Black & Decker PHV1800CB 18-Volt Pivoting-Nose Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
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 PHV1800CB 18-Volt Pivoting-Nose Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
Customer Review: Great Performance, Outdated Battery Technology
Summary: 4 Stars
In terms of suction power, this is the best portable vac we have ever seen or used. It really works great! We bought two of these a couple of years ago (one for upstairs, one for downstairs), and now just bought two more to replace the originals. Obviously we like them, in spite of the drawbacks.
What are the drawbacks? The biggest is that these vacs use NiCad batteries, and NiCads must be FULLY discharged each time before recharging. Repeated small partial charges reduce the battery capacity. So don't use the vac for just a short time and then return it to the charger -- use it for a long time or for multiple times until it begins to run noticeably slower, before recharging. We had to replace our original, perfectly-good-otherwise units because they got to the point where they would only run for a few seconds before the batteries were essentially exhausted. As a practical matter, the batteries are not replaceable and it is easier and more economical to simply buy new units.
Other, smaller quibbles: The vac is quite noisy when running (maybe that's just part of being powerful), and emptying the dirt/dust compartment can be messy until you develop a proper technique.
Overall, the performance is more important than the drawbacks in our opinion, and we recommend these units. We're going to be more careful with battery charging this time, and hope to get many years of good service from them.
Customer Review: Great Vac. Worth every penny.
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this after trying out and returning a cheap Elta I saw at the BX. It was 1/4 the price but this hand vac is easily 4 times better and worth every penny. I can't say how long the battery lasts but the suction is very strong and it looks great. It's a bit bulky compared to other hand vacuums but because of the small size and rotary action of the nozzle, it gets everywhere you need and it's not too heavy. I am in a very dusty location and got it to keep a small dorm space picked up of crumbs and rogue hairs. It sucks up just about anything that will fit through the nozzle including bottle cap wrapper seals. The shelf packaging comes inside a Black & Decker shipping box that is about 13"x13"x8". After the required initial 21 hour charge it was ready to go. The light on the charging base stays lit any time the unit is docked and doesn't turn off to indicate that it has a "full charge." The manual says it can be docked indefinitely without warnings about overcharging. The charging plug is 110/120v only and not universal voltage. I charged it on a step-down transformer where I'm pretty sure the power output is still the input 50Hz and not the usual American 60Hz.
I decided on this one after seeing some mixed reviews of the newer B&D PHV1810. That one looks like they trimmed some bulk from the core, maybe some weight too. That wasn't important to me especially as it sounded like it didn't perform up to this one.
Customer Review: Good suction but very tiny opening
Summary: 3 Stars
1. Suction on this is very good. It had no problem pickin up pet hair from our microfiber couches. These usually hold the hair like velcro and this was able to get it off no problem.
2. Although the suction was good, the width of the opening is ridiculously small for this type of job. It is a great nook and cranny dustbuster but for stairs or furniture you are going to be doing a LOT of back and forth.
3. After the first charge of 21 hours the suction lasted for about 10 minutes before dropping off noticeably. I cleaned the filter after that and re-gained a small amount of suction for about 60 seconds before it dropped off again. I am familiar with rechargeable batteries and understand that they need to cycle a few times before they reach their peak but I'm doubting this will ever go more than 20 minutes before loosing significant suction. That wouldn't be bad if the aforementioned width of the intake wasn't an issue.
4. It is a bit heavier than some of the older dustbusters I've used but that is probably a result of the increase in battery/motor size.
5. Filter cleaning isn't really THAT easy. Unless you are sucking up hard plastic items or jellybeans you are going to have to remove the paper filter and clear it of dust and debris by hand.
Overall a good product but not suited well to my particular task of cleaning up pet hair daily.
Customer Review: Here's the story
Summary: 5 Stars
Where I live in Pa, we have been having a hard time with a creature called a stink bug. There is no way to explain the horror of this creature. T
hey refuse to die. If you toss them in the toilet, they do the backstroke. ( Think I am kidding? hah!)
AND They know how tall I am and how high I can reach. Seriously, they do.
SO, I was on the lookout for a little horrible creature sucker upper. It had to be something that would contain them long enough for me to get them out of my house. Preferably dead. Spiders I carry outside on a paper.. flies get shooed out. Mosquitoes and horrible dinosaur-like stink bugs must die.
This little device has a plastic cup where where the debris and sucked up little m... monsters go to die. It keeps them contained. There is an extender in the nozzle That extends my reach a few extra inches further then the foot or so it looks like it will. Not having a cord is a very important positive, as it gives me total freedom of movement.
I suck up the debris easily, it works like a charm on everything but cat hair. ( I can forgive it this flaw) If the debris includes the little m...monsters, I pull the cup and and spray it with the deadliest thing I can find handy... dump the cup.. and Bob's yer uncle.
I recommend it. Tell your friends in PA
Customer Review: Perhaps my favorite household "tool"
Summary: 5 Stars
I strongly endorse this product. It is extremely functional, very powerful, and works for a very long time on a charge. I can clean the stairs, plus one or two cars on a single charge. By the time this thing runs out of power, I am usually bored with vacuuming! Power wise, it is more than enough for most jobs. This model bears little in common with the first generation hand vacs that were barely good for getting a few crumbs off a bare floor.
In the summer, I use it to vacuum bugs from inside the house. It's less gross than splattering them with a fly swatter and it can actually grab bugs mid air.
It's a little noisy, but what the heck, it's a vacuum! What do you expect?
We have three dogs, and four birds living within the confines of our house (don't ask) so this gets used every day. I sometimes don't park it in the charger to allow it to totally discharge before recharging it. I also think that not letting the battery "cook" in the charging stand may facilitate a longer battery life. While the Dyson Root sounds like fun, I think that 6 minutes per charge sounds a little too wimpy. I don't even know the length of time the B&D works because it lasts long enough for all of my jobs. One message here, if you are in the market for a hand vac, look no further! This is the one! Buy it!