Description
From the manufacturer
The dustbuster AdvancedClean cordless handheld vacuum is designed with a rotating slim nozzle, an extendable crevice tool, and a flip-up brush for whole-home cleaning and access to out-of-reach areas. The translucent dirt bowl lets you see the dirt level, so you’ll always know when to empty it.
The design for keeping the vacuum in storage is just terrible and poorly thought out. Had the vacuum itself not be a good performer, I would have returned the whole thing.
One thing to note is that you can't attach the nozzle to the long tube. Please keep that in mind. It is also perfect for cleaning interior of cars. This cleaner will be a slick buy around $100.
I’m a mom of 3 very young children and I am constantly vacuuming our floors that are all wood and tile floors. This thing quickly sucks up the crumbs dirt and whatever else hits the floor. I also used it to vacuum the lint trap on the dryer and it worked great! I have rugs as well by my front door and in the kitchen and it worked well on those. The battery lasted long enough for me to do all of the floors and lint trap before the power light started to blink. A little longer battery life and just a little more suction and I would give this full stars all the way around. Price was a little up there I thought but we will see how long it lasts.
This Dust Buster keeps on going. Still holding a charge VERY WELL and has not lost an ounce of suction power. I'm planning to add another one to the garage, and possibly adding more so that there is one on each floor of the house. Really amazing design and usefulness.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Purchased in Nov 2012, writing this review in Jan 2014. Its my first video, but of all the products I've reviewed on Amazon, this one deserves an extra star.
We had a Black and Decker Dust Buster when they first came out (sometime around 1987). You would charge it up, and right after it got off the charger, it could suck up sawdust, but the battery would drain quickly, and suction power would lower until it barely made a noise and you couldn't feel the air moving into it.
The Lithium Ion battery changes all that. When it is on, it is on at full blast, with the ability to suck up everything that fits in the tube. I've run it hard over the past year, and about 60 seconds before the battery dies, I can hear the sound reducing and you know it is almost out of juice -- That has only happened when I intentionally left it off the charger overnight in my garage in sub-freezing temps, then was doing woodworking and turned it back on to clean up a huge mess of sawdust. When it is out of juice, it just plain turns off. Much more satisfying than slowly sucking at lower power. But with day-to-day use, and always putting it back on the charger, I've never had it run out.
What you WILL find with this dust buster is that your home vacuum gets used a lot less. :) This thing is about as addictive as a power washer. Once you turn it on, good luck putting it down; it is so satisfying to use and works so well, that I inevitably work around the room I'm in and suck up everything else I see on the floor, surfaces, baseboards and so on. In fact, while I was thinking about this review, I was trying to remember a time where I only vacuumed up the ONE THING that I was planning to suck up, and couldn't remember a time where I DIDN'T go around and clean up other things. It really is fun to use and the house is just naturally cleaner as a result. When you have the right tool for the job, any job can be fun, and this is the absolute right tool for the job. Right now I'm saving up to add one to the garage and other to the basement so that I always have one close at hand. Our upright vacuum now only comes out when we want to do the deep cleaning, about once a month.
I use it for cleaning up spills while baking, cleaning up the table (chairs and floor) after the kids eat, I suck lint off the couch, clean up sawdust in the garage, suck up ash from the fireplace, suck up paper cuttings and stickers the kids leave on the floor. The list goes on.
Another thing I have to mention is how easy it is to disassemble and clean. The filter system is great. I'm only now looking at replacing the filters, though I probably should have done this every six months. I keep it very clean by emptying the container, but also taking apart the filters and rinsing or brushing them out. I've seen a lot of vacuums meet ash or sawdust and immediately spray particles in the air, but this vacuum does not. It does an amazing job of containing very fine dust particles, which in turn raises your confidence to suck up anything and everything you see.
The only two things anyone in the world could complain about are the noise and the LED light. I throw out both of those arguments as pointless, but I'll address them. The noise is loud. In the video you'll see that it gets up to 98 decibels. That is louder than conversation, about as loud as a Subway. The pitch of the noise is probably what some people object to. It has a higher pitch noise - closer to a weed whacker than a Harley - but the decibel level is what I'd expect for truly awesome suction power.
