We Tried The Highly-Rated Brigii 3-In-1 Handheld Vacuum Cleaner & We Can't Put It Down

Even those who have a great full-sized vacuum in their home can still be "sucked" in by the sleek profile and irresistible claims of a rechargeable, affordable, lightweight gadget that promises to clean and more. Such was the power of our attraction to the Brigii M2 Handheld Vacuum with hand pump and air duster, which costs $67.99 on Amazon. It talked big for a little vacuum, but could it meet its promises of portability, cleaning tight spots, multi-functionality, and long-lasting charge? We decided to put all these uses to the test. 

Handheld mini vacuums are normally at the top of the wish list for parents who shuttle kids around town. They're also nifty stocking stuffers or great for the person whose name you pulled for Secret Santa in the office. Because mini vacs are generally inexpensive and range in price from about $20 to $80, they are great gift items or handy to have in multiple places. They're ideal for people who lead hectic lives or are kind of messy, and we definitely meet both these qualifications. However, with a child in college across the country, our main motivation for wanting this handheld vacuum cleaner was to test its efficacy at sucking the air out of the many space-saver bags that we used when moving. Of course, we also wanted to test its ability to whisk away crumbs in crevices and whoosh away dust bunnies, but we have to admit that we were most excited about the space-saver bags.

Classified as a mini vacuum, the Brigii M2 Handheld Vacuum arrived in a box with all its attachments and a fabric carrying case with a drawstring closure. The set includes a crevice tool, air duster, and the very important hand pump feature. The mini vac is lightweight (just slightly over 1 pound), has a HEPA filter, and at first glance, seems like it would be easy to empty and clean. To top it off, it has dual-filtration, because it's apparently quite the overachiever. 

The Brigii M2 is USB rechargeable and comes with the cable, which is a nice feature since the charger isn't always included. Naturally, it's cordless, which (as we later found out) made it easy to maneuver wherever we wanted it to go. The manufacturer asserts that the charge on the Brigii M2 will last for up to 20 minutes, so we added that to the list of things to assess. This would be a key feature, particularly if you have a lot of things that need to be vacuumed or blown away. Since the vacuum can be used for a variety of tasks, we figured we would need close to the full 20 minutes of run time. As we unboxed this vacuum, we mentally noted the many small areas around the house that needed to be cleaned. We also purchased the Ziploc Space Bags, and you could buy a two-pack of the large size from Walmart for $12.99.

When testing the Brigii M2 Handheld Vacuum, the first step was to charge it. Its USB cord easily plugged into an outlet adapter we had. The manufacturer claims it takes four hours to fully charge, and we clocked it at 3:55 hours. Once it was charged, it was time to test out the attachments. These were a bit of a mystery since the instructions weren't specific, so we took a chance and just pushed them on and pulled them off. While this worked, better directions would have been appreciated.

To prepare our college student for her move, we started by testing the vacuum on space-saver bags. The Brigii handled bag after bag, taking one super-sized sack from a height of 9.5 to 6 inches in a matter of less than 20 seconds. We can't wait to use this feature on the extra bedding in our linen closet. Next, we looked around for messes to clean, switching attachments as needed. When we tried the vacuum in our car's nooks and crannies, the flexible hose attachment became an incredibly helpful tool. Inside the home, Brigii whisked away mystery crumbs and dirt from keyboards, removed dust bunnies tucked behind things on bookshelves, and banished pet fur from a bar stool without running out of charge. In the kitchen, the Brigii sucked up muffin crumbs as hungrily as we did. However, keep in mind that this powerful vacuum tried to take the placemat with the crumbs.

It's a rare occurrence to like a product so much that you don't have any complaints other than it does its job too well. The only concern with the Brigii M2 Handheld Vacuum is that when using it, you'll want to be cautious and not vacuum up anything that you weren't intending to do away with. Watch out for shoestrings, the scrap of paper with an important phone number on a desk, or loose change next to your car keys, as this Brigii vacuum will try to gobble it all up.

After testing it out, we sent the handheld vacuum and hand pump to college with our child, where we thought it would be put to good use suctioning the air out of space-saving bags for trips to and from home. While that is still the case, we've been told that it has also been a handy tool for quick clean-ups around the apartment and for safely cleaning keyboards and camera lenses. It seems to keep finding its way back into that useful carrying pouch, which means that all the parts easily stay together. We don't think we're going to get it back, and we can't really complain since a college student who cleans is a wonderful thing. However, we might just have to invest in a second Brigii M2 Handheld Vacuum. As it turns out, vacuuming air out of space-saving bags is just the beginning of this product's usefulness.