Customer Reviews

Black and Decker CHV9600 9.6-Volt Cyclonic DustBuster

5 star:		(102)
4 star:		(52)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I was very leary about buying a Dustbuster due to previous issues I had, but I must say that after using this vac for the last week, I am in love with Dustbuster again.

This Dustbuster has great suction and power. I really put this vac to the test by using it on various surfaces from ceramic tile to carpet to furniture. I didn't have very high expectations for carpet or furniture, but this little vac really surprised me. I used it to clean my stairs and it did a better job than our regular vacuum or Shark cleaner ever had. And with the help of the brush attachment, it worked great at removing cat hair from the furniture which is not an easy task to complete (those with pets know exactly what I am talking about). I even cleaned my car and my daughter's car seat with the attachments and it sucked up every crumb!

The only things that I have not liked are the weight (it is a tad heavy for long cleaning periods) and the noise factor (it is fairly loud and scares my toddler). Also the machine is a little bulky, so it doesn't fit too well into tight spaces without the attachments. But this isn't too much of a problem since the attachments are located right under the vac itself, so it is hard to lose and very convenient to use them.

You can clean this vac in a snap. I love the cyclonic filter that traps more dirt than the traditional Dustbuster. Even washing the filter is easy, it just comes apart and washes in warm, soapy water. And with the clear container, you know exactly when to empty it.

If you are looking for a powerful little vac that is versitile enough to use anywhere in the house, then I would highly recommend this Dustbuster. It really makes cleaning easier!

***Update 11/05/06: Well after almost 2.5 years of owning this Dustbuster, I am sorry to report that it is on it's last leg. The battery will not hold a charge for more than 5 minutes, but it still has good suction while it works. We put this Dustbuster through the ringer with 2 little messy kids and a cat. It was abused at times when my toddler got a hold of it...she dropped it many times by trying to help but it still continuted to work. It was used virtually everyday and it held up better than I expected it to. I doubt anyone expects a Dustbuster to last forever, but I was happy with its performance over the past 2 years. I would still recommed this product, but just be aware that it's life span is only a couple years at best. Happy shopping!

Many reviews here complained about the battery/charger lifespan. It's unfortunate that most people don't understand rechargeable batteries well and the manufacturer fails to provide the info.

This handvac uses NiCd rechargeable batteries, which perform best if fully discharged periodically. It's due to the so called "memory effect", meaning the battery "remembers" the depth of the normal discharges and adjusts its capacity accordingly. So if you usually run your vac for half a minute before placing it back to its charging base, its capacity will go down to half minute soon.

The base can be wall mounted and tempts you to charge your vac after each use. I'd suggest you leave the base unplugged until the battery quits. Then unplug again after charging overnight. This should keep the battery in good condition for years.

In the first few months of owning this DustBuster, you will probably think it is truly amazing and wonder why you didn't buy one before. We did. In fact, we liked it so much that we bought a second one so that we could have one in our basement and one easily available on our first floor. However, within the first year of ownership we watched the battery performance degrade to the point where they are now useless. When you turn one on you have maybe 20-30 seconds or so of sucking power and then you just listen to the motor wind down... and basically not be able to pick up anything.

This *might* be okay if there were some way to replace the battery, but sadly it is a sealed case and so it looks like we'll just have to junk these units, which is a complete shame and waste.

The convenience of the Dustbuster is great, but we'll now be looking for one that: a) uses Lithium-Ion batteries so that there is no memory issue; and/or b) has replaceable batteries in the event it really dies.

Like I said at the beginning, we found these units to be great vacuum cleaners... until the battery died. (I would note that some of the older reviews are reporting the same issue.)

My apartment is all hardwood except for some short-pile carpet on the stairs. Cat hair and grit accumulates on the carpet, but I didn't want to buy a full-sized vacuum just for stairs, and I also wanted a cordless item for convenience. I was worried at first I would need a vacuum with a rotating brush for carpet, but then I thought about how they always just get clogged up with hair (especially my long hair that gets everywhere). So I gave this Dustbuster a try, and I am very very happy with it - in fact I think it is now my favourite cleaning tool.

It picks up all the cat hair, dust and grit on the short pile carpet, sucks up dust bunnies, cat litter, cat food bits, food crumbs. I now use it arounjd the litterbox every morning and in the bathroom to get the dust behind the toilet, I use it on the sofa to get rid of the cat hair (which it does well with the included upholstry brush attachment) and to get those dust bunnies that accumulate behind the electronics around cords. It also works great to clean computer keyboards and in the car for the air vents, carpets and upholstry.

It has plenty of power, and it's light enough and well balanced so it's easy to use, and sucks up everything!

I've been using this for over 6 months. I'm very pleased with every penny I spent.

