REVIEW: Brio Beardscape V2 Beard Trimmer

Are you tired of your scruffy beard look or looking for an upgrade from your tired, worn out, ineffective beard trimmer?

As a grooming aficionado with 25 years of experience in facial hair care, I understand the importance of a precise trim. Men, it’s time to elevate your grooming game with the Brio Beardscape V2, a trimmer designed for those who take their beard seriously.

Join me as I dive into the capabilities of this top-notch tool.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
✅ Superior blade sharpness and durability, enhanced by the zero blade option.	❌ Multiple guards needed for longer lengths, unlike simpler models with a single adjustable guard.
✅ Precise 0.3 mm adjustments for seamless blending.	❌ The Zero Blade head can be stiff to remove and reattach, needing careful handling to avoid damage.
✅ User-friendly features: upgraded display, travel lock, ergonomic grip.
✅ Safe for use even in delicate areas.

Performance

The Beardscape V2 delivers a really comfortable and effortless shave. You’d expect a new trimmer with fresh, sharp blades to outperform my old model, but even months later it’s still cutting through coarse hair like a knife through butter.

The precision that the Beardscape offers, especially during the delicate operation of blending my beard into my bald head, is a cut above what I’ve experienced with previous beard trimmers.

There’s also the option to increase or decrease the motor speed, and after having shaved a few times at 5,500 RPM I got brave and cranked it up to the maximum 7,000 RPM. The shave became even more efficient, with no noticeable disadvantages. 

According to the manual, motor speed affects battery life as follows:

RPM	Expected battery life (mins)
5,000	240
5,500	225
6,000	210
6,500	195
7,000	180

I can deal with three hours of use between charges, so I’ve kept the Beardscape on max power ever since!

Value for Money: Balancing Quality and Price

The Beardscape is a mid-range trimmer that feels premium. In the world of beard trimmers, you get what you pay for. Brio’s offering strikes a good balance, offering high-end functionality without the top-end price tag.

The price range for beard trimmers can vary widely depending on the brand, features, and quality. Generally, in the U.S. market:

• Budget or entry-level trimmers: These typically range from $20 to $50. They are basic in functionality, often with fewer features and attachments.
• Mid-range trimmers: Prices for these trimmers usually fall between $50 to $100. They often offer a balance of quality, durability, and additional features like various length settings, better battery life, or specialized blades. 
• High-end or premium trimmers: These can cost over $100, sometimes up to $200 or more. These trimmers often come with advanced features, superior build quality, and longer warranties, and prices are often inflated by the brand name.

Based on the above, the Beardscape V2 is at the top end of the mid-range price bracket but performs well above similarly priced rivals.

Battery Life

My typical trim involves a simple tidying of the sides of my beard, blending it into my shaved head. I rarely touch the chin area, saving that for my monthly trip to the barber.

Therefore, the kind of quick trim I need barely makes a dent in the battery – 2 to 3% at the most depending on how much detailing I need.

The Beardscape V2 also comes with a charging stand, which is a nice touch and gives a more premium feel than other models that only offer a flimsy cable. That said, you can also use the cable for charging, for example when traveling.

Brio’s advice is to cycle the battery by letting it run down to 20% or below, but I was dropping it onto the charging stand after every shave. Since I stopped this bad habit, I haven’t drained the battery down to the level that it needs another charge.

This tells me two things:

1. The battery is really decent and I should get through dozens of uses before needing to charge the trimmer
2. I haven’t been using the Beardscape for long enough to comment on the quality and longevity of the battery in the long term, so I’ll come back and edit this article once I have more information on this.

Design and Build Quality: Sleek, Practical, and Ergonomic

From the moment the box arrived, with the glossy image of the trimmer embossed onto the cardboard packaging, it was clear Brio had put a lot of effort into first impressions.

But the Beardscape V2’s design is not only aesthetically pleasing with its cool matte black body, but it’s also practical.

Ergonomics & grip

The trimmer’s ergonomic design makes it easy to handle, ensuring control and comfort during use. My fingers and palm naturally rest on the rubber grip, meaning I’m less likely to drop and damage it. For someone as clumsy as me, that’s a big plus.

Aside from the grip, using the Beardscape V2 is a breeze. The micro-adjust lever is right where your thumb naturally wants it to be, and the lock button sits right on top of that lever so you can easily toggle that on and off.

The sleek black color  (also available in gray) adds a modern touch, but it’s the ergonomic, user-friendly design that elevates the Beardscape V2, ensuring a top-notch shaving experience.

