BLACK+DECKER 20V Lithium Compact Hand VAC, BDH2000L
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scott
> 3 dayAs with other reviews, it is pretty loud. Having said that, the short amount of time I actually use it, the noise isnt an issue for me. If quieter means less suction, then I will deal with the noise. Works great!
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Avery Konopelski
> 3 dayWe have two loop bunnys and they drop poop and this little guy is AWESOME for that! We also have a Yellow Lab and hardwood floors so in between the cleaners coming this is great on the steps and under cabinets. Never clogs and is great on pet fur. Only negative it is pretty loud - not good for rabbits ears, but they have since gotten use to it. glad we got it.
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C. J. Petrosky
> 3 dayFor about one years time, on and off, I have tried to find a cordless vacuum to be used primarily in my car. I knew that above all else it must use a lithium battery because my previous hand vac (and plenty of other devices) used Nickel Cadmium batteries. They are so consistently terrible that I refuse to ever buy something that uses Ni-Cd batteries again. My last hand vac being a Dirt Devil which was useable for about 5 minutes at best, and though I tried to maintain the battery properly it was still ruined within about a year. One of my favorite websites to shop is Woot.com and they frequently sell vacuums of all shapes and sizes from Dyson. I had bought (and I do really like) my DC-25 upright ball vacuum. So I was leaning heavily toward buying a cordless DC-34 vacuum which can be used as a hand-held or as a floor vac. The major downside: They are insanely expensive! The best price youll likely see is about $170 for a refurb. Two other things persuaded me to look elsewhere as well: The battery lasts about 10 minutes at best (but usually about 7 minutes of usefulness), and the thing is rather large and bulky for a hand vac. So, off to the web I went to try and find a vacuum with decent ratings and a lithium battery. I eventually stumbled upon the Black & Decker CHV1410L. Im glad I did. The vacuum features an attractive design, its compact, its got an absolutely tiny charging base (and still functional, happily), and other course...a lithium battery. One likely wont need the users guide to figure out how everything works. Disassembling, cleaning, reassembling, and using the vac are all quite intuitive. Still, the manual offers all the information youll need while being brief. You can read the entire guide in just a few minutes. Happily the vacuum is a bag-less canister design, and the filter is a mesh design which is easy to clean. Aside from the battery eventually wearing out, theres nothing else youll need to buy or replace in the lifetime of this vacuum. A major improvement over older hand vacuums to be sure. Not bags, no foam or paper filters! Right out the box I put the vacuum on its charging base and the battery was full within an hour. One thing to note is the extremely bright charging indicator. While it doesnt bother me I was still surprised how bright it is. You can practically use the thing as a night light ;-) The charging base itself is refreshingly small, simple, and functional. Its a disc perhaps 5 inches in diameter, virtually flat, and the vacuum simply rests on top of it. Its very easy to seat the vacuum on it and getting it to charge. The vacuum itself is very light weight and Im glad that they went with a tapered design for the business end of the nozzle. It makes vacuuming tight spaces much easier and gets the job done well. The nozzle features an interesting flip down brush which is convenient since you dont have to worry about losing the attachment but unfortunately only half of the assembly has bristles. It works well enough but Im thinking itd be better to have a full brush attachment. Suction for the vacuum is excellent and compares to a floor vac with hose attachment for effectiveness. It actually outperforms the aging plug-in canister vacuum I had been using to clean my car. Out with the old, in with the new I suppose! And this one is cordless! Noise level is less so than most floor vacs but this device isnt exactly quiet. Im not complaining about the noise level but you wouldnt want to vacuum in the middle of the night. Your family and neighbors wouldnt appreciate it! ;-) Battery life is very good for a cordless vacuum. Thus far Ive only needed it for about 5 minutes at a time but I did use it once for approximately 10 minutes straight and the suction was mostly consistent. I notice that the suction is strongest the first 2 minutes of use, it then drops off a bit but is still fairly consistent the rest of the way through. Consider the first couple of minutes Turbo Mode or something like that! In any case its a huge improvement over my previous Ni-Cd vac which was useable for only 5 minutes before beginning the steady decline to uselessness. A note: Disassembly and cleaning are a breeze, though you might have to fidget with the nozzle to get it to lock down tight with the base. Try rotating the nozzle assembly back and forth to get it locked down. If you dont the nozzle end might fall off during use. One thing to consider though is that youll be paying far more for this cordless vac than you would for a corded one. You can find a corded hand vac that performs just as well for $40 or less. Is the premium worth the convenience of a cordless vacuum? For me, yes it is. But if the price bothers you Id strongly recommend a plug-in vacuum over the future landfill youll otherwise buy if you go for a cheap cordless. Ni-Cd batteries are garbage! So, in closing. This is an excellent cordless vacuum with powerful suction, a good design, and at least 10 minutes of useful battery life. Id recommend purchasing it over ANY vac with Ni-Cd battery. Look for pricing to be $80 or less.
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Linda A DeJarnatt
> 3 dayDO NOT leave it plugged in! i charge it until charged, then UNPLUG! convenient to use!
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unlisted
> 3 dayI ordered this to replace a smaller vac that died last month. This has great suction, is easy to clean, charges quickly, and does an overall great job, BUT.....both the canister and the suction tip are a bit bulkier than expected, and its not quite as good at getting into cracks and crevices as my old one was.
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RetroBert49
> 3 dayThis thing has great suction...but it comes at a price: Your hearing! I have had a bunch of small appliances in my 74 years, but NOTHING is as loud as this thing. It works well, but please only use it when nobody in your house is trying to take a nap!!!
