Brio Beardscape V1+ Trimmer Review – Like a Hot Knife through Butter
Brio Beardscape V1+ Beard and Body Trimmer
Brio brings out a classic beard trimmer named the Brio Beardscape V1+ that glides through my beard like a dream. It cuts quickly and efficiently, leaving the beard feeling smooth and healthy without any plucked hairs, tugging, or having to go back over trouble spots.
Pros
Magnetic guards/combs are very easy to swap out
Cuts through dense beard hair easily
Fits well in the hand
Extensive selection of hair lengths
Maintenance and cleaning are very easy to do
Very good battery runtime
Digital display shows the exact percentage of charge remaining
Cons
The price is slightly high for your everyday trimmer
Not waterproof or water-resistant
No easy dial for beard length adjustments
Catches the skin on the lowest beard setting
I would say Brio is now a brand trusted for its innovative and powerful beard trimmers.
I’ve already used and reviewed one of their beard trimmers: the Brio Beardscape V2. I found it powerful and full of state-of-the-art features, even if it did tend to snag on my beard hair and took me two to three tries to get an even trim over one part of my beard.
Now, however, I am reviewing the Brio Beardscape V1+, which seems more like a classic design rather than the innovative V2. It lacks some of the bells and whistles, but it more than makes up for it in the soft and smooth trim it leaves on my beard.
I have a great deal of positive buzz on this trimmer, and I am ready to share it all.
Description and Features
The V1 is what Brio considers to be their most advanced trimmer ever. They have taken everything about their trimmers and streamlined it into this one beard trimmer that is meant to be your full replacement for an entire body groomer.
This trimmer is said to be able to handle our beard hair, scalp hair, and body hair all in one.
For this review, I acquired the standard Brio Beardscape V1 Plus that came with four magnetic snap-on guards, a USB-C power cable, a cleaning brush, and a small bottle of blade oil.
Build Quality and Design
The Brio V1+ is a heavy-duty design. It is a solid piece of equipment with very few seams or breakable parts.
Build & Design Ratings
It feels heavy, like a power tool, but it is not too heavy. Unlike other trimmers, like the Philips Norelco Series 9000 Prestige Beard Trimmer, it is not so heavy as to fatigue my wrist as I use it. I found it very easy to change my grip and move over my face without worrying about it making my wrist and hand tired.
I do have one complaint that is carried over from the Brio V2. On the front of the unit is a length setting switch that allows for the blade to be changed by a small amount (i.e., 1.3mm, 1.6mm and 1.9 mm) to give us more granular options when selecting your beard length. This switch is locked into position to make sure it doesn’t slip when trimming, but the lock is very secure. So secure that it takes two hands (the next video clip will display this) to just make it move a tiny bit! At least it won’t move once you have the setting secure.
The power button is rubberized and recessed into the housing to make sure we don’t accidentally hit it while trimming.
No Adjustable RPMs
Unlike the Brio V2, the Brio V1+ does not have an option to adjust the motor RPMs. You are set at around 5000 rpm, which gives you better control when trimming both your face and your body.
The next clip shows the adjustable V2 RPMs we dont get on this V1+.
The lower speed selection is specifically set for dealing with sensitive areas you may be trimming. It might not be the best for thick and dense hair, but it is perfect when you are grooming around corners and edging your beard.
It also works best for preserving battery life. This is why the battery itself is at a 240-minute length, but we can get into that later.
I found no problem with being set at the single RPM setting rather than having an adjustable setting. It did not impact me at all. I could see wanting to speed up the RPMs if you are dealing with thicker hair, but if you just want to maintain a nice beard and also keep your body groomed, there is no problem.
Ergonomics and Grip
There is very little given over to the comfort or grip on the Brio V1+. There are no grooves or bends to let it fit into your hands more easily. The Brio V1+ is just a straight-up and down pillar.
Ergomomics & Grip Ratings
While it isn’t the most comfortable to hold, I have yet to have the trimmer slip in my hands.
Blades
The blades on the Brio V1+ are some of the best I have used. They are not your typical metal blades, but a much smoother ceramic design. This allows them to cut my beard hair like a dream.
Blades Ratings
I found attaching and detaching the blade very easy to do, although I do have to fiddle a little bit to align the back plastic parts that help it to be fixed into place (that could be more of a me thing though). They pop off with a minimum amount of effort, which allowed me to clean the blade and the interior very easily. They don’t have any kind of wobble or give when they are snapped on, so they should always provide a nice straight trim every time.
In addition to using the normal ceramic blade that comes with the trimmer, I also had the opportunity to use Brio’s Zero Point Blade, which is designed for sharp, clean beard cuts. Guards do not fit on the Zero Point Blade, so it is designed to cut directly on the skin. I found this is great for edging my beard to get clean cuts or target specific hairs.
I would be careful with the Zero Point Blade though, because the moment I used it to trim the edge of my beard, my skin came away slightly reddened and irritated. So be careful if you have sensitive skin.
Length Settings and Guards
The Brio V1+ comes with four guards that are double-sided and can be set at intervals of 0.3mm between length settings (Increments – 1.3 mm, 1.6 mm and 1.9 mm). With 8 guard lengths plus 4 length settings, that gives us a possibility of 32 separate length settings. Nice variety for a beard trimmer that has a stripped-down design without any bells and whistles.
Length Settings and Combs Ratings
A touch I like is that the guards are set up with magnets, so they are very easy to attach, detach, and swap out. This magnet feature lets them sit securely on the trimmer without any wobble, and I can easily keep the guards together. This is unique to Brio!
Unlike the guards for the Brio V2, these guards were much more comfortable to use. The edges on them were much more rounded and less sharp. It felt less like I was dragging a rake across my face and more like a wide comb.