The other thing people complain about is how bright the LED is. I'll give them that. It surprised me. You can see the blue glow outside the window of our kitchen. But if this does bother you, get out a Sharpie or some model paint and put a couple of dabs on it to either block or diffuse the brightness.
Neither complaint should hold you back from getting this thing. If I had to choose this or an upright vacuum I'd choose this, or two of these.
UPDATED 2/16/2014: It looks like you can replace the batteries if they ever die. Not easily, but if you have a multimeter and you really wanted to, the batteries are easy to get out and are stored in a nice battery pack. I uploaded another video to YouTube here: [...]
Pros:
Light weight
Great suction
Sits on charger all the time so you never have to worry about it being fully charged
Cons:
They haven’t updated the filter. Lint and hair get woven into the fabric making it difficult to clean.
Remember tho that this does not have suction like regular vacuums, this picks up with the rolling of the brushes.
I plug it in every night, use it for a hour or so, when done plug it in again. Very easy to clean out dirt bin. Just lift up and out and shake out debris and push back into place.
Yes, the outside gets dirty, but I expected that. No big deal.
Pretty impressed for the price and what I use it for.
It is lightweight, the suction is great and it glides easily without much effort!
Run and get it NOW! It is worth every dime!
Admittedly, the bar is low for me. Had a basic model 10 yrs ago: no suction, wrist brace heavy, died 3 mos. later. Until now, I was done. Love how light it is (2.6 lbs), reaching into corners is nothing; obviously, on/off switch; charging light + impossible to overcharge; suction even worked on greasy air vent fuzz (anemometer airflow 1700+ ft per min, means zero to me).
Things to consider: I’ve used 3x. Charge time - 4 hrs., runs only 8 mins. Used on bare floors + furniture, not carpet and no pets; charging plate, no wall charger; brush can’t be used w/ extension.
I cut his hair shorter and also brushed his hair while giving him treats so he can get used to the machine. I am happy so far.
He is an Australian Shepherd.
A little too maneuverable, it’s a little squirrelly 4/5
One of the attachments broke (pictured) so i give it 2/5
We don’t have pets so I can’t speak on that but it picks up after a crumb dispensing 4 year old like no one’s business
So if your looking for a quick cleanup “sweeper vacuum” get this!
my mom just bought one after she saw mine!
It's not the most powerful (it can't really vacuum fabric/rugs that effectively) and it's about as loud as a regular push vacuum, but I adore this vacuum for neating up. I have a husky and three cats, and this thing has saved me from sweeping up all that hair. Easy to open up and empty -- you can remove the nozzle from the canister and the canister from the base and access the debris from both sides, so nothing gets stuck.
Charges quickly and I like having the dedicated base for it. Has honestly made me so much happier in my house. Great price too!
On another subject, I ordered a new vacuum right here with Prime, and 4 days later it hasn't even shipped yet, and they changed my delivery date to 10 days from when I ordered.
So… my verdict : if you can tolerate the noisiness of a regular vacuum, and would be glad not to lug it around to pick up a bunch of breadcrumbs or a bit of dog hair - you may have a winner on your hands.
PS: I can’t speak for the longevity of the battery (but seems decent considering that I have used it a few times off of a single charge).
Suggestion: if it’s 2 am and your loved ones are sound asleep and you randomly decide that the dust bunnies near the bathroom door (I am assuming you got up to take a leak) are bugging the hell out of you and you feel compelled to use your new and compact gadget: don’t!
Use a broom or wait till the morning. Unless of course you have been feeling resentful towards your family and are annoyed that they can comfortably sleep through the night while you have to get up to urinate multiple times. In that case, fire this bad boy up!
I love the stand it comes with… a little unsteady, but it does it’s job. Better than leaning it against the wall and falling over.
The only downside is the battery, but I think that’s the case with most of these shark wandvacs. You can maybe use it for 10 minutes straight, then on the charger it goes. OR, if using it for a quick minute here and there, you can go a couple days without charging.
