BROVIEW V6 Collapsible 8.4gal Storage Bins review – bring chaos to order

REVIEW – Storage bins are great for, well, storing things when you need to.  Except for when you don’t need them, and then they’re just taking up a bunch of space.  Collapsible storage bins offer an alternative, with the ability to pack down when they’re not in use.  We’re looking at the BROVIEW V6 to see if they’re up to the task.

What is it?

The BROVIEW V6 is a 8.4 gallon storage bin with a collapsible, modular design.  Sold in one, three or four packs, the V6 bins can be nested atop each other or placed side by side for flexibility in utilization.  Accessible from the front and top, these bins are designed to be ‘on display’ rather than tucked away in the basement or garage.

BROVIEW offers an array of storage solutions that can be found on their Amazon storefront.

Hardware specs

Design and features

There isn’t a whole lot that is exciting about a storage bin, but BROVIEW has done a decent job at making these look at home in plain sight and they could easily blend into the decor of a living room or playroom.  If I had one complaint, the branding is a bit too aggressive for something at this price point that is meant to be on display.  This model of the V6 is offered in pink or black colorways, which accent the frosted plastic body of the bin.  The wavy design of the plastic helps blend in the ‘mess’ of the contents, offering an illusion of tidiness.  The bin is accessible from the top and front, with a French door style swing allowing easy access to the entirety of the inside.  While the doors are said to be ‘locking’, there isn’t much to the mechanism – a simple twisting motion is all it takes to free them.  On each side we find recessed carry handles.  These handles are a bit too shallow to comfortably move a full bin very far, but are generally fine for their purpose.

Plastic, smooth rollers are found at the bottom which act as wheels.  These are… serviceable, if you’re using them on a hard surface.  Carpeted floors will render them immediately inert.  The rollers are removable, and extras come with the packaging.

Each lid has four recessed spots to accommodate the wheels to keep things secure in the stacked formation and a shallow lip for extra rigidity.

Setup

The BROVIEW V6 arrives well packaged, with the bins fully collapsed.  Instructions are included, though it’s intuitive enough to figure out without reference.  There is a portion of the instructions describing what to do if a door is misaligned which was not an issue for my review units, but clearly something they are expecting some to contend with.

Setting up the bins are a literal snap.  From the folded configuration, raising the sides, then connecting them to the doors will get you started.

Lift the back panel, connect it to the sides, then drop the lid on top.  One bin fought me a little with getting the lid lined up, and I found ‘resetting’ the sides and front got everything lined back up properly.

And voila!  A storage bin is born.

Performance

Well, they certainly can hold things!

Initially, we started with the bins in the kid’s playroom, expecting them to house the myriad of stuffed animals my daughter has accumulated.  Ultimately we got better utility from them in the base of her closet to store her books, so that’s where we kept them.  My daughter loves to read and try new books from the library, so now we dedicate one bin just to library books to avoid the due-date scramble of locating them all.

One point of disappointment is, despite the marketing images, there really isn’t a way to ‘hinge’ the top lid.  You can pop it off, sure, though it’s far easier to just go through the front.

When stacked these are pretty sturdy – I would have no hesitation with these covering light duty storage needs.  Just keep in mind the 55lb limit becomes cumulative when stacked, as the base bin will be bearing all of that stacked weight.

What I like

• Ability to easily collapse for storage under beds or otherwise out of the way when not in use.
• Front doors provides accessibility in stacked format.
• Some nice functional touches, like twist lock handles and the shallow pan of the lid for holding things.

What I’d change

• Branding is a bit excessive.
• Wheels are useless on carpet.
• Lack of a hinge in the lid.

Final thoughts

So – let’s just say it: the BROVIEW V6 Collapsible 8.4gal Storage Bins aren’t cheap when compared to a typical storage bin, but I think context is important here.  These are not meant for the basement or garage, and are meant to be ‘visible storage’ in a playroom or living space – i.e. these are a take on modular cubby storage.  This makes me wonder why, in this iteration of the V6, the decision by BROVIEW was made to put their branding as prominently on the front as they did.  It detracts from the look, and really the look is where that value is driven from.

Utility wise, they’re certainly up to task.  There will come a day where we only need one or two bins, and being able to fold down the ones we don’t need to store away without much fuss is a nice touch.

All in all, if you like the look, these are fit to purpose and should do fine for light duty storage needs.

Price: 1 bin – $45 / 3 bins – $70 / 4 bins – $115
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by BROVIEW.