Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

For years, I've been waiting for a "new" "old school" Dustbuster to come back. This is it! Forget the models with the super-duper crevice tools and telescoping blah blah blah. This is the simple, no nonsense Dustbuster you remember, but stronger. I got the 9.6V and it works well (only five dollars more than the less powerful model that's one step down). I use it for pet cleanup, specifically the dreaded task of cleaning kitty litter around the box and up the stairs. This little one does the job handily. The vac is strong, so if you angle it a certain way, the 'blowback' from the vac can blow the dirt particles away, but that isn't too much of a problem if you have a reasonable IQ and aren't blowing only feathers or dandelions with it! It does have a Ni-Cad battery, which means if you use it for 30 seconds and then plop it back on the charger, the battery will "remember" that charge and whittle your battery life down to nothing over time. Other models with a lithium-ion battery are MUCH more, so if you aren't into paying double for a silly Dustbuster, all you have to do is remember NOT to charge it until it needs a FULL charge and you're good to go. It was also easy to clean and supposedly has a washable cup and filter (haven't done that yet but not needing to buy filters is a big plus). A couple of additional things prevented it from getting 5 stars: (1) my old one had an indicator light on the back that told you it was fully seated in the charger; this one doesn't. (2) the nozzle opening is a bit less wide than I'd like for the purposes of kitty litter maintenance. Lastly, directions clearly state to charge for 24 hours before using. That seemed excessive to me, but I did it anyway. Working like a champ for now; I'll update if things change.