Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

. ** Update 7-21-2013. After 9 month's use, I changed my rating from 4-stars to 5-stars. Reason 1: Price dips to $100. See Pricing section below. Reason 2: The "on-board hose" design is super useful. It's come in handy dozens of times when the mess is not reachable with a standard handheld vac, or a lot harder to reach. I would never go back. ** They got almost everything right. The best hand vac yet from Black & Decker. Suction is less than some other models. If $100 is out of the question, consider the FHV1200 (sometimes below $55) which has a few more Air-Watts of sucking power (25 vs 22), but a cheaper NiCad battery. PROs: * Hose gives access to tight spaces - in car, for example * 18 minutes run time per charge (see Note 1) - Tools: Nice! (crevice, pet-hair, flip-out brush) (see Note 2) - Charging stand: Handy - Li-Ion battery: Partial-charge friendly - Constant suction strength as battery runs down - Hose: Good quality (see Note 3) - Lightweight: 3.8 lbs with nozzle - Good ergonomics - Good quality plastics - Filter cleaning knob - Dirt in chamber is visible but not staring you down - Washable filter (see Note 4) - 3 year warranty OKs: * Noise: OK. Not like the horrible PHV1800. About 75dB, comparable to the B&D PHV1810 * Suction: Adequate, but it's about 26% to 37% less than B&D PHV1810. Rated "22 air watts" (see Note 5) - Recharge time: 4 hours - Charging status light: Shows when charging is done. Too bright? - Draws 1 watt 24x7 when resting in charge stand (see note 6) - Tool & hose replacements are available (from B&D only) (see note 3) - Dirt capacity 17 fl oz. (over 1 pint) - Black (No ugly colors) - User manual is reasonably clear and helpful CONs: * Expensive * Limited life - No replacement batteries available - - - Dimensions - - - Charging stand: 9.0" x 6.7" x 0.7" Vac: Irregular. Height=10.0" (includes charging stand) - - - Alternatives - - - - PHV1810 Pivot Vac (35 air watts) - FHV1200 Flex Vac (25 air watts; 10-12 min run time) - BDH1620FLFH Flex Vac (20 air watts, 13 min run time) - - - Pricing - - - Price dips to $110 at times. There's an "Online Price Alert" that will email you whenever this or any amazon product dips below your target price. Google it. It's nicely done. Or try camelcamelcamel, which also shoes price history. - - - Cordless Vac Limitations - - - - It will only last a few years. You'll have to toss it when the battery dies. - Cordless vacs can't compare with plug-in vacs. Way less suction. Harsher noise. But soooo... handy for quick clean-ups. - - - Notes - - - Note 1: Run Time - 18.3 minutes. I tested once with no load, and again with nozzle against carpet . Same result both times. Vac was brand new with zero dust in filter. (Test had rest periods every 5 minutes.) B&D says run time may improve after 5 charge cycles. But of course it will decrease with age. Note 2: Tools - (crevice, pet-hair, main tool with flip-out brush) Well designed. Durable, but not unbreakable. Attach easily and securely. Flip-out brush on the main tool is good for dust, not for scrubbing. Skinny crevice tool -- yes! (Skinny part is over 6" long. Tip is appx 0.5" x 1.1") Replacements at B&D's site at low cost but $10.99s&h. Note 3: Hose - It's very light, but it feels like quality. Not like the horrible cheap polyethylene hoses on some vacs. This hose is like a combination of rubber and plastic. Supple and stretchable. Note 4 Filter: Washable. Replacements (PVF110) are about $8-10 but I've never had to replace B&D filters. Just shake it out. Note 5: Suction - I did a suction test on 6 vacs. (For details, see Note SB1) Relative . . Weight Suction . . . Lifted --------- . . --------- 14% . . . . 7.38 oz . . Eureka 240A (cordless combo vac in hand-held mode) 21% . . . 10.75 oz . . Black & Decker BDH2000FL "22 air watts" (hand held cordless) 22% . . . 11.25 oz . . Black & Decker BDH16200FLFH "25 air watts" (hand held cordless) 28% . . . . 14.5 oz . . Black & Decker PHV1810 "35 air watts" (hand held cordless) 100% . . . . 52 oz . . Electrolux Access T8 canister vac (plug-in) 100% . . . . 52 oz . . Electrolux Oxygen EL6988E canister vac (plug-in) More suction would be nice for car interiors as an example, but it would mean less run time. I use this vac is for light clean-ups, and it's adequate. Note 6: Draws 1 watt 24x7 when resting in charge stand. Maybe due to the excessively bright status light. One watt is only $1-3 a year, depending on your electric rates (see Note SB2). If you care about one more vampire device on your meter, leave the vac off the cradle most of the time. This type of battery (Lithium-Ion) does not want or need to be continually topped off. - - - Super Boring Notes - - - Note SB1: I tested suction with carpet glued to a small cardboard box. All vacuums had empty dirt chambers and cordless vacs were fully charged. All vacs were fitted with a uniform nozzle consisting of a 1-5/16" ID round plastic tube. 11-gram weights were added to the box until a maximum lift-able weight was determined. Note SB2: Measured at about 0.95 watts. Assume electricity cost $ .11 to $ .33 per kilowatt hour. ~~~ Comments & questions welcome ~~~