Unfortunately, after testing, I found that these smoother guards will not work with the Brio V2. The V2 cutting edge is too wide for them to fit.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Cleaning and Maintenance for the V1+ is quite easy. It only really takes me a few minutes after every trim.
Cleaning & Maintenance Ratings
The blade pops off with a quick press on the edge. The inside is a small alcove with some of the inner workings. I found that this small area collected a great deal of hair after a trim. Much more than I thought could be possible. Therefore, it would behove anyone who is using this trimmer to clean it out after every trim, or you will get a great deal of backed-up hair.
The ceramic blades don’t need much maintenance themselves. All they need is a few drops of oil every few weeks to maintain their peak performance.
To lubricate the blade, I keep the blade attached, then just place a few drops of oil along the blade. No more than a few drops; we don’t want to over-oil it because we will just be wasting oil and making more work for cleaning up excess oil. I then run the trimmer for a few seconds to make sure the oil is nice and settled in the blade. Just make sure to wipe off any excess oil with a paper towel or some TP.
One thing to be very aware of is that the Brio V1+ is NOT waterproof. We don’t want to dip it in water or run it in the shower. If you need to clean hair off it, make sure to use a brush. The trimmer comes with one, but if you can’t use it for one reason or the other, I recommend using a toothbrush.
Overall, the maintenance of the Brio Beardscape V1+ was something I found to be no pain at all. We don’t need to oil it every time; however, cleaning out the hair is something that should be done every time we use it.
Brio states the blade will last for years rather than months. As I have not used mine for years, I cannot agree or disagree with that; however, I have a 2-year warranty, so if the blade dulls too quickly or I have any issues, I shall be letting them know.
Charging, Battery, LEDs and Travel Lock
The battery in the Brio V1+ is a high-volume battery. It provides 240 minutes’ worth of run time on a full charge. I don’t know who needs to spend four hours trimming their beard, but in this case, Brio has you covered.
Charging, Battery, and LEDs Ratings
This means we don’t need to charge as often as you think. A normal session is maybe a minute or two, maybe three if I am trimming deeply. So on a full battery, it will probably take me about a month before I need to charge it again.
The front of the trimmer has a percentage gauge showing the level of battery charge left. After using this trimmer for a month, I am only down to 93 percent remaining. No need to overcharge and worry about making sure there is plenty of power left.
Again, Brio has decided to hit my pet peeve. While the charging cord is a long USB Type-C that does the job, it did not come with a charging brick. This leaves me having to salvage something from another piece of electronics. Is it so much to ask that people provide a way to charge their electronics?
We also get a useful travel lock, which is activated when holding the button for a few seconds and then holding it again to reactivate the lock.
Trimming Experiences
For this review, I have been using the Brio Beardscape V1+ for about a month, trimming my beard every other day after a fresh shower. I always use it on a clean beard that I brush out with a boar hair brush.
Trimming Performance Ratings
I have very stiff and thick hair, combined with soft and sensitive skin (aka the worst possible combination). So I am always looking for trimmers and beard products that will take care of thick hair without irritating my skin.
You can see the V1+ in action in the next video clip.
Overall, I found myself very pleased with the Brio V1+. It leaves my beard feeling nice and fluffy, and almost feeling thicker. I get no snags or tugs on the skin, and the cut is so smooth that I only need one or maybe two passes to get everything.
Afterward, my beard feels very soft, and it actually seems to make my beard look and feel thicker.
The trimmer allows me to move faster over my beard, giving me a barber-style cut in no time without wasting power or time.
My one overall complaint is that when I was trimming on the lowest setting. I found the beard blades would tug and irritate my skin. They also did not cut very well. The trimmer isn’t fully designed for something so close to the skin, and the advertising mentions that. That being said, if you have the Zero Point Blade from Brio, you can get those close trims and sharp edges that the ceramic blade lacks. Just be careful it doesn’t irritate your skin.
Body and Hair Trimming
I have not used this trimmer for any body hair work. Though I do feel qualified to talk about the bonus the Brio V1+ has as a body trimmer–the ceramic blade, which is carefully designed to trim hair on sensitive skin. I have found that places that can get irritated easily are perfect for the ceramic blade.
The bottom line is I would happily use the V1+ for body trimming despite it not having the best shape and ergonomics when compared to the dedicated body groomers we have used and reviewed.
I have also not used it for hair trimming, but if your primary use for the V1+ will be beard trimming and you would hope this can also trim hair, then I am sure it would do the job, but I can’t say as good a job as dedicated hair clippers.
Value for Money
I consider the normal price for a high-quality beard trimmer to be close to 70 or 80 USD on something like Amazon. However, the Brio Beardscape V1+ is only available on the Brio website, and as of the time of this review, 109 USD. Thankfully, shipping is free.
While it might not seem like much, that is a premium price for a beard trimmer. However, is the Brio V1+ worth that price?
I would say, with my experience, yes. It is worth the premium price for a high-quality beard and body trimmer. While it is on the expensive side, you are going to get what you paid for in the quality of your beard trim.
Final Thoughts – Verdict (Who’s it for?)
Overall, I would definitely recommend this beard trimmer to anyone who asks for a high-quality trimmer that will last a while. It is a solid unit that will cut smoothly and leave your beard with a nice, soft finish.
Of all the trimmers I have reviewed, this trimmer is one of the best I have tried and is definitely going to be made into my everyday trimmer.
In my honest opinion, the V1+ is an overall better everyday trimmer than the Brio V2. The V2 has all the new bells and whistles, as well as adjustable RPMs, more settings, and a fully lit LED screen for battery charging. However, the V1+ is just more comfortable to use. The guards are easier on the skin, the interface is much easier to use, and it is easier to keep clean and maintained.
Who needs this trimmer? Any guy with a beard.
