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10 of the Best Fabric Shaver Devices to Save Your Favorite Sweaters From Pilling

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After years of searching, you've finally found it: your new favorite sweater. It's love at first sight. It drapes in all the right places, the fabric feels like a warm hug, everyone wants—needs—to know where you got it. You throw it in the wash for the first time or pull it from your closet for a second wear, and bam! Annoying, ugly bumps have popped up all over your newfound closet staple. Before you toss it straight in the trash, however (the horror!), know that there is hope: It's time to enlist the best fabric shaver.

Research shows that cheaper fibers are being used in garment construction than the higher-quality filaments that were used years ago, leading to pilling—aka tiny lint balls that are are created from small knots of broken fibers. They can form on any fabric, but are most common on garments with blends of different fibers or knit fabrics. Fabric shavers are a great way to remove all those pesky pills, pulls and loose threads, leaving your knit good-looking, fresh and new.

What Does a Fabric Shaver Do?

Fabric shavers and defuzzers gently remove lint, fuzz and loose threads from materials without tugging at or damaging threads, helping to make your sweaters, couches and other fabric goods look like new again. They work on everything from tough upholstery to super-fine angora wool and generally come in two styles: electric or manual. Electric models use very fine blades to deftly severe any blemishes from your items, while manual shavers may use blades or other textured materials to do the same job.

Will a Fabric Shaver Ruin My Clothes?

When used properly, fabric shavers won’t damage your clothing, but there is always the risk of user error. Our advice is to start with your device’s gentlest setting and practice in a less noticeable area—like under an armpit or at the back hem of a sweater, or on the corner of a couch cushion that can be hidden under a throw pillow—to see how your pieces hold up. Once you feel you have the hang of things, you can move on to bigger, more prominent areas. Remember to go slow and steady and really take your time to avoid any accidents.

The Best Fabric Shavers at a Glance

Best Fabric Shavers: A picture of a model holding towels and fabric shavers
Dasha Burobina

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Best Overall

1. Conair Fabric Shaver

Conair

  • Pros: Battery-operated or rechargeable, three settings
  • Cons: Lint catcher fills quickly, batteries not included

This portable electric shaver can treat multiple types of fabric with its three blade settings. You don’t even need to switch out the blades—simply twist the top to go from defuzzing gentle cashmere knits to depilling tougher furniture covers. Speaking of furniture, this model can absolutely handle things like couches, mattresses and large blankets, but you will have to empty the lint catcher a few times before the job is done.

Most Customizable

2. Beautural Fabric Shaver

Beautural

  • Pros: Two speeds, three shave heights, three hole sizes, replacement blades
  • Cons: Doesn’t remove pet hair, batteries not included

This battery-operated defuzzer can be set to two speeds, three shave heights and has three sizes of shaving holes, giving you a ton of control when adjusting for different fabrics. It may take a few tries to figure out exactly which settings work best for which jobs, but once you get the hang of it, this might just become your absolute favorite household tool. “I love that I can use this shaver on both my leggings/biker shorts and my couch! It works like a charm and is so affordable,” raves PureWow Commerce Editor Liv Kappler.

Best Fabric Shaver Comb

3.  Boao Cashmere Comb Fabric Shaver

Boao

  • Pros:  Precise control, affordable, smells nice
  • Cons: Needs to be cleaned often, doesn’t work well on heavy-duty fabrics

Indeed, this manual device is specifically made to gently depill even the finest cashmere cardigans with it's solid wood handle and smooth-edge steel mesh.  It avoids pulling on coarse fabrics, which is perfect for clothes that need to be treated with care. PureWow tester Stephanie Sengwe, swears by this wooden comb come wintertime. “It’s an absolute must for sweater weather,” she says. The handle is made from cedar wood, too, which will provide a wonderful woodsy aroma every time you open your sweater drawer.

