Black & Decker CHV1568 15.6 -Volt Cyclonic-Action Cordless DustBuster with AccuREACH
by Black and Decker
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List Price: Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Black & Decker CHV1568 15.6 -Volt Cyclonic-Action Cordless DustBuster with AccuREACH
Customer Review: Programmed Battery Failure?
Summary: 2 Stars
I'm on my third 15.6-volt DustBuster. they are guaranteed for two years, and that is just about exactly when the battery stops holding a charge. When new, the vacuum will run at least 10 minutes on a full charge. After 24 months, you're lucky to get 3 or 4 minutes on a full charge. I can't locate a good price on a replacement battery. Although, even if I could, it's nearly impossible to get at and remove the battery pack, and Black and Decker customer support tells you they can't help. They recommend taking it to a service center where they will gladly remove the battery for you. I did that, and the service center had a good laugh.
I've looked around at the website, and I don't see any reference to replacement batteries. It's obvious Black and Decker intends these vacuums to perform for two years and then be tossed in the trash. They ought to just get us to subscribe to the DustBuster Club -- for a $25 annual membership fee, they'll send a new vacuum every 24 months. Our ancestors will find pockets of decomposing DustBusters buried in land fills under their houses.
Customer Review: Poorly Designed
Summary: 1 Stars
This has to be among the most poorly designed DustBusters ever produced. For starters, the filter becomes clogged easily, reducing its suction power, and overwhelming the internal filter (located on the underside). This causes dust to vent from the bottom, fouling the underside of the vacuum and the attachment tray. The lever on the side of the device, which is supposed to help keep the main filter clear, does nothing so far as I can tell. Also, there is an extension tube at the mouth of the device (a crevice tool of sorts), that after a few weeks of use became impossible to extend, as the housing into which the tool stores, became fouled with sand and other debris. No amount of force (or cleaning) seems of any use now (I can only pull out the tool about one inch from the housing). Finally, why is B&D still using inferior NiCad batteries?
DustButer may be the best selling hand vacuum made, but right now B&D appears to be out of ideas, and has resorted to useless options in an effort to keep up its sales numbers.
Your money is better spent on another brand.
Customer Review: Shame on B&D for still using NiCd batteries!
Summary: 2 Stars
Just got this thing today but just found out that it uses archaic NiCd batteries, the technology you may remember from crappy cordless phones and toothbrushes that after a few months of use completely lose the ability to hold a charge. No wonder the unit is so freakin' heavy. I assume that in just a few months it will no longer perform the way it does today. It also scares me that there are so many posts about the filter getting clogged, even though B&D provides a nifty filter cleaning lever on the side. Just a non-functional gimmick, I suppose. You know, NiCd batteries have been outlawed in Europe for about 10 years because they are especially toxic when dumped in a landfill. My beef with NiCd is mostly that they are much more poorly behaved than the lithium-ion batteries that are in modern laptops and ipods and whatnot -- they have annoying memory effects, lousy power density, and unimpressive lifetime when cycled. Maybe I should have spent another $150 and got the Dyson...Customer Review: Mine started to crackle and smoke :(
Summary: 1 Stars
I received this model from my mom as a gift. I thought, "Wow, great! Black and Decker, a great brand." It looks sharp and powerful. IT IS NOT.
It began as an incredible disappointment when the suction started to get weak, which was pretty much after the first use. It turned out that the only way to improve it was to clean out the filter after just a few minutes of vacuuming. Even after realizing that was a way to improve it I just couldn't believe how poor of a product it was.
The final use of this dustbuster started and ended with weird electrical crackling, smoke and subsequent burnt plastic/rubber/toxic-something smell.
Unfortunately the money my Mom spent on this is went into the garbage along with the worthless vacuum.
Time is extremely valuable and I do not want to be at the mercy of B&D "Customer Service" so the only effort I'll put into this worthless piece of plastic is this review.
I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT.
Customer Review: poor design
Summary: 1 Stars
i have a battery Dyson downstairs and liked its power and convenience so i decided to put another hand vac upstairs. I didn't want to pay the Dyson price again so i thought the B&D CHV 1568 A looked about right. Not. My issues with it are as follows.
1. it'll chase little gravel nuggets all over but won't pick them up. For example, cleaning out the car floor mats... Dyson picks up everything ... the B&D gets about 80 % and chases the rest.
2. the on-off switch is so poorly designed that wet or slippery hands cannot operate it
3. for ease of use the unit needs to be about 18 inches long to reach the floor. The B&D has an extendable snout that does this but the snout has no detent and retracts during use ... what idiot thought that up
4. yes, you could duct tape the snout out but then the unit won't fit on the charging station without modifying that as well.
at that point i gave up and gave the unit away.