If you’re debating this Shark, just get it. It does it’s job. Especially if you’re just wanting this for small cleanups. I would not suggest this as a replacement to a full size vacuum, though.
The red cells are the originals, the brown cells and are the new upgraded cells that i installed in March 2020.
Additionally a few weeks ago i dissembled the the detachable tube and scrubbed up all the pieces in the tub with Dawn Dish Soap and Magic eraser sponge.
The vacuum still vacuums i clean ruse the filers, i have an air compressor to blow them out and then after a while i empty the vacuum blow out the holes in the back.
i do this maintained because it still works well. it also sounds like a ripper with these beefy new batteries.
P.S my spot welds on the new battery suck, it was my first time and jerry rigged a spot welder with a copper nail and broken starter solenoid and a used car battery
EDIT: i replaced ALL four cells, that was just a comparison pic, do not mix new and old used 18650s.
Blue and White 16 Volt
Great: The ON BUTTON STAYS on so you don’t need to press it the whole time while vacuuming
Great: Dust and dirt stays sealed inside and DOES NOT blow out of the back
Excellent suction for 20 MINUTES
1. NEXT: clean out the dirt: Easily detach the vac unit and seat it onto the CHARGING STATION: the BLUE LIGHT goes on to show charging-even though the dirt container is not attached-- (it seems WOBBLY on the charging station but it is fine)
2. Shake/tap/pull out the dirt from the 3 DIRT TANK pieces (see photo) —it is NOT MESSY—you can do it in the house. Take apart and RINSE off the 3 middle pieces —(SO EASY) and let them dry while the unit re-charges.
- Lightweight, and very COMFORTABLE AND BALANCED handheld unit
- Built-in crevice tool is always attached and so convenient (and it’s easy to clean)
-Perhaps a little noisy
I love the convenience of my new vac and have used it several times. I would highly recommend it for the suction and price.
Now I’ve used the vac a lot for 2 months--it’s great.
I was a little concerned over some of the cons other people wrote—but I am still thrilled: Maybe all cordless lithium battery vacs have the same problems—I don’t know.
(I’m wondering if the lower reviews are because the 3 dirt cups are not being fully rinsed and cleaned out.
Other reviewers: “The battery seemed less and less effective starting at two months, and now appears to be half as effective as it was when I purchased the vacuum”
“After 3 months, this vacuum is no longer appropriate for cleaning upholstery.”
One person asked me how to clean the vents--I don’t know the answer--maybe use another vac and suck the back of the machine out? take the machine apart? Maybe somebody knows and can answer.
Keep in mind for the update: I am meticulous with my machines and appliances-I treat them well and deep clean them often to increase their longevity.
At home: I use wood pellets and pine shavings as cat litter. When the cat pushes her litter outside the boxes, this Bissell cleans up the spray quickly. Also fantastic on large area rugs, for quick spit-n-polish efforts between more complete cleanings.
Charge seems to give me plenty of time for any job i've given it!
We have 2 Huskys hair everywhere !
—- First the good —-
It’s nicely designed, clean lines, very light and pretty quiet (dog test, the dogs didn’t go crazy).
Decent suction - I did a test the suction with small dog kibble and it sucked them up on the first pass (see the video), just like it’s corded cousin. It sucked up dust bunnies in the corners.
As other reviewers stated it’s basically a Dust Buster with a long attachment available. It has kind of a futuristic look to it.
It’s easy to empty, just push the button, however it stays connected and only flips open.
—- Not as good —-
Passive floor Nozzle - As stated In the description it has a “passive” floor nozzle. As you can see in the picture it’s literally a wide head attached to the suction, no brushes, just plastic bristles, no lights. It worked when the dirt was near the center, a bit less so when by the edges (but better than I thought it would). It didn’t do much on the area rug, so would not buy this if you have any carpets or if you want to vacuum your car carpets.
Pretty small dust bin. It says it’s large, I guess it might be for a dust buster but not for a stick vacuum.
It is all plastic, and shiny plastic, so the dust really sticks to it due to static electricity.
