Customer Reviews

Black & Decker 18-Volt Pivoting-Nose Cordless Handheld Vacuum

5 star:		(134)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

We've had many DustBusters in the past. The first time you use them they are great. But after just a few uses the filter clogs and the suction drops off. Then the batteries go. Our most recent one would run about 2 minutes before the battery would die. It was a mess to empty. The filter never seemed the same after the first few uses.

This one is different. First off, it is heavy by comparison. It weighs at least double the weight of our old DustBuster. Not good for older folks. It weighs over 4 lbs. It's body is much larger. The build quality is very good. My favorite part is the way you empty it and how the filters are constructed. To empty, pull the grey latch on the side and swing open the circular door. The whole dust cavity is exposed. You can dump it without getting your hands dirty.

The filter design is great. This unit works like a Dyson vac with the cyclonic action. You see the dust and debris spin around the center cone when it's on. When you empty it the center plastic cone just twists out. It's hard plastic and keeps the big chunks of dirt away from the softer filter underneath. The manual says the second filter is paper, but it feels more like a plastic filter material. To clean it you just put it under the faucet like a Dixie cup. Which is a good estimate of the filters size. It seems pretty durable with its plastic rim and top. It will probably stand up to many washings. The manual says to replace it ever year. I'm sure it will last that long if not longer. It snaps back together easily.

The suction is great. It has two speeds and we rarely need to use the hi-speed. We use ours mostly for crumbs and cereal spills around the kitchen table. It's louder than our previous models. I don't mind a bit because this one really works. The pivoting nozzle is different. I can't say it's a great improvement on the old design. It may be an advantage for someone else.

So why not 5 stars?
As mentioned in other review, the wall mount bracket puts the handle to the right side. It works out well for me because I mounted it on the right wall of our closet. If my closet setup was different this would be a problem.
The battery. The manual tells you how to remove the battery and recycle it. There is no mention of it being replaceable. You have to remove 7 screws to open the case and then another 3 or 4 to remove the motor. The battery is under the handle. You have to open the bottom and disassemble everything to get it out. There were places that would sell you replacement batteries for our other DustBusters. The same may be true with this unit in time. But you have to be prepared to disassemble it completely to do it.

The unit uses NiCad batteries. This battery technology has a memory problem. The manual says to place the unit on the charger after every use. In my experience this really shortens the life of the battery. We charge the unit fully and then unplug the base. We use the vac until the batteries are exhausted and then charge again. I had hoped they would have used NiMH with higher energy density or Li-ion even better. Or at least put the batteries into cartridge form. The until looks like it will out last the battery.

Happy I bought it. Big improvement over the older units. It's worth the extra cost. I got interested in it because Popular Mechanics did a comparison between the Pivot, Dirt Devil Kone, and the Dyson Root 6 in the February 2007 issue, pg.36. They said the Kone was awful, and the Pivot was the favorite, cost $90 less than the Dyson and didn't look like a ray-gun.

(Wow, what long review!)

***This model is discontinued. Check out the redesigned version: Black & Decker Pivot Vac 18V Cordless Pivoting Hand Vac, PHV1810

This hand vac is thoughtfully designed and a real improvement on previous Black & Decker models.

I compare it with the Black & Decker 9.6 volt (V9610) which sucked up dirt fairly well for 2 years while feeling in so many ways like a piece of junk.

The pivot-nozzle WILL rotate flush with the bottom of the vac, enabling very compact stowage & transport. Nice.

Suction (stated on the box as "35 watts air power") feels impressive. Even low speed has good suction. The box claims "30% more suction than [previous] B&D models." The suction area is about 2/3 inch x 1-2/3 inch, similar to previous models.

The vac's high pitched whine is irritating on low speed, and certifiably obnoxious on high speed.

The pivoting nozzle with built-in extension is a really sensible design. You won't want to go back to a wide-snout model if you can help it. The built-in extension fits into spaces .92" or larger and the crevice tip reduces that to 1/2".

The vac alone weighs 4.1 lbs (56% more than the 9.6 volt) but it doesn't seem unreasonably heavy, probably because of the large well-positioned handle.

