Customer Reviews

Black & Decker V9610 DustBuster 9.6-Volt Cordless Handheld Vacuum

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

 

 

First of all, for me to be enthusiastic enough about a vacuum to bother with a review speaks volumes.

I got a dust buster about 10 years ago and it did minimally well for a few things, but was mostly disappointing. Actually I didn't use it much because it's usefulness was so limited. Periodically I used it to clean the massive cob webs in the basement ceiling and it shined there. So when that one died, even after reading positive reviews of the newer ones, I was skeptical. And, I'm happy to say I was wrong.

I've got hardwood floors and linoleum in the kitchen and bath. Dust bunnies reproduce like, well, bunnies. I could never keep up with them all. And I have 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that shed super-fine hair. Combine the two things and YOWWIE! Dust-ball-city, baybee--especially if company is coming.

But this new dust buster with the 9.6 volt power really sucks! And I mean that in a good way. It's actually "fun" to suck those annoying balls of dust and dirt out of corners and wherever they hide. It easily picks up dirt and dry lawn stuff the dogs constantly drag in from outside too. I start in the kitchen and then end up going all over the house looking for more.

Let me just add that I am NOT one of those women who treat housekeeping as a hobby. It's one of my favorite things to procrastinate over. So when I say a vacuum is fun, it's bizarre! But this is one of the best and most useful purchases that I've made recently, and my house is cleaner for it. It's a handy product.

Black&Decker had made some cheapy models of dustbusters thru the years. I have owned several, and the batteries eventually refuse to hold charges for very long, or the internal connections fail.
The 9610 seems, so far, to buck that trend.
I have used the 9610 for 14 consecutive minutes on high setting. I have done this twice, and it still lasted the full 15 minutes on high. It should run longer on the lower power setting.
random comments on this unit:
- The attachments (when not in use) snap into the bottom of the vacuum, but a vigorous shake of the vacuum will dislodge them. Well, they have fallen out several times for me, because there are times when you do shake the vacuum for whatever reason.
- The power of this vacuum is excellent. My older, lower voltage dustbusters had very little sucking power. This one is a real sucker. Basically, if it will fit thru the front hole, it's gone. (Except for maybe heavy steel items)
- The plastic finish does scratch fairly easily, so if you want a showpiece device, this isn't it.
- The filter is a two stage. You only need to clean the outer filter every time, and the inner filter when it gets really dirty. I like that.
- The price/performance issue. You can pay $20 for a low end dustbuster, or pay $34 (walmart) for this one. Is it worth it? Well, if the $14 difference is significant for you, maybe not. But if the cost is not prohibitive for you, by all means get this model instead.
I would not recommend other dustbuster models, but I would recommend this one.

We have a messy set of cats; one tosses his food (and hides it in his fur--what's up with that? A snack for later?) and both of them leave clumps of fur on the chairs. It's a pain to haul out the floor vac and set up the hose, so we just grab a dustbuster instead. The charge keeps going for quite a while, and it's easy to dump out the bag. Also easy to retrieve the cash and small object that get vacuumed up behind the cushions, as the bag is like a cup. I don't see how a pet owner can be without one of these.

Just got the 9.6 volt model V9610 about a week ago. Overall I like it a lot. It might seem a little large at first, but is handy to use and well balanced. Suction on the high setting is impressive, while the normal setting still provides plenty for most things. Emptying it out is easy, as is cleaning the filter. Be sure to read and understand the instructions for charging it before use. The manual says it'll run 10 minutes between charges. Seems to do better than that to me. It's a lot easier to pull out of the craddle when wall mounted, so I suggest you use the supplied screws and drywall anchors. I took off one star for that and the switch being a little on the stiff side. I definitely recommend this model over the lesser powered ones for the good suction.

This is an impressively powerful little hand vac... while it lasts. This one lasted us about a year before it died and stopped holding a charge. With a 2 year warranty, I'd hope it would last better, unfortunately this isn't something I ever thought about saving the receipt for. SO SAVE YOUR RECEIPT!

I just LOVE this Dustbuster. I had a previous model by Black & Decker, but this one is MUCH better. PLUS....and this is a BIG plus, you can wash the filters!!! I have two parakeets and use this to clean up seeds and other 'messies' from them. SO....the filters get clogged at times with small seeds, feathers, etc. I just twist them off, separate them, spray some cleaner on them, and wash them very well under a strong blast of hot water with my bath tub faucet....I even use a fingernail brush on the hard plastic one and it cleans out the tiny holes. I just let them dry, and it cleans like it is NEW. It will also go for 3 or 4 days with using it off and on every day without having to put it back on the charger. When/IF this every goes out on me, I WILL buy THIS model again!!

The vacuum is good when it's fully charged. Unfortunately, the charge doesn't hold for very long (4 min?). This isn't long enough to clean up even one job (such as a cattail exploding or vacuuming along the edges of the baseboard).

I have one cat, and my neighbor has 3. We both own this item and it is our lifesaver! Anyone with hardwood floors knows that feeling of the tiny pieces of dirt that you can feel on your feet when you walk bare-foot. I can't tell you how annoying it is to walk on a pebble of kitty-litter on your floor (not to mention gross). I used to lug out my huge vacuum cleaner 3 times a week to get the small pebbles around the litter box, or the tiny pieces of food around the food bowl. This item picks it all up! From broken pieces of catfood, to cat hair under the bed and in the corners of your house, to even cobwebs in the corners of your home, this saves so much time and energy! It's pretty powerful for it's size. My neighbor and I swear by this little life-saver.

After reading the bad reviews for the shark vacumms, I got this black & decker one. I have used other hand vacs that lose power pretty quickly, but I can use this one and walk through the house without it needing recharging. It even sucks up dog kibble! It is very easy to empty as well.

Bought it about a year ago. Great for kitty litter, hair and dustbunnies off the bathroom and hardwood floors. Attachments on underside continue to unsnap by themselves and fall off while using the dustbuster. On-off slide button now gets stuck in the "on" position and is really hard to turn off. Not strong enough to vacuum the car interior. Fine for minimal daily use aside from falling apart little by little. (My father also bought the same one and has the same problem with the little attachments falling off while using it.)