As others mentioned it cannot stand on its one, but many others can either so not a big deal.
Battery - it lasted about 30 minutes, however it will degrade over time, all batteries do. I just don’t think a cordless is an ideal primary vacuum yet.
Super happy💯👍
The charging cord just plugs into the top of the vacuum and not in the base stand.
I'm pretty pleased with it for 3 months of daily use.
I like the simplicity, nothing fancy going on here, just turn it on.
The dust bin is a decent size for a 20 minute quick vac over 1800 square feet of solid surface flooring and throw rugs. No issues with the flooring but you'll only be pulling the vac over rugs not pushing and it does an OK job not great on rugs or carpet.
The suction is good for me, I can pick up a penny with the floor attachment but you'll have to position it over the center of the head closer to the vacuum port.
I like the quick release button to go from floor to handheld, it's very quick and not hard to push.
Now the push button for emptying the dust bin, should be quick release, but mine takes 2 hands to open it. But once it's open the hinged bin flops back, and the way it's designed you won't be fishing out any pet hair clumps with your fingers, just a tap on the side of the trash can and everything drops out.
I don't use the crevice tool, since it isn't on board, and I haven't tried to vacuum my car with it.
I do like how swiftly it moves in almost every position, and low profile enough to get under even low to the ground furniture.
I haven't been cautious or treated this gingerly. It's been getting a workout while doing some remodeling, I'll try to pick any construction or demolition debris it will take in and surprisingly it picks up alot.
This has been dropped slid through and jammed in all our remodel mess and not once did I need to clean the filter, which reminds me I should do.
I'm pretty pleased with it, and for most messes I grab this 1st unless it involves liquid.
My apologies, I typically take photos of an item when new so you can see what you're getting and didn't, but this time you'll get to see just how neglected and abused this has been.
Hopefully this was helpful, Thank you!
That's this vacuum. It has, most importantly, good suction. Not stupendous suction. Not corded-vacuum-replacement suction, but very good suction. It's far better than my Lynx and as good as some cordless vacuums I have that cost twice as much. You can also take off the wand and use the body of the vacuum as a short dustbuster-type handheld vacuum.
The thing you need to remember about this vacuum is that its floor attachment does not contain a powered beater brush but has the kind of unpowered floor brush typically used on hard surfaces. And on those surfaces it does better than most beater-brush floor attachments. On carpets it can do fairly well picking up surface dirt, but it does not do as well with tangled or entrenched dirt.
One of the advantages of this vacuum is that, lacking a powered beater, the floor brush fits under my sofas where vacuums with bigger/taller beater brushes can't reach.
All-in-all, a useful little vacuum, especially at its modest price.
Had this for a few weeks now and I Love it love it love it! Definitely would recommend to anyone!
Edit: my husband fixed the pole it’s like it never came apart lol I love my bissel turbo chargeable sweeper I named her Lucy lol OOOHHH and works amazing on hardwood floors as well!!!!
I feel for the price ( and the fact it is NOT a suction vacuum) it sweeps up better than I had expected, it is fantastic! I opted for Amazon's extended warranty because I did read many reviews about the battery not lasting long.
Not only does it work excellent for cheerios, pet hair is no problem either.
It has super suction, and long life battery. 3 days but depends on the size of your house and how long it runs.
See the pictures of how well it picks up and just since the clear dust keep at your sink and your ready to go for the next time.
I just purchased another one so my granddaughter has one for her room. Great for teenagers.
This has been used primarily to clean out the car and for the kids to vacuum the floor and stairs with.
Battery lasts about half an hour on a full charge. Comparable to a couple of other mini vacuums I have.
Long hair tends to get tangled in the brush attachment and cluster in the vacuum bowl, so it takes some patience to clean out after the vacuum has been used. The 8 year old and 12 year old weren’t up to that part of the task, so usually one of the adults help out.
The filter got pretty dirty after about 3 month of usage (my friend has a dog and a cat), planning to wash it out this week to see how that holds up after the wash.
