Have you tried a beard trimmer?
It makes everything short but not so short you get regrowth.
I second this. I've got what's called a Remington Professional Trim & Shape. It has a few attachments so you can make it how you like, but DH basically uses it to get the top and sides all short and neat (I don't like regrowth either so prefer it not to be shaved off completely), and then shaves underneath because the regrowth doesn't seem as bad there and I like it gone.