This was borne out by the evidence when testing each trimmer on a horsehair broom, to approximate how each Peanut would fare with the thickest of beards. The old-school corded Peanut can clog a bit if you try to run it through a horsehair broom, or the human equivalent. But as for the new Li? It’s a little plugger. The motor’s higher rpm stepped up, and I never quite got the thing to bog down completely.
But to preserve battery life, Wahl engineers confirmed, the Li doesn’t rev at full steam all of the time. When you turn the two Peanuts side by side, it’s clear from pitch and vibration that the new Peanut Li revs lower than the corded by default, when it’s not working too hard. The corded Peanut gave a peppier shave, with fewer hair pulls, when using both trimmers to shave and detail my neck.
Stepping up the juice only during tough jobs is, on the one hand, excellent engineering. On the other, this seems to lead to a slight tradeoff when merely mowing down light stubble.
Comme Ci, Comme Ça
The Peanut Li is clearly a more sophisticated device. It involves electronics and sensors and multiple means of charging. It debulks thick beards better than the old corded. It looks a little aerodynamic, somehow. It’s a fashionable-seeming color of blue. A little light display on the front of the device indicates battery levels, so you’ll know in advance before a charge is needed. The Li is also a little quieter than the cordless, by a few decibels.
But the appeal of the old corded Peanut, the thing that made it a classic, is precisely its lack of sophistication. This simplicity means the device has very few failure points. That’s why it lasts. Sure, you’ve got to oil your blades consistently and replace them when they go dull. But otherwise, the Peanut will go on seemingly forever. Anecdotally, old corded Peanuts have lasted for a decade or more, even among barbers who use them a lot. The rotary motor seems to be built like the engine on an old Honda.
And so while the blade is the same and the motor is similar—a gentle little buzzer that won’t nick your neck—the new Peanut Li asks to be considered among a different generation of modern beard trimmer.
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Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
And then you find yourself asking questions like, Why is it good to have only four guards, once we’ve abandoned the outright simplicity of the classic Peanut? Why can’t we have edgers, extra guard lengths, microgradations of guard that allow for an expert fade? The only real answer seems to be: because it’s a Peanut. And Peanuts are simple.
This seems like a missed opportunity. Sometimes, more is more. Wahl seems to be betting, instead, on its legacy branding. Maybe the company is also betting that the old Peanut lovers would like to keep this outward simplicity while accepting the complications of sensors and electronics under the hood.
Baby steps, I guess. Unlike the previous cordless Peanut, this new cordless Peanut Li is an actual upgrade to the raw capabilities of its forebear, and time will tell whether it’s as durable as its predecessor. But in the meantime, if I’m heading for a hotel and I reach for a Peanut to take with me? It’ll be the Li.