I thought maybe potential purchasers would like to know that the FHV1200 Flex Vac runs for a little over seven minutes continuously before the motor starts to slow down and lose power. (Never run a NiCd powered product completely dead, some of the battery cells will "reverse" and be permanently damaged.) The time to fully recharge after running the vac this long is about 20 hours (figure a full day to keep it simple). The charger is a small wall adapter type.
I think the power is very good for a rechargeable vacuum (a little more than your average "dustbuster"). As an example, it will easily suck up cat litter, small pebbles, and potting soil, but will have trouble sucking up a glass marbles or pennies.
I don't think mine is too loud. It has that high speed "whine" sound combined with the sound of rushing air, but the combination is somewhat muffled. It definitely doesn't sound weak. It almost sounds like a corded vac.
The FHV1200 smaller than you might expect, and the build quality is very good. I'm not normally fond of Black and Decker, but I like this little machine. ...and the blue LED charge light is cool!
Minus one star because it takes a looooong time to recharge...