BALLS vs Meridian vs Manscaped: Battle of the Below-the-Belt Trimmers

Have you been shaving your balls? 

I thought so…

Honestly, I never expected the topic of testicle maintenance to be such a hot-button issue, but the longer I’ve been a pubic-hair journalist, the more I’ve seen just how much confusion there is when comparing different brands. 

Listen, my scrotum is criss-crossed with battle scars from some of the worst brands—things you can’t even imagine.

Like an old veteran with an eye-patch, I’m here to give you the wisdom to make the right choice without the hard learning experiences.

BALLS vs Meridian vs Manscaped Overview

BALLS is a new brand, while Meridian is a more seasoned presence in the pubic grooming game. And of course, Manscaped is the OG—the original. I recently picked up the Trimmer from BALLS and compared it head to head (or should I say, ball to ball) with the Meridian Trimmer and the Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0. 

BALLS

BALLS is a UK-based brand, but they still ship to the US for free. For anyone shopping in the EU or UK, BALLS is an immediately better choice just because you don’t need to pay VAT or any import fees. 

For US shoppers, you still don’t have any import fees because we’re cool like that. 

The BALLS Trimmer is about 15% less expensive than the Meridian Trimmer, and around 25% less expensive than the Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0.

The trimmer has a powerful 6,200 RPM motor, which is beefy enough to get through any hair length (and girth). 

What I like most about the BALLS Trimmer is the adjustable plastic guard. Instead of having a ton of different plastic guards that need to be swapped in and out, you just have one that can be “clicked” in to different lengths depending on your preference. 

Want a longer crop, but a nice close shave of the gooch? No problem. 

Meridian

The Meridian Trimmer is less testical-centric, but more focused on overall body grooming. 

So dudes who are looking for something that can easily trim up stomach and chest hair might prefer the wider width of the ceramic blades on the Meridian Trimmer. 

One thing that Meridian does that neither BALLS nor Manscaped do is that they ship their trimmer with a replacement blade already. 

All three brands feature removable and replaceable blades, and while I’ve found that they don’t need to be replaced that often (once a year will probably do you fine), it’s still cool that you have one Meridian back up blade in stock. 

Manscaped

Manscaped not only launched the first pubic-hair trimmer, but they have a vast assortment of other ball-grooming products you can frolic through. 

We’re talking ball-wipes, shaving gel (for downstairs), cologne, ball toner—basically everything you need to give your nuts a full spa day. 

The Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0 is the muscle car of testicle trimmers. With a 7,000 RPM motor, you get enough power to practically rip your nut sack straight off. Ok, that’s obviously a joke, but the motor makes light work of thick, wiry hair. 

I’m not a particularly hairy guy, but I can imagine wanting the heavy duty motor if you have a lot of body hair, or if your hair is particularly thick. 

BALLS Trimmer vs Meridian Trimmer vs Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0: Which is Better? 

Power and Speed

Technically speaking, the BALLS Trimmer is more powerful. That’s because it has a 6,200 RPM motor compared to the Meridian Trimmer’s 6,000 RPM motor.

The king of the road is the Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0, boasting a rough and rowdy 7,000 RPM’s of ball polishing power. 

The BALLS Trimmer comes in second, with a 6,200 RPM motor. Then, lagging in third with a respectable, though not fearsome 6,000 RPM motor, is the Meridian Trimmer.

But practically speaking, there’s absolutely no difference. All three will shave your pubes, no matter how thick they are. 

If you’re into peak performance and you’re willing to spend any amount of money for the best of the best, then the Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0 could be a good option because it has a 7,000 RPM motor. But in my experience, choosing a nut-shaver based on RPMs isn’t a wise decision.

The deciding factors for me are in the features and the ease of use. 

Features

The BALLS Trimmer and Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0 both have a major advantage over the Meridian Trimmer, and that’s the single adjustable plastic guard.

Because of the design, you’re able to get four different lengths with just the single guard (three length with the guard, and then the closest shave if you remove the guard altogether). 

I never shave all the way down—it’s just not worth it. So for me, I like just leaving the guard on in the shower. When I use the Meridian Trimmer, I need to have both guards because I use different lengths (which they only have on two separate plastic guards).