Decent vacuum for the price and great for cars, stairs and picking up small messes. Very portable and pretty good suction for its size.
However, after not even 3 months, she noticed the charger was fried and melted. It could easily have caused an electrical fire if it hadn’t been noticed in time.
I contacted bissell support and never heard back. I did however find a replacement charger on amazon that says it fits this model. I’ll soon find out.
Handheld Mini Vacuum Cleaner, NUWA Portable Car Vacuum Cleaner Hand Vac Rechargeable - USB Charging Cable (Blue)
died after only 7 months.
I was able to find the OEM wall-hanger at Walmart which took two attempts to get straight enough to suit me—a toothpick helped (which you DIY folks will understand).
I searched for this because I found it time-consuming to get it settled properly on its base which didn't hold it securely anyway. It's hanging upside down, of course, which necessitates placing the charging base on top which isn't much better but at least no bipeds or quadrupeds living here knock it over on the way into the bathroom. This hanger has a narrow channel on the right into which the cord is meant to be tucked away when its hanging. Doing so keeps all but the plug end fairly tidily out of sight. As you can see, the hooks serve as a holder when the hand-vac is in use—my idea, not B&D's.
Charging seemed to take excessively long either on the floor or hanging since I've never run the battery down, but that might just be my impression. To be on the safe side I weight the base down with a conveniently-sized jar of
Mold Builder Liquid Latex Rubber 16oz/473ml
—that I haven't used yet, fearing for my cat's life until I can open the windows—for better contact. What's another ugly object there? Although I could cover the label with this
Peel & Stick Border Sticker Phoenix Solid Beige Contact Paper Self-adhesive Border Roll SG29(4801-4) : 3.93 inch X 16.40 feet
purchased to keep this
Chicwrap Cook's Tools Refillable Plastic Wrap Dispenser/Slide Cutter
from screaming, Look at me! Look at me! on the counter top. Hmmm. So many options. Such fun.
Well, the important thing is getting the litter cleaned up and this hand-vac does it well!
Update_2019-08-14: considering how well I maintain this unit to keep it working optimally it's very disappointing to have a fully charged vacuum less than 18 mos old repeatedly shut off after less than 5 minutes of use. Because I deal with cat hair & litter I usually wash everything washable once a week and have backup parts of all but that motor so that I can put the vacuum back in use immediately if need be. Fortunately, before I hit Submit I thought to check w/B&D and an under warranty replacement is now in process.
This Black + Decker cordless hand vacuum is a household necessity if you have kids, pets, or other messy creatures in your house! It has a 16 volt (maximum) lithium battery that has "strong suction and fade free power." The hand vacuum comes with a charging base that needs to sit on a horizontal surface so the vacuum will face up. It comes with a flip-up brush, crevice tool, and washable filter. The filter and bowl are washable and fairly easy to keep clean. The specifications taken from the box are :
Volts 16V Max (normal is 14.4)
Bowl Capacity 20.6 ounces
Replacement Filter VF110
Weight 2.7 pounds
All parts for this hand vacuum are made in China.
We purchased this hand vacuum about a year ago and it still works great! I've had nothing but success with it and we use it at least three times a day. I've used it to clean under the table, the chairs, the furniture, and my car. The suction power is pretty good and it cleans up crumbs and cat hair really well. I like that I can just flip up the brush if I need to use it. It is loud so I wouldn't recommend using it when the kids are in bed but it also cleans up messes really well so I'll take the loud noise!
I am still using the original filter and it appears to be in good shape. When the suction power isn't as good, it's been a good indicator that I need to clean out the filter and bowl. The bowl is see-through so you can also see how full it is. To clean out the bowl, you press the two buttons on the side of the vacuum and it pops off. I just empty mine into a garbage can. Then, you pop it back on and just make sure both sides are fastened securely.
I've had this hand vacuum off the charger for up to an hour and used it off and on. Occasionally, I can hear that the battery needs to be drained but I've never had it die on me and I just put it back on the charger when I'm not using it. At first I thought it was strange that it stood up to charge but it's also a great space-saver!
