Customer Reviews

Black & Decker NS118B 18 Volt Cordless Broom Hard Surface Sweeper - Bare Tool (No Battery Or Charger)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Electric Broom is an 18V battery powered sweeper. The standard unit comes with two batteries and one charger. This is NOT the standard unit and is only the bare device and does not come with any batteries or charger. For what it is marketed as this is a very nice piece of equipment.

There have been three reasons that people have traditionally avoided Electric Lawn equipment in favor of the more traditional gas counterparts. Those three reasons are power, price and portability. These objections no longer pose an issue with the 18V Electric Broom.

The objection for more power is not so much overcome by more robust power on this unit as it is by smart marketing. You will notice this unit is NOT marketed as a blower. That is because the unit does not pack enough punch to blow debris and leafs on a lawn. It is strictly good for hard or moderately flat surfaces. The unit is more then powerful to sweep or clear out gullies and other crevices. I am sure one might want a gas powered unit to take clear out a lawn or other non-flat area.

The issue around price is also one that Black and Decker has overcome. The unit is cheap! With gasoline prices were they are this is a price difference that is not unattractive to many of us.

Finally we get to the portability aspect of the trimmer. Being battery powered the unit does not need a cord so there is no limit to its range. The battery lasts about 15 - 20 minutes before the power is noticeably depreciated (using the standard 18 volt battery). Normal usage in most area would be able to utilize the two batteries and complete the work. More in-depth work might require a bit of planning or the purchase of spare batteries. This may be one of the units from Black and Decker that due to the short battery time it may be worth looking at the extended power silver batteries from Black and Decker.

Since this is the third 18 volt battery unit I have purchased from Black and Decker I have become hooked on the 18 volt line. Since the batteries are interchangeable I am always looking at the Black and Decker 18 volt equipment first.

Remember this unit is just the model and no charger or batteries. Don't buy unless you already have batteries and charger. The batteries alone run between $20 and $30 dollars so if you need these you should buy the complete unit for the money.

This is a great unit that is far more eco-friendly then a gas blower although not as powerful. It certainly makes sweeping less of a chore. I can even continue to work in my lawn during Ozone action days now! I recommend without any reservation although price point wise I can't understand why one would not buy the unit with batteries and chargers. It is a better deal unless you have far to many batteries.

When my folks moved into a smaller home we opted to go with battery operated lawn gear. I recently added the Black & Decker NS118B 18 Volt Cordless Broom/Sweeper to their lineup. So far so good.

Out of the box, assembly takes seconds. Just snap the nozzle pieces together and lock it into the slot and you're in business. The dimensions posted on this product's information is wrong. Fully assembled this unit measures 35" long from butt to nozzle tip and not 21". With the battery mounted, total weight is easily 5lbs.

The power switch is ideally mounted and simple to use. With a flick of the thumb you're in business. Unfortunately this model has only one speed and does not come with a charger or battery. It operates off of a B&D 18 volt spring/slide battery. With a fully charged battery I have to rate the air speed high. I enjoy the low noise feature.

According to the enclosed booklet, this model clocks in at 120 mph. I got about 30-45 minutes worth of power in continuous use mode. I noticed the drop off in air output immediately. I got the same result when I attached a new, fully charged battery. I recommend that users pick up an additional back up battery.

As I said earlier, for small properties this tool is ideal. I used it for the sidewalks, front/back porches and the driveway. Its a given that for larger properties its not going to do the job. Overall performance is high. I certainly enjoy the low noise feature. It easily stores on the pegboard hook with the rest of the power tools.

The Black & Decker 18V Sweeper comes with an instruction booklet and a two year limited warranty. I recommend registering this product online vice mailing the form in to take advantage of the manufacturer's offers and newsletters.

Overall, I am very satisfied with this quality tool. It more then meets my needs. Its ideal for small properties.

