Design and features

• Rechargeable
• Cap for more delicate items

Synthetic and organic fibres alike can suffer from pilling, where bobbles appear due to friction and rubbing. Even if you use one of the best washing machines, garments can suffer from these issues.

It’s not a quality issue, either, as expensive, natural garments can suffer as much as cheap acrylic ones. The answer to the problem is a product like the Philips 1000 Series Fabric Shaver, which is designed to safely shave these pills.

An egg-shaped device, the Philips 1000 Series Fabric Shaver has a non-replaceable battery, charged via the USB-C port on the rear.

Inside it is a set of razors that spin when the power button is turned on. These blades shave the fabric.

For safety, there’s a foil that sits on the outside, preventing the blades from tearing a hole in your fine clothes.

For garments with short lint, the Philips 1000 Series Fabric Shaver can be used with just the foil; for longer lint, there’s a clip-on cap.

As the Philips 1000 Series Fabric Shaver shaves, the lint is collected in the small bin on top. As it’s see-through, you can easily see when it’s full. This bin just pulls off ready, so that the material can be dumped into the bin.

There’s also a brush in the box for cleaning out any stray fibres and dusting down the inside of the unit.

Performance

• Cuts quickly
• Needs emptying regularly
• Easy to use

It’s incredibly easy to use the Philips 1000 Series Fabric Shaver. Just turn it on, hold your garment out flat and then use the shaver in circles to remove traces of lint, and that’s it. 

When the Philips 1000 Series Fabric Shaver is empty, it works very quickly, but I did find that the bin fills quickly, and subsequent shavings can start to block the blade.

When dealing with very bobbly garments, I had to empty the bin several times.

I tried the Philips 1000 Series Fabric Shaver on an old acrylic jumper, which was very bobbly. As you can see from the image below, the shaving completely changes the appearance of the jumper, making it look almost like new.

I also found the Philips 1000 Series Fabric Shaver useful on a tracksuit that had pulled threads due to cats getting their claws stuck in the top. Safely cutting the loose fibres.

Used properly, the Philips 1000 Series Fabric Shaver is a safe way to protect clothes, and I find it’s best used regularly for maintenance. It also can’t repair fabrics. With one very old, very bobbly jumper, shaving the bobbles improved the look of the fabric, but also exposed the holes that were there.

Should you buy it?