades under warm water to remove any remaining hair.

To lubricate the blade unit, it is recommended to use the oil supplied in the kit or special oil for sewing machines.

Immersing the device body in water is strictly prohibited.

According to our measurements, the weight of the trimmer with the basic attachment (knife) is 126 grams. Device dimensions — 40x32x155 mm.

When testing trimmers and cordless shavers, we routinely measure the operating time of the device on a full charge, and also estimate the time required to fully charge the battery. Let us remind you that the manufacturer claims up to 90 minutes of battery life.

The battery capacity is measured by repeatedly turning on the device at intervals of 5 minutes. Our trimmer lasted only 67 minutes, which is noticeably less than the advertised hour and a half. This was achieved without any real load, as the engine was essentially idling!

The battery was fully charged in 1.5 hours.

During testing, we checked how well the trimmer handles different lengths of stubble and tested several attachments.

This is what our test sample looked like at the start of the test.

The testing procedure is the same as for the related model Felfri FFTR-04. Let's see if there are any differences between the more expensive and cheaper models.

Nozzle 12 mm

Let's start, as the manufacturer recommends, with the largest nozzle — 12 mm. Let's try cutting the beard on the cheeks.

It turned out quite well. The trimmer cut hair confidently on the first pass, requiring virtually no re-cutting. The length of the hair, in our opinion, turned out to be slightly less than 12 mm. We rate the quality of the haircut as good. The entire procedure took just over 1 minute.

Result: good

Nozzle 9 mm

Well, let's try to reduce the length, use a 9 mm nozzle.

The naked eye can see that the difference between 9 and 12 mm in our trimmer is minimal. The haircut itself again went off without a hitch. The trimmer cut off most of the hair on the first pass without causing any discomfort. It doesn't pull hair and hardly irritates the skin.

Result: good

Nozzle 3 mm

Now let's see what happens with short hair. We take a 3 mm nozzle and repeat our experiment. We run the trimmer, if possible, against the direction of hair growth and see what happens.

And again we have the same impressions. We cut in one pass, then we catch single hairs that did not fall under the knife the first time — and you’re done!

Result: good

Let's now test the capabilities of compact trimmers. One of them provides the function of cutting hair to a length of 1 to 4 mm. And the trimmer design allows you to accurately highlight the contours of your beard and mustache. It's worth noting that a precision trimmer is also great for precisely trimming individual hairs and maintaining the shape of your eyebrows (especially trimming long hairs and creating contours).

Let's divide the beard into two parts — cheeks and chin — using a precision trimmer. At the same time, we will also eliminate individual hairs on the cheeks.

It is clear that we will not be able to remove the hair “to zero” in this way, but it is quite possible to form contours for subsequent finishing. The design trimmer performs its function properly, although it requires attentiveness and some free time to achieve an ideal result.

A mini trimmer with a movable head will allow you to leave stubble of the desired length in small areas, such as a mustache.

Leave 4 mm:

And now 2 mm:

Result: good

To our surprise, the razor attachment showed very good results. It, like the trimmer blades, did not cause a single hair tug (which is surprising for a device in this price range), and the shaving quality is comparable to the average electric razor. Skin irritation after shaving is rated slightly above average.

However, it should be noted that the shaving speed using this trimmer is quite slow. In general, using a shaving device is possible, but you should be prepared for the fact that this process will take significantly longer than when using conventional electric razors.

Result: good

As a result of our tests, we came to the conclusion that the Felfri FFTR-01 trimmer is slightly superior to its smaller brother, the Felfri FFTR-04. Despite the noticeable similarities, this model has proven to be more successful: there is no hair pulling, all attachments function reliably, and the cutting process is quick and hassle-free.

Positive impressions were caused by the razor attachment, which, if desired, provides an almost complete shave, which is not always typical for trimmers.

We did not identify any significant deficiencies. Of course, the device belongs to the budget segment, and sometimes it would be nice if it were more powerful, faster and gave a more reliable impression. However, we understand that such requirements are resolved by choosing a trimmer from a higher price category. In its budget niche, Felfri FFTR-01 performs more than worthy.

Pros:

• many attachments included
• low price

Minuses:

• sometimes requires “catching” individual hairs
• cuts slower than more expensive models
• operating time is less than stated