Overall, I'm very happy with this hand vacuum and I'm so glad I finally got this one! We've had it for almost a year and it's worked out great for us. The only con I've found is that it's loud but the benefits outweigh that and I feel this is a great choice if you need a hand vacuum. I use this several times a day and feel it's a necessity if you have kids, pets, or just need to keep a hand vacuum in your home to clean up. I'll update this review if my views on it change but as of right now, I love this and highly recommend it!
But after 3.5 years of light-duty use (under five minutes run time each week) my CHV1410L vacuum's battery died. Unfortunately the battery is NOT a user-replaceable item. That's a shame because the vacuum still looks new. And it would be wasteful to toss it in the trash just because Black & Decker didn't design this appliance so we could change the battery pack. For this reason the vacuum only gets 3 stars from me.
Fortunately I have many years experience working on electronic equipment. I have rebuilt a few lithium battery packs too. So I decided to replace my vacuum's batteries. This is not a project for the average person, so skip this idea if you are not familiar with lithium battery safety.
I disassembled the vacuum by removing six screws. Once inside I found that the battery pack can be removed by unplugging a connector. As luck would have it, the battery pack's plastic case is held together by two plastic tabs that snap apart. Inside the case are four (4) 18650 size lithium batteries and the cell charge protection circuit board.
The rebuilding process was straight forward. I used four 18650 high current flat top cells (rated 20A continuous operation). These type of cells are found in some high capacity vaping devices. While soldering the cells it is critical to avoid overheating them. I used a temperature controlled iron, added flux, and worked fast to minimize the heat dwell time. The cells I used came from Amazon, but the vendor removed the listing shortly after I purchased them (so I'm unable to provide a link).
I don't intend this review to be a battery rebuilding instructable. Instead, I'm here to say that the battery will probably last 3-4 years and then your vacuum will become another electronic landfill waste item. This problem isn't limited to this product, but such a shame that manufacturers don't do more to break us from modern society's throw-away habits.
EDIT Dec-12-2022: It's been many years since I wrote my original review. Just wanted to come back and report that I'm still using the Black & Decker cordless vacuum, which is nearly 10 years old. The rebuilt battery pack is still going strong too. Perhaps I'll return in another five years and report similar good news. :)
So...I must update my review one more time due to the battery life of this hand vacuum. Changing my five stars to a three stars review due to the fact that the vacuum died within a minute of use after less than 2 years of usage. It’s still a three star review as I have very mixed feelings about the hand vac. I absolutely loved using this vacuum before the battery died but now it just won’t work for more than maybe 30-60 seconds at a time before I have to charge it again. And also, the charging station doesn’t light up anymore (the round ring light) while charging. I’m not sure if the charging station is the problem or not but the battery life is definitely a problem.
To be fair, we did heavily use the hand vac for the last two years and we have several pets who shed. It might be possible that the hand vac might have lasted longer if it wasn’t for all the pet hair that it had to deal with? Again, not sure on that either but I definitely have mixed feelings now. Probably will try another hand vacuum instead of repurchasing this one due to the short battery life. I did find a YouTube video showing how to replace the battery but it looked rather complicated and more involved than I would like to deal with and the replacement battery was not cheap on its own. Hopefully the battery issue gets fixed because I really adored this hand vac so much while it was functioning normally!
———————————————————
Update:
I originally reviewed the product in July 2017 and now it is May 2018. So I figure I would do an updated review!
My vacuum is still going strong after a little shy of a year. It works well and still has pretty good suction. I use it almost every day with my dogs fur and two bunnies (yes we have two bunnies now instead of just a lonely one!) shedding their fur and their little bunny pebble poops. I really don't have a lot of complaints because it's still here and getting used. However, to comment on the battery life, it does seem like the hand vac dies a little faster than it used to but I don't think it's a dramatic change. Definitely not enough to really complain about or knock down a star. I keep it on the charger all the time unless I use it and I'm not sure if that hurt the battery life or not.