The charging cradle can be wall mounted or sit on a counter or cabinet floor. It could even work in a 13" high shelf space. It receives and releases the vac effortlessly.

The vac's plastics seem to be of high quality (not brittle or thin). Seems like they could survive a fair amount of abuse.

A clear plastic housing provides a view of the dirt chamber which holds 11.8 volumetric ounces (1.5 cups, 350 ml). Things like this make you wonder what's going on at Black and Decker. They seem to have lost their touch for making mediocre half-baked products.

The "filter cleaning wheel" is easy to use, unlike previous models, and does it's job well.

Takes PVF-100 replacement filter ($7), same as some previous B&D models. Washable in warm water. The manual says to replace it every 6-9 months, but my original is fine after 3 years.

Exhaust air comes out the bottom which could be a hassle when cleaning up fine sawdust, etc. But with the pivot-nozzle you could avoid blowing on the mess.

The on-off switch is much less annoying than on the 9.6 volt model, but still feels cheap.

The transformer-plug stays warm even after the vac is fully charged, adding a few dollars a year to your electric bill. However, if the vac is not in the charging cradle, the transformer-plug is cool (no energy drain).

There are instructions for removing and disposing of the Ni-Cd battery, but no indication that replacements are available.

The "Full 2 Year Warranty" covers defects and says nothing about how long the battery will last.

***Update 12-2-2010: After 4 years, it's held up well and the battery is still good.

***Note: My 5-star rating is based on getting it for around 60 buckss or less.

Pros:

Good suction
Very nice overall design. Ergonomic.

Cons:

High pitched whine is offensive
Expensive

Fab suction, but Black and Decker must not have done any customer testing on the usability:

The GOOD: super suction; nice easy way to dump the dirt; solid feel, and the plastics and construction seems much sturdier than Black & Decker DustBuster line.

The BAD:
--------
1. Wall mount - good and bad:
a) nice that they have a mount with a base (so in case a door slams, the thing won't be shaken off its mount - DustBuster vacs by the same maker have this problem).
b) Not nice is that the maker poorly designed the base so that you're restricted where you can mount it (see their photo - kind or hard to explain). How dopey that they didn't design the base so the vac unit will fit in without a left or right orientation - you should be able to mount the vac straignt in, but you must put handle to the right (and in my little laundry room, that means no where near the back wall).

2. The multi-position/pivoting nozzle/nose is a cool idea, but the maker doesn't mention that you have to operate a flimsy plastic button to allow the nozzle to open & pivot, which may include every time you use it, since it stores best with nozzle in the closed (but unusable) position. You could always store it in its charging station with the nozzle upright/flipped out, but then you're limited to where you store the thing, since the extended nozzle doubles its length.

3. Clear plastic dirt cover: I think it's kind of neat that you can see all that dirt swirling around after you've vac'ed it up, but when it's sitting in its charging mount, my wife remarked "ooh, that's filthy!". The maker should have used a more opaque/smoked plastic - so you could see that you might need to empty the thing, but isn't so...filth-showing.

4. Other: high-pitched whine, a little on the heavy side.

Overall, a good little vac. I did a lot of research before buying this, thanks to C MacPhail and Consumer Reports.

Note: I revised my review based on additional use and tried to up the stars to 4, but the system wouldn't allow me to change it.

So: ****

Good things first: love the design that allows me to adjust the angle so I can get in nooks and crevices. Great suction, too. Battery power lasts about 15-20 minutes. It's attractive, too.

Bad things: Emptying it is way too much work. I have 3 animals and litter boxes that generate dust. While this vac picks up everything, getting it out of the filter is another matter. The first time I opened the dirt container, I expected the hair/dirt to fall right out into the trash can (like the promotional video)-- but no, it stayed in there, clinging to the filter. So I removed the outer/plastic filter and pulled hair off of it, but there was still bunches of yuck on the paper filter inside. I had to take that out and pull everything off by hand, and then pull the dust out between the accordian folds with tweezers.

Other bad: Nozzle is very small, should really be larger.