I purchased this to replace a corded Black and Decker blower, that I was tired of getting the cord out for just to blow off the driveway after mowing. This is not a blower. It is a sweeper.

Make sure you know what you are purchasing and you will be happy. This is to be used instead of a broom. It works great for blowing grass off the driveway or leaves off the back porch.

It would not work like my B&D blower does for blowing the leaves off the yard.

I would buy this product again.

The Cordless Broom Hard Surface Sweeper works as promised. The airflow is sufficient to clear hard surfaces and the battery lasts for about 10 min. which is sufficient to clear off a few hundred square feet. It is light and easy to use. Just don't expect it to replace a corded model.

This blower is nice and lightweight, and it is able to blow our driveway and sidewalks well. It is so nice to have it cordless, and we can interchange our batteries from our other B&D cordless products.

Works exactly as advertised. They don't say it will blow leaves off of the grass. It doesn't. BUT, it does a very good job at blowing grass off of the driveway, porch, steps, whatever. You get what you pay for, and this is worth every penny that you put in it. Doesn't last real long, but I'm old, so neither do I.

This product will clear off any lawn debris, even wet grass clippings, off concrete on the first try. The blower does go thru a fully charged battery pretty quickly (less than 10 minutes), but I can sweep my front sidewalk, front walkway with steps, 130' roadside curb and 80' driveway (both edges) with two fully charged 18 volt batteries. It does what I expected.

NOTE: This review is for the Black & Decker Blower that came as part of a package with 2 batteries + Cordless String Trimmer too. (I think the blowers are the same, however.)

One major factor in my purchase decision was that I owned the Black & Decker 18 volt hedge trimmer too. This allows me to use the same batteries and chargers. The package I purchased included the B&D Cordless String Trimmer (AKA, Weed Whacker), so the price and value was excellent.

This blower is not as powerful a corded B&D blower I had, but that is an advantage as the corded blower was so powerful it blew rocks out of my gravel walkway and patio area. The B&D Cordless Blower, is much lighter and blows plenty hard enough to sweep away leaves, sticks & other light debris, which is what I want. The battery lasts about 10 - 20 mins, and since I now have 3 (the 2 that shipped with the package + 1 from my B&D Cordless Hedge Trimmer) I can quickly swap a new battery in as it starts to die. The only disadvantage I can think of over my corded B&D blower was that it could also 'suck' as a vacuum and had a tube and tie-able shroud that could fit over a trashcan for automatically depositing the shredded leaves (from going through the blower blade). Thus, the B&D Cordless Blower does not suck (bad pun & double meaning intended!)

NOTE: I use this blower to flatten (completely discharge) a battery before charging. This is VERY IMPORTANT to do with Nickel Cadmium batteries, as these are, due to the Ni-Cd's "Memory Effect". Generally this takes about 5 - 10 mins, during which the breeze it puts out is not strong or dangerous. Once it stops, I put the battery in the charger.

Having read many reviews & concerns about battery life, power, noise... I found none to be true. This is now my favorite and most used Black and Decker purchase. This unit is small, light, easy to use, and does all kinds of things beyond getting leaves / yard waste off the patio. Great for quick clean ups in the garage & pool cover. It's great at removing spider webs from ceiling corners, door creases. Cleans out from underneath cars, shelves, etc. I've used it to blow out gutters debris off the roof. Can't beat cordless. Note: I don't use this unit to blow leaves off grass. You might need a commecial grade / gas powered unit for this application.

I would highly recommend buying an extra battery or two. The *fast* charger is much better than the standard - it can keep your batteries charged. The first time you use a battery, the run time may not be optimized. Recharge the battery and run time will improve.

Honestly, if all you are doing is cleaning the grass clippings off the driveway, after you finished mowing. - This works great, with no gas or oil mess. (of course this does mean you live in a "normal" sized home with a "normal sized driveway.) P.S. Also, consider upgrading to a Cordless Electric Mower... just a thought.