The other thing I have noticed is that the vacuum does get clogged if you try to suction up various larger debris. For me, that's usually torn up cardboard box pieces or hay because my bunnies eat a lot of hay and they can get messy. I have to use my small fingers to claw out the clumped hay that gets stuck in the airway but I now know to not use it on certain things that will clog up the hand vac.
Aside from that, I think this is a great hand vac. It's easy to clean out and charge and fairly light and powerful. My dad liked it so many when he tried it which cleaning out his car seats so I brought another one for him.
------------- Original review: -------------
So I was worried about buying this hand vacuum because some of the reviews said the suction isn't very strong and/or it dies fast and doesn't stay charged. I've used this vacuum for about a week now and I really like it. I have two dogs who always tracks dirts inside when they go out and come back and a rabbit who sheds insanely.
This hand vacuum is strong enough to get its job done! It's light enough for me to use and I can get corners that my regular vacuum and Roomba can't get to. Maybe it may or may not be strong enough to vacuum your car seats or trunk super clean but strong enough for regular house dust, dirt, and animal fur and hair. It extends out so you can reach higher ceilings and what not too.
It's not the most quiet thing but the noise doesn't bother me. Watch the video if you're wondering how loud it is.
I will try to do a review a year from now and see if the battery still lasts as well.
WHAT IS IN THE BOX: One hand held cordless Dust Buster vacuum and charging base. The vacuum operates on a lithium battery which is included.
WHAT I LIKE: The battery on this hand held vacuum lasts longer than I do. I almost always give out before I burn through the battery.
I can suck up lots of stink bugs before I have to empty the vacuum.
Emptying the vacuum chamber is simple. The “quick” empty normally allows me to get rid of all the bugs, but when I have a stubborn batch, I can get at them from the filter side of the chamber as well.
The reusable filter washes up easily under running water.
I love not having to worry about a cord!!! An organic farmer friend told me he uses a shop vac to eradicate his stink bug population, but I don’t have an outlet anywhere near my garden.
I love being able to leave the vacuum on the charger at all times without destroying the battery. I always have full power available.
WHAT I DON’T LIKE: I really wish this vacuum exerted strong enough pressure to kill the bugs as I sucked them into it. I hate dealing with live bugs when cleaning the chamber.
PICTURES: I am including pictures of the vacuum full of stink bugs as well as a shot of stink bugs in the garden.
VIDEO: I am including a video demonstrating how well this hand held vacuum sucks bugs off my plants and even the debris covered ground.
This is a great little vacuum. It does a great job sucking up stink bugs as they cling to leaves and straw and I can only imagine how great it would be at cleaning up stuff that doesn’t resist being sucked into it. Definitely a great purchase!
It's been 10 years since I last had bought a B&D and I am not disappointed with this design and functionality. There was a $10 off manufacturer's rebate and I got this for $40 which I think was a great deal.
I've only used this device to clean the inside of my car. This handheld vacuum has strong power to pickup dirt, small leaves, and cereal crumbs. The crevice tool helps to get to the side areas that I can't reach with just the front nozzle. The brush is attached to the machine for easy no fuss storage and the bristles are short and sturdy to brush out the lint from the car carpets. However, I don't suggest to use this B&D in your home on thick long fibered carpets. Use a heavy duty vacuum for larger cleanups. A great buy and would definitely recommend to purchase for students who dorm.
Battery life is long enough lasting about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. When charging, there is a illuminated blue light at the base which tells you when the charge is full. Approximate length to charge (1-1/2 hours). Otherwise, (Blinking light=charging, Solid light=charged up).
Attached is a photo of the filter disassembled. The gray cylinder domed cup twist off to reveal the filter underneath. Not sure whether there is a replacement filter that consumers can buy when the filter gets too grimy to clean, but so far, it's just a rinse with some effort to clean any small hairs or debris.
Noise level is a notch lower than a regular heavy duty vacuum, but it shows the strength of the unit. Time will tell how long the mechanics will keep going. I would say clean the filter often so the airflow is good and does not overwork the mechanism.
No broken parts, battery still holds a decent charge (I get about 20 minutes of uninterrupted vacuuming out of it at this point, which is more than enough for small cleanups), and the vacuum basically functions as it did when I purchased it.