This makes both the BALLS Trimmer and Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0 more simple to use, which is a win for me. They also both have a light on the front, which can be helpful if your shower area is dark. If you have a well-lit shower, then this feature doesn’t really make a difference. 

However, in an emergency, if you lose your flashlight, you can always grab your nut buzzer and use it to make a nighttime escape to higher ground. Now that’s a good story for you, right there.

One thing that the Meridian Trimmer has that I like over the BALLS Trimmer is the battery level indicator on the front. This allows you to see if you’re running low on battery so you don’t end up losing power mid-cut. 

The Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0 also have a version of the battery level indicator built into the main button so you can always know exactly how many more pubes you can shave.

Otherwise, all three shavers are fully waterproof, easy to use, and hold their charge for a long time. 

Aesthetics

The Meridian Trimmer is definitely the better looking trimmer (at least in my opinion). 

The shape is easier to hold and maneuver, and I like the Sage Green color you can get. So much more interesting than the standard black ball shaver. 

One cool bonus is that if you also go ham on some skincare products from Lumin (the company that owns Meridian), you can get your trimmer to match your shampoo bottle and body wash bottle.

If you’re slightly OCD, I think this is pretty cool. And I think the ladies notice if your bathroom products all match: this guy knows what he’s doing. 

I can’t say I’m impressed with the aesthetics of the BALLS Trimmer. But I’m OK with that. The biggest factor in my decision on which is the best is the ease of use. 

And the new design of the Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0 makes me feel like I should be wearing a leather jacket and riding a motorcycle when trimming up the hedges. It has sharp angles like the jaw of a boxer and enough black to impress a German nihilist. 

I still think the Meridian Trimmer is the best looking of the bunch.

Ease of Use

All three of these trimmers start buzzing with the click of a single big button in the middle. So in that sense, they’re all very easy to use. 

But the Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0 has several settings for travel, light on shaving, and light off shaving.

And I find that many settings to be overkill. I want a “shave balls” mode and a “stop shaving balls” mode. That’s it.

As for Meridian and BALLS, ease of use is really where these two trimmers separate. The Meridian Trimmer is easier to use if you have body hair all over (like on your chest and stomach) which you like to regularly groom. And the BALLS Trimmer is easier if you’re generally sticking to the groin.

I like that the BALLS Trimmer has that adjustable guard: it really makes it simpler to keep in your shower with fewer parts. 

But because the Meridian has a wider blade, it allows you to hack down more hair with less effort. It’s also a little easier to hold because of its wider shape and the material of the body. 

Instead of a hard plastic like with BALLS and Manscaped, the Meridian Trimmer has a sort of rubberized texture to it that’s very pleasing. It also makes it easier to hold on to. 

BALLS vs Meridian vs Manscaped: Which Should You Shave Your Nuts With?

If you’ve got a lot of chest and stomach hair you’re looking to tame, then the Meridian Trimmer is a better choice for you.

If you’re mainly sticking to the pubes, and might do a little venture up to the chest every once in a while, then the BALLS Trimmer is my choice. 

If you have super thick hair, or just have a lot of hair, the Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0 has the raw power you need from your grooming trimmer.

I prefer using the BALLS Trimmer personally because I like the simplicity of having the single plastic guard, which gives me four length options. And I like that it’s the least expensive of the group.

The Meridian Trimmer has two separate guards, and because I like the 6mm and 9mm lengths, it means I have to keep both of the plastic guards in my shower in order to get the full effect. That extra piece of plastic in the shower annoys me and takes up room. 

But if you’re grooming all over, the wider blade of the Meridian gets the job done faster and easier, which is why I recommend it for all over body grooming. 

The prices are pretty similar: the BALLS Trimmer is about 15% less expensive, but the Meridian Trimmer comes with a replacement blade, too, so I think the value is comparable. The Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0 is the most expensive, but not by such a huge margin that it’s completely out of the question.

If looks are important to you, then I think the Meridian Trimmer wins—the design is more nuanced. If features are your thing, then you might like the light on the end of the BALLS Trimmer or Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0. 

Overall, I think all three are great—you can’t go wrong with any of them. But if you’re wondering what’s in my shower right now, it’s the Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0 because of the extended battery life. 

That said, if I was only going to buy one, I’d pick the BALLS Trimmer because it’s the least expensive and still gets the job done.

FAQs