I first bought this smallish vac to just clean my desk and drawers and such in my room. There the thing worked great, already.

Incidentally (and unfortunately), I also have to use this room as "sort-of-woodworking-room", even though the floor is carpeted. (I live in an apartment and I'm not supposed to mess with flooring). No matter how carefully I cover the floor with paper etc., the floor under my woodwork bench almost always has some sawdust and such, and my full-size vac couldn't remove the things trapped deep inside the carpet fibers.

Encouraged by the successful desktop use, I tried to clean the floor with this. After some minutes, I was impressed by the amout of dust (that was never caught by larger vac) caught on the filter. This guy is a serious performer with great suction.

I occasionally use this for my car, and if you have kids this is a must. Great for cleaning tiny bread pieces and such, you know.

It's obvious that you don't want to clean the entire floor with this, but I don't hesitate to recommend this to anybody.

Ignore all the reviews below. You'll notice a common writing style here. They're likely all coming from the same person using a pseudo name, no doubt. I too owned this vac for roughly six months, then out of the blue, it just died on me. Wouldn't hold a charge or run for more than a minute at a time. Thankfully, Wal*Mart took it back and gave me a replacement, yet here once again, I'm experiencing problems with either the batteries or the charger. I agree with what Bruce had to say here. All one has to do is read the reviews on other Dustsbusters, or talk to people that have owned them in the past. They have a SERIOUS design flaw with the batteries/charger. I remember when I bought my first Dustbuster back about 16 years ago. It lasted me 10 years, never gave me any problems, and had good suction. Every model I've owned since then has been nothing but trouble for me. Hard-to-find filters, mediocre suction, bad motors, faulty chargers & batteries, just too name a few. And it's not just Dustbusters either, but almost EVERY SINGLE Black & Decker product I've purchased over the years has been substandard. From shoddy wiring to defective parts, their quality control has REALLY gone down the tubes. I also bought a coffee maker that was broken right out the box! (Model ODC-405) I'm going to write a strongly worded letter to the company, and send it registered mail. I'm not only demanding my money back, but I'm requesting that they formally apologize for knowingly selling these faulty products to an unsuspecting public. Throw-away garbage is right. From the product lifespan, to the lack of customer support, they sure aren't the same company I remember from the '80s. Avoid them at all costs.

I bought this just over a year ago and it worked great for the first few months. Now it is worthless, the thing dies within seconds. I am not exaggerating at all, if you started the vac at the same time you started reading this review it would have been dead by now.

Pay attention to the reviewers that have informed you this unit will not last and the battery is not replaceable. I would have given it 5 Stars had I done a review in the first month of ownership. In less than a year of once a week use, you'll hear the motor rpm start dropping as soon as you turn it on. Vacuum power will be worthless in under a minute. Better to donate your money to a worthy cause and help save our landfills. At least I can say this product doesn't suck.

We just got this, my wife was reading the instructions that said to keep away from children and to always wash your hands after using it because this product contains lead!! Are you kidding me? If you read this, PLEASE mark it as helpful so other people can see it too.

Now THIS is the way dustbusters should be made! I've had at least 4 mediocre performing ones in the past, and this one, by far, is the best in every respect. The suction power is absolutely INCREDIBLE, so much so that I use this to clean pet hair and dirt off of stairwell carpets, as well as hard floors or tables. The product also has a clear bin, so you can see the cyclonic action, but more importantly, how full it is in order to empty the bin at the correct intervals. Nice thinking! It comes with an extension crevice tool as well. The rechargeable base is very easy to use, and I like the red LED light on the dustbuster itself, so you can see if it is sitting in its base correctly and in fact charging. Very nice touch. My only concern is how long the built in battery will last before needing a replacement. Since I have only had this product for about a month, it will be a while before I have an answer to that. Otherwise, this impressive dustbuster is a total winner! It is a MAJOR improvement over previous, non-cyclonic models. Buy with confidence.

Update 8/2006: this 'Frank from Toronto' above, who submitted a 1 star review, is delusionary! You know statistically, when the strong majority of the reviews for a product are positive, then come along 2 people who give out a 1-star review, that something is amiss. Maybe Frankie is disgruntled at Black & Decker due to previous bad luck with other B&D products (i've had good luck with mine), or maybe he expected the suction of a 20-amp upright, but it is way off the mark to give this excellent DustBuster such a bad review. And for his ridiculous comment on how there is just one reviewer using different pseudonyms to post many reviews here... clearly the dude forgot to take his meds the day he posted! Folks, don't listen to Frank's review. It is way off the mark and biased. I have had this product a long time now (over a year and a half), and i've NEVER had any problems with it, or the battery capacity or charge time. And I use it daily! This DustBuster flat-out KICKS SERIOUS ARSE!!!