This appears to be a solid product with a reasonable price point and proven durability, so it still gets 5 stars from me.
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Original review below:
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After several negative experiences with other vacuums, I wanted to wait to do a long-term review of this product because, for me, how a vacuum cleaner holds up to prolonged use is more important than my first impressions. I have now been using this vacuum for 2 years, so I feel pretty confident in giving this product 5 stars (i.e. I love it, with a few minor nitpicks).
Why I bought this vacuum: I wanted something to quickly pick up small amounts of debris without having to haul out the much heavier and more cumbersome upright vacuum. I keep it plugged into its dock in the main living area, so I can quickly grab it whenever needed.
Things I love: After buying this vacuum, I got golden retriever puppy, so it's safe to say that about 90% of what I'm vacuuming up nowadays has some amount of dog hair in it. Even though I didn't buy this for handling pet hair, this vacuum handles it flawlessly. In fact, I frequently use it to grab up the stray tumbleweeds of dog hair that often migrate into the various corners of the house (pet people you've probably dealt with this before). You'll need something much more powerful to get the pet hair out of carpets and furniture, but for hardwood floors, tile and other hard surfaces, it works great.
For those who don't have pets, there's still plenty of uses for this thing. I use it to grab stray crumbs on the kitchen floor in between deep cleanings. It's great at picking up small leaves and dirt that get tracked in near the doorways. During the Christmas season, this vacuum is my go-to for picking up the Christmas tree needles which inevitably end up scattered everywhere (much like the dog hair!)
So, in summary, I'd say that the vacuum is absolutely great for cleaning small to moderate amounts of debris off of pretty much any type of hard surface. I wouldn't recommend using it to clean pet hair or debris out of carpets or upholstery, although it can do so, provided it's not embedded very deeply.
Cleaning: The vacuum is bagless and can be disassembled into 5 pieces for cleaning which you can see in the photo. It's a pretty straightforward process since most of the pieces are plastic. There's a cloth filter which can also be cleaned or replaced, as needed. The filter pops out and can be emptied into a trash bin, the full disassembly is only required if you want to clean all the parts (I tend to do this after 2-3 times of just emptying the cartridge). After cleaning, I like to put a couple of drops of essential oils (peppermint, etc) on the filter, which gives the room a nice smell while vacuuming. So far the filter and all internal parts have held up well with only cosmetic damage from scuffs, etc.
Cons: There's not much to mention here, but a couple small things worth noting:
1. The top of the vacuum cleaner is one solid piece that has to be clipped into the rest of the body of the vacuum. It can sometimes seem like it is locked in but, if you do not do this correctly, the end will fall off during vacuuming. This can be annoying, as you have to stop and re-attach it again. I'd recommend future models include a better locking mechanism, or at least something that holds together a bit better.
2. Battery life is good; however after 2 years of moderate to heavy use, I get about 10 minutes of solid vacuuming before the battery dies out. I'd say this represents an overall degradation of about 50%, given that, when new, the vacuum could handle about 20 minutes before needing a recharge. This is, of course, a rough estimation, and I haven't compared performance to other vacuum models, just something to be aware of. It doesn't bother me much given that I only use it for small amounts of debris and not for vacuuming the entire house at once.
Who would I recommend this for?
-Anyone who has hard floors or surfaces they want to clean, without the hassle of a full-size vacuum.
-Dorm use
-Studio apartments
-People with pets who want a quick way to get hair out of their (non-carpeted) surfaces
It was easy to assemble, easy to read instructions, put together in under a minute. Plugged it in and let it charge. Easy to use, lightweight, even my 3 year old son is able to use it. So far I've used it on kitchen tile and hardwood floors. Easy to clean - the canister pops off with minimal pressure - all the dirt is caught inside until you are ready to dump it out (see the picture).
Is great to use even around baseboards. It works so well I am going to get one for my mom! It's great for cleaning up dog hair and with huskies I vacuum A LOT. A million times better than a broom and it's from a company with a name you can trust. Definitely recommend.