This vacuum is very powerful. It rivals our full sized vacuum although it is a little bigger and heavier than the one it replaced. It is pretty noisy on the high setting (it has a low and a high) but is very impressive when you need to get something out of a crack. The rotating nozzle is also handy. They say you don't have to touch the dirt, but that is not strictly true. Once in a while you must remove the inner filter and clean it or you will loose suction. You don't have to stow the nozzle to put it on the charger unless the vertical space is limited.

We needed a small vacuum for everyday small pick-up's, generally in the kitchen. We never liked the dust buster models as they just don't have enough sucking power. We've tried different "Shark" cordless vac's, upright cordless vac's, the "Swiffer" vac, and they all stink! Hundreds of dollars literally thrown away. I decided to try one more time with this model and am happy to say we have a winner here!

Here's why...

1) Sucking power is awesome for a small handheld

2) Feels comfortable in your hands during use

3) The small nozzle fits virtually all tight spaces

4) The nozzle is extendable for reaching higher areas

5) Compact design allows for charging on your kitchen countertop without taking up much space

6) Actually looks stylish...my wife will allow it to be kept on the counter! No more having to walk to another room to get a vacuum!

Things yet to be tested...

1) Battery life. There's no mention of how long it will last so we'll see.

2) Filter life. Right now it looks easy to clean and they should last long, but we'll see.

Like I said, we are very pleased with this item and can highly recommend it to all.

After reading a number of reviews, I could not find a definitive answer to the battery replacement question. So, I called Black & Decker and one of their local service centers. You cannot replace the battery alone. You must replace the battery and motor as a single unit. The cost of this combined replacement item is more than the vacuum itself. As a result, this handheld vac is basically a throw-away once the battery dies. Not sure why Black & Decker would sell such a bad design. It is not good for their customers nor for the environment.

The Black & Decker Pivoting-Nose Cordless Handheld Vacuum does an excellent job of busting away dust and small particles of dirt anyplace where a conventional vacuum cleaner can't reach or go. My vacuum cleaner does a great job on carpets and floors in general; but the narrow spaces close to where the floor meets the wall always seem to need a little extra attention. Wow, does this do an excellent job!

It's lightweight and very easy to carry. It comes with an electric charger; you'll need to charge the machine for 16 hours before you use it for the first time. After that, you're set to go! You only need to recharge it from time to time, not every day.

This handheld vacuum will do its best in narrow cracks and crevices; and of course you can use it to clean your car interior and other surfaces, too. I would keep it away at all times from wet surfaces

The filter and the barrel in which the filter is housed are both very easy to clean. If you clean it every so often the job is never time consuming.

I also like that this comes with an even smaller extension so that you get reach into the narrowest of crevices to clean them. The HEPA filter traps over 99% of dust particles so they can't come out the exhaust of the machine just seconds after you vacuumed them up--very good!

I have a few minor complaints. If you use this in the corners where the wall meets the floor, you will have to bend over or lean down somewhat to reach those harder to clean crevices. In addition, I do agree with reviewers who note that it's built in such a way that you DO have to operate a flimsy button to merely open the extended nozzle and allow it pivot to get into those very hard to reach areas. The plastic base for storing and charging could have been better constructed, too. I guess I have to take off one star for these issues.

Nevertheless, I still recommend this "Pivoting-Nose Cordless Handheld Vacuum" by Black & Decker. It's a great little gadget.

This little vacuum does exactly what it is supposed to. We picked it up after seeing a little video done by Popular Mechanics comparing this with comparable models by Dyson and the Kone. This won hands down and was cheaper!

Our experience with it has shown that the test was both fair and accurate.

I read a very compelling review of this vacuum in Popular Mechanics where it handily beat out the very costly Dyson unit. That impressed me so much, I had to get it. I am not dissapointed, it works great and has lots of power. I also really appreciate how simple it is to clean, it is so simple I tend to dump out the debris each time I use it. I noticed some people complained that it is noisy, how crude. Of course, to have great power you have to make some noise, I'll take the roar anytime, as long as it has the pickup capability, I need. This unit totally blows away the old crappy "dust busters" B&D originally came out with. The folks who want quiet should stick with those underpowered pieces of junk.

Amazon gave the best price, by far, and the free shipping is always a super plus for me, I always look for that. Keep up the great work, Amazon.