Expert rating
Benefits
- Light
- Powerful
- Useful accessories
The inconvenients
- Long charging time
- Limited use display
- A little fiddly on/off button
Our opinion
The Brigii H5 is a useful and powerful handheld vacuum with 30 minutes of run time and enough handy attachments for dusting, cleaning up dry spills and vacuuming upholstery. But there’s no battery life indicator, so you’ll have to be mindful of the charge.
Best Prices Today: Brigii H5 Standard Handheld Vacuum
$79.99
A handheld vacuum is one of the most useful tools to keep around the house. Use it for cleaning, to take a quick look at the couch before you sit down to a movie, to tidy up pet nooks and high chairs, and to remove crumbs and mud from upholstery. car upholstery.
We review the small but mighty Brigii H5 standard model.
Design and build
- USB-C charging
- 1.7 lbs / 770g
The H5 is a cordless handheld vacuum that charges via USB-C. It has a maximum run time of 30 minutes in eco mode, but it takes a fairly long 4-5 hours to recharge.
The Brigii’s body is 33cm long and 27cm in diameter at its widest point. It weighs only 1.7lbs / 770g – so it’s very light in the hand.
It comes with three cleaning heads, a gray stand that can hold the vacuum and its accessories, and a charging cable.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
It is made of matt gray plastic, with a smoked gray bin. Nobody is likely to criticize it for being particularly attractive but it is, at least, discreetly designed.
The H5 has a maximum of 60AW (air watts) of suction in boost mode – not bad at all for a small handheld
It is simple to use, with a two-button operation system. There’s a button to turn it off and on and another to switch between eco and boost modes.
There’s just a weirdness with that. When turned on, the digital display shows three dots and a fan symbol. The more expensive model has a full digital display that shows remaining battery life but, on this model, its use is limited.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The dots on the screen flash when the vacuum is charging, but that’s it.
Performance
- Three cleaning accessories
- Up to 60AW suction
Turning on the H5 isn’t as easy as it should be, given that all it takes is a push of a button. But press too hard or not hard enough and nothing happens.
But once you get past that little inconvenience, it’s a handy vacuum.
The H5 has a maximum of 60AW (air watts) of suction in boost mode – not bad at all for a small handheld. For comparison, the full-size luxury flagship Dyson V15 Detect has 240AW.
It’s powerful enough that you only really need to use boost mode if you knock a cereal box on the floor, or cause similar high-level mayhem, meaning you’ll be able to use the full half- operating hour. In boost mode, you will only have a few minutes before you need to recharge it again.
It can handle everything from dust and larger debris to pet hair and hair. It’s much easier to grab than drag the vacuum, which means if you spot a dusty shelf or crumbs on the table, you’re more likely to sort it out right away.
Once charged and ready to go, it’s a handy tool to have around.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The Brigii comes with three cleaning attachments that are easily inserted and removed. There’s a vacuum head with an adjustable comb and lint strip for upholstery, carpets and car seats. I found it particularly useful for a quick trip around the sofa to remove cat hair.
There’s also a wide-mouth tool with an optional brush for shelves and baseboards, and a narrow crevice tool.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emptying the bin is easy: just unscrew it from the handle. There’s nowhere for dust and hair to get stuck inside, so you won’t have to dig around to clean it. The only exception is the filter, which has concertina pleats that can get dusty quickly.
We wish it came with a spare filter, but you can easily buy replacements: a pack of four spare filters costs $14.99 on Amazon US or £16.99 on Amazon UK.
The only issue we have is the lack of battery life display. Buy the more expensive H5 model and you’ll get a battery percentage indicator. As it stands, there is no indication that the battery is low until you try to turn it on in boost mode and it refuses. This is the sign to plug it in.
Price and availability
The standard H5 model is available on Amazon US for $79.99 and Amazon UK for £79.99. For its price, it delivers plenty of power – but there are no frills. If you’re considering buying it, we’d recommend spending a little more if you can and getting the more expensive model with a battery screen (Amazon US, $99.99; Amazon UK, £105.99 ).
Verdict
This is a really useful handheld vacuum with great suction and handy attachments. Since its design is so simple and it seems quite sturdy, we hope it will last too. Still, we missed having a display.
For more vacuum options, check out our roundup of the best vacuums we’ve tested.
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