Most Durable

4. Magictec Fabric Shaver

Magictec

  • Pros: Durable, good for coarser material
  • Cons: Only one blade setting, wider handle may be an awkward fit for some

This Magictec fabric shaver was built to last, with a heavy-duty plastic shell that's not likely to crack, even if you drop it. A wider lint collecting basket and an interior vacuum also ensure there will be little-to-no fuzz escaping your defuzzing area. There is only one blade setting, though, which reportedly works well for tougher wool sweaters, socks, coats and the like, but may be too much for delicate cashmere or other fragile materials.

Sleekest Design

5. Feeke Fabric Shaver

Feeke

  • Pros: Extra-thin handle, mini cleaning brush included, three settings
  • Cons: Batteries not included, small lint collection basket that needs to be emptied often

Feeke’s battery-operated defuzzer is designed to be easily held and maneuvered thanks to a thinner handle and sleek overall design. It has three settings, so you can use it on different types of fabric, ranging from delicate cashmere knits to durable upholstery, and you can easily toggle between them by rotating the head. That said, the lint catcher is rather small, so we recommend this most for those who want to defuzz smaller pieces, like hats, socks, sweaters or stuffed animals. (You can use it on couches or rugs, but it will take much longer.)

Best Electric Fabric Shaver

6. Super Lint Fabric Shaver

Super Lint

  • Pros: Large lint catcher, lint removal brush, two replacement heads
  • Cons: Only one speed setting

This powerful defuzzer is larger than most others, meaning the lint collection basket doesn’t have to be cleaned out nearly as often (a major bonus if you’re depilling big pieces). That said, it's still super lightweight. The bad boy also comes with two replacement blades, as well as a small brush to help remove any lint that might get stuck in them. Our only complaint is that there's just one speed setting, which may be too much for thin or fragile knits.

Best Manual Fabric Shaver

7. Gleener Fabric Shaver

Gleener

  • Pros: Three interchangeable heads, included storage bag, ergonomic handle
  • Cons: Needs to be cleaned often

If you don’t want to be bothered with charging cords or batteries, this manual defuzzer is a great option. Designed without motors or moving parts and with three fabric-safe edges, it's perfect for a gentle shave. It comes with three interchangeable heads that are designed for use on different types of fabrics (including your fine wool or cashmere), plus a handy drawstring bag for storage. We also love the ergonomic handle, which fits easily in your hand to give you more precise control while shaving.

Best Splurge

8. DesertWest Fabric Shaver

DesertWest

  • Pros: Dual-head for trim efficiency, not an eyesore
  • Cons: Two-hour charging time

This best-selling fabric shaver not only comes in the prettiest shade of emerald green, it has more suction ability than the average shaver and cuts fabric perfectly with it's stainless dual six-leaf blade—this according to the company. Use this device not only on your sweaters but also on your wool coats, blankets, curtains, sofa, car cushions and more.

Most Versatile

9. Vasson Fabric Shaver

Vasson

  • Pros: Great for both clothes and furniture
  • Cons: Clunky design

Some days, you need something that will get fuzzy little balls of fabric off your favorite sweatshirt, and some days, you need something that will give your couch a refresh. Depending on what fabric you're using this on and what level of intensity you're looking for, this machine lets you switch between two speeds, which makes it a great option for clothing and furniture alike. Overall, this is a super versatile household item to have on hand.

Most High-Tech

10. iRuntek Fabric Shaver

iRuntek

  • Pros: USB charger, LED display, three speeds
  • Cons: Pricey

This tech-foward device has a high-tech LED display, so you can easily track when it needs to be charged and keep track of the speed gear of the machine. This shaver also has three different speed settings for maximum efficiency. Lastly, it's super easy to charge with a USB-charging cable.

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Dagmara Cintron is an avid coffee drinker, writer and dabbler in UX. She’s currently obsessed with Brazilian jiu-jitsu and good thrift finds. 


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Freelance Writer

Avid coffee drinker, writer and dabbler in UX, Dagmara Cintron is an NYC native living in Los Angeles. She covers fashion, local LA stories, home decor and more for PureWow. She...

Courtney Campbell

Freelance Writer

Courtney covers all things shopping and lifestyle at PureWow. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Elon University and has spent more than five years of her career...