The travel lock is also a very handy feature. It’s a very simple rubber button on the adjustment lever itself. When it’s locked, it’s impossible to accidentally turn it on and waste your battery (or damage the other contents of your luggage).

The design has clearly been thought through meticulously to avoid the user having to fiddle with different grips to use the controls. A+ job, Brio team.

My only criticism is that it can require some force to remove and reattach the shaving head. Having to be so heavy-handed makes me nervous that it could cause damage without taking care, although it’s in perfect condition so far.

Display

The display screen contains lots of handy information, including the following:

• Oil Reminder: The display prompts an oil notification every 60 minutes of use, ensuring the blades remain in top condition.
• RPM Speed: With a display that shows RPM ranging from 5,000 to 7,000, users can adjust the speed according to hair thickness.
• Battery Life Indicator & Charging Alert: The display indicates the remaining cutting time and the trimmer alerts you with a beep tone and a flashing icon when there is only 20 minutes of charge left. No chance of running out of power halfway through your shave!

Versatility and Adjustability

The adjustable blade setting, ranging from a close 1mm to a full 18mm with the assistance of various guards, allows for exceptional precision. This is crucial for achieving a seamless skin fade into a bald head, as it ensures smooth transitions between different hair lengths without visible steps.

With no guard, the trimmer shaves closest with the gold part of the rake flat against the skin, and this reduces my cheek fluff and neckbeard to nothing when I tidy up around the edges of my facial hair.

My previous beard trimmer showed more obvious changes in shaving length between settings, so I’d often be left with clear transitions immediately after shaving, which would then disappear as the beard grew. With the delicate adjustments offered by the Beardscape, that’s no longer a problem.

Not only that, but I’ve used the Beardscape V2 to shave the most intimate parts of my body with no cuts or accidents. It’s a quality trimmer that provides safe and effective shaving, even in the most delicate areas. 

Cutting Lengths

Here’s a detailed table showing the precise cutting lengths the Beardscape offers, alongside equivalent settings for popular brands like Wahl, Oster, and Andis, for easy reference:

MM	Micro adjust setting	Guard Size	Wahl	Oster	Andis
1	1	None
1.6	1.6	None	0	1	0
2	1	1mm
3	1	2mm	1	2	1
4	1	3mm
4.5	1.6	3mm	1.5
5	1.9	3mm
6			2		2
6.3				3
7	1	6mm
8	1.9	6mm
9
9.5				4
10	1	9mm	3		3
11	1.9	9mm
12
12.6
13	1	12mm	4	5	4
14	1.9	12mm
15
16	1	15mm	5	6	5
17	1.9	15mm
18
19	1	18mm	6	7	6
20	1.9	18mm

As shown, the Beardscape V2 offers micro-adjust settings that the other trimmers can’t match, allowing for more precise and finer adjustments in cutting length and a more exact and detailed shave.

Maintenance and Cleaning: Preserving Performance

Maintaining the Beardscape V2 is crucial for its longevity. My advice is to avoid the temptation to rinse it under water as this will wash away the blade oil that is key to the trimmer’s performance and the comfort of your shave.

Instead, use the brush provided. It’s a bit more time-consuming but ensures the trimmer performs at its best for longer. Your face and your wallet will thank you for it.

The trimmer comes with a handy instruction manual to guide you through the finer details of care and maintenance, with some amusing considerations thrown in:

This is clearly a brand with a sense of humor – but when it comes to the product, they’re all business.

Optional Accessories – The Zero Blade

The Zero Blade accessory is an optional upgrade that I’d highly recommend. The standard ceramic blades are set to cut to 0.3mm but this stainless steel attachment gives an even closer shave at 0.2mm.

The tiny teeth on the blades mean the Zero Blade cuts even closer and more effectively than the regular blades, so if you’re serious about your shave, don’t accept any half-measures:

FAQs

Summary: Why the Brio Beardscape V2 Gets The Nod From Me

The Brio Beardscape V2 is one of the best trimmers I’ve had the pleasure of using. If you’re looking for a tool that offers an efficient shave with precise detail, this mid-range beard trimmer punches well above its weight.

• Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Ease of Use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Battery Life: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Durability and Build Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Design and Aesthetics: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Value for Money: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Versatility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Maintenance and Cleaning: ⭐⭐⭐

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Average = 4.2)

Grab yourself a 10% discount at the official site by using the code ‘baldandhappy‘:

Of course, bald heads and beards are the perfect style combination, but if you’re not yet shaving your head… maybe it’s time you thought about it?

Stay tuned for future updates on the Beardscape’s long-term performance, and in the meantime check out my recommendations for the best beard styles for bald men.