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Ms. Marjolaine Corwin
> 3 dayVery sturdy and easy to use. Great to use for easy job that you dont want to get out the vacuum.
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kec601
> 3 dayIf you dont want to read, heres the summary : It was an excellent vacuum for the first month, although there were some issues with the way the vacuum was designed. After about 2 months, the battery started going. Now, after having the vacuum for 3 months, it lasts for about half as long as it used to, the crevice tool is broken, and the vacuums suction is only strong for about 10 minutes. Three months ago when I bought this, it was a great vacuum. Here were the perks : - Excellent suction - Doesnt blow dust out of the back - Easy to empty - Lightweight - Built-in crevice tool means you dont lose it, and its easy to use (and clean). Great for getting underneath stuff Initial drawbacks : - The vents in the dust cup get clogged with dust immediately and are difficult to clean - The connection the vacuum makes with the charging station is precarious. You have to be careful to make sure it turns on and that it doesnt get jostled while charging. - The vacuum doesnt seem to last as long as it should (maybe about 30 minutes). When it starts to lose power, it takes about 5-10 minutes to fully die, but during that time it becomes increasingly useless, depositing anything larger than dust if you tilt it slightly while cleaning. Other vacuums Ive had in the past remained powerful for a longer period of time before completely dying. - This vacuum doesnt have quite as much suction as the best handheld Ive had, but it also doesnt blow half of the dirt and dust it collects out of the back of the vacuum while youre using it. It WILL, however, blow some dust out of the back, so dont put your face behind it. - Like every other handheld vacuum Ive found, the crevice tool and nozzle will easily scratch a lot of soft surfaces like the top of large plastic bins and soft wood floors, desks, and countertops. You have to be careful with what you use it on. How I used this vacuum for the past 3 months : - Vacuum was used, on average, probably about once every week and a half to two weeks - When used, vacuum would sometimes be used for two sessions in one day, with about 3-5 hours of charging in-between. - Emptied vacuum when 1/2 to 3/4ths full - Tapped out dust cap each time - Scraped dust out of clogged vents in dust cap - About half the time, I allowed the vacuum to die fully before charging it fully. - Vacuum was constantly kept on the charger and usually plugged in. - Vacuum was used for light pickup - dust, dirt, flour, crumbs, small amounts of pet hair on upholstery, mouse poo...you get the point Heres my review after 3 months : - The crevice tool started to not click into place and the problem got progressively worse. Now it barely clicks, comes loose, and starts to slide into the vacuum during use. It seems to happen as a result of the crevice tool bumping into things. The connection just isnt very strong to begin with. The crevice tool only works well if you hold it so its nearly flat against the surface. Otherwise, there isnt enough suction. - The amount of time the vacuum can be used for has decreased from about 30 minutes to about 15 minutes - The is only at its highest suction for maybe 10 minutes How this vacuum compares to handhelds Ive used in the past : Whats better : - Suction was almost as good as the best handheld Ive had - Blew out far less dust than most, including the best handheld Ive had - Easier to use than most - Better at getting into nooks and under things - Easier to tell when the vacuum is full - The curvature of the design makes the vacuum more maneuverable - The crevice tool makes the vacuum incredibly versatile - The vacuum is effective on upholstery and mattresses, unlike many Whats worse : - The suction stayed powerful for a much shorter period of time, with a longer stretch of sub par vacuuming ability - The battery seemed less and less effective starting at two months, and now appears to be half as effective as it was when I purchased the vacuum - The vents on the dust cup clog almost immediately, causing unnecessary stress on the unit - The charging port does not make as firm of a connection with the device as other handhelds do - If the vacuum is bumped or jostled slightly while charging it will misalign with the connection. Youll come back hours later and it will still be dead. - The click into place aspect of the crevice tool wears down very quickly when the crevice tool bumps against things, and will eventually stop working - The hard plastic crevice tool scratches soft surfaces easily, and the brush attachment does very little. Its also very easy to accidentally angle the vacuum wrong when using the brush attachment, causing the bottom of the crevice tool to scrape against the surface. - The crevice tool does not have much suction or power, so you need to hold it almost flat against the surface youre vacuuming to get it to have suction, which makes it far less versatile. - After 3 months, this vacuum is no longer appropriate for cleaning upholstery Changes I would like to see : - Better connection with the charging station - Flexible rubber crevice tool OR a removable rubber cover for the top of the crevice tool - Multi-layered venting system for dust cup that can be easily disassembled for cleaning - UV light for inside of dust cup to kill dust mites and dust mite eggs - Removable and replaceable dust-filter attachment specifically designed for vacuuming dust. - Ability to use corded, or cordless - Longer-lasting battery - Suction that has more staying power (can probably be achieved by redesigning dust cup) - Free, cheap, or DIY battery replacement If youre anything like me, you wouldnt mind paying more for at least ONE handheld that had the POTENTIAL for some of these features, even if it doesnt necessarily come with them. I dont mind paying extra for my toppings, as long as toppings are possible. This could be a great product that really sets itself apart.
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NMC
> 3 dayI love this thing. It’s really convenient and the power it has is REALLY good. Downside is battery life but it charges quickly plus it’s mainly just for quick clean ups
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D. W. Fohner
> 3 dayLove this handy versatile vac. Its powerful suction picks up everything in and near its path. Battery is strong and long lasting. Very balanced and well designed. I dont think you can find anything better.