Product Description

Black & Decker's New 18 volt Pivoting Hand Vac has the power and versatility to tackle the toughest messes around the home. The patented 10 position pivoting nozzle with an integrated extended crevice tool, gives user access to confined areas. Clean underneath furniture, up high, stairs, in cars, etc. Innovative design folds in half for compact storage and includes easy empty system and filter cleaning wheel.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2659 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: White & Blue
• Brand: Black & Decker
• Model: PHV1800
• Dimensions: 7.30" h x 6.80" w x 17.75" l, 6.70 pounds

Features

• Cordless 2-speed 18-volt hand vac with 10-position pivoting nozzle
• Cyclonic action helps keep the filter clean so suction power lasts longer
• 3-stage filtration; easy-empty system; folds in half for compact storing
• Includes upholstery brush, small crevice tool, and wall-mountable charging base
• Measures 17-4/5 by 6-4/5 by 7-2/7 inches; 2-year warranty

Amazon.com Product Description
Equipped with 18 volts of power, this cordless handheld vacuum works great for cleaning stairs, underneath furniture, and other areas around the home, as well as inside vehicles. The unit's exclusive 10-position pivoting nozzle offers an integrated extension piece for 50-percent more reach in tight areas, while its cyclonic action helps keep the filter clean so suction power lasts longer. Choose from two speeds--high for maximum pickup or low for extended run time. Accessories include an upholstery brush, a small crevice tool, and a wall-mountable charging base. Other highlights include three-stage filtration for clean air exhaust, an easy-to-empty system where hands don't touch the dirt, and an EZ Clean Wheel system, which makes it simple to clean the filter and instantly improve suction power. In addition, its innovative design folds in half for compact charging and storing. With 35 air watts and an 11-5/6-ounce capacity, the handheld vacuum measures 17-4/5 by 6-4/5 by 7-2/7 inches and carries a two-year warranty.

Customer Reviews

Great suction, good filter design.
We've had many DustBusters in the past. The first time you use them they are great. But after just a few uses the filter clogs and the suction drops off. Then the batteries go. Our most recent one would run about 2 minutes before the battery would die. It was a mess to empty. The filter never seemed the same after the first few uses.

This one is different. First off, it is heavy by comparison. It weighs at least double the weight of our old DustBuster. Not good for older folks. It weighs over 4 lbs. It's body is much larger. The build quality is very good. My favorite part is the way you empty it and how the filters are constructed. To empty, pull the grey latch on the side and swing open the circular door. The whole dust cavity is exposed. You can dump it without getting your hands dirty.

The filter design is great. This unit works like a Dyson vac with the cyclonic action. You see the dust and debris spin around the center cone when it's on. When you empty it the center plastic cone just twists out. It's hard plastic and keeps the big chunks of dirt away from the softer filter underneath. The manual says the second filter is paper, but it feels more like a plastic filter material. To clean it you just put it under the faucet like a Dixie cup. Which is a good estimate of the filters size. It seems pretty durable with its plastic rim and top. It will probably stand up to many washings. The manual says to replace it ever year. I'm sure it will last that long if not longer. It snaps back together easily.

The suction is great. It has two speeds and we rarely need to use the hi-speed. We use ours mostly for crumbs and cereal spills around the kitchen table. It's louder than our previous models. I don't mind a bit because this one really works. The pivoting nozzle is different. I can't say it's a great improvement on the old design. It may be an advantage for someone else.

So why not 5 stars?
As mentioned in other review, the wall mount bracket puts the handle to the right side. It works out well for me because I mounted it on the right wall of our closet. If my closet setup was different this would be a problem.
The battery. The manual tells you how to remove the battery and recycle it. There is no mention of it being replaceable. You have to remove 7 screws to open the case and then another 3 or 4 to remove the motor. The battery is under the handle. You have to open the bottom and disassemble everything to get it out. There were places that would sell you replacement batteries for our other DustBusters. The same may be true with this unit in time. But you have to be prepared to disassemble it completely to do it.

The unit uses NiCad batteries. This battery technology has a memory problem. The manual says to place the unit on the charger after every use. In my experience this really shortens the life of the battery. We charge the unit fully and then unplug the base. We use the vac until the batteries are exhausted and then charge again. I had hoped they would have used NiMH with higher energy density or Li-ion even better. Or at least put the batteries into cartridge form. The until looks like it will out last the battery.

Happy I bought it. Big improvement over the older units. It's worth the extra cost. I got interested in it because Popular Mechanics did a comparison between the Pivot, Dirt Devil Kone, and the Dyson Root 6 in the February 2007 issue, pg.36. They said the Kone was awful, and the Pivot was the favorite, cost $90 less than the Dyson and didn't look like a ray-gun.

(Wow, what long review!)

Very Nice Design, Good Suction, Loud
This hand vac is thoughtfully designed and a real improvement on previous Black & Decker models.

I compare it with the Black & Decker 9.6 volt (V9610) which sucked up dirt fairly well for 2 years while feeling in so many ways like a piece of junk.

The pivot-nozzle WILL rotate flush with the bottom of the vac, enabling very compact stowage & transport. Nice.

Suction (stated on the box as "35 watts air power") feels impressive. Even low speed has good suction. The box claims "30% more suction than [previous] B&D models." The suction area is about 2/3 inch x 1-2/3 inch, similar to previous models.

The vac's high pitched whine is loud on low speed, and certifiably obnoxious on high speed.

The pivoting nozzle with built-in extension is a really sensible design. You won't want to go back to a wide-snout model if you can help it. The built-in extension fits into spaces .92" or larger and the crevice tip reduces that to 1/2".

The vac alone weighs 4.1 lbs (56% more than the 9.6 volt) but it doesn't seem unreasonably heavy, probably because of the large well-positioned handle.

The charging cradle can be wall mounted or sit on a counter or cabinet floor. It could even work in a 13" high shelf space. It receives and releases the vac effortlessly.

The vac's plastics seem to be of high quality (not brittle or thin). Seems like they could survive a fair amount of abuse.

A clear plastic housing provides a view of the dirt chamber which holds 11.8 volumetric ounces (1.5 cups, 350 ml). Touches like this make you wonder what's going on at Black and Decker. They seem to have lost their touch for making mediocre half-baked products.

The "filter cleaning wheel" is easy to use, unlike previous models, and does it's job well.

Takes PVF-100 replacement filter ($7), same as some previous B&D models. Washable in warm water. The manual says to replace it every 6-9 months, but my original is fine after 2 years.

Exhaust air comes out the bottom which could be a hassle when cleaning up fine sawdust, etc. But with the pivot-nozzle you could avoid blowing on the mess.

The on-off switch is much less annoying than on the 9.6 volt model, but still feels cheap.

The transformer-plug stays warm even after the vac is fully charged, adding a few dollars a year to your electric bill. However, if the vac is not in the charging cradle, the transformer-plug is cool (no energy drain).

There are instructions for removing and disposing of the Ni-Cd battery, but no indication that replacements are available.

The "Full 2 Year Warranty" covers defects and says nothing about how long the battery will last.

***Update 12-30-2009: After 3 years, it's held up well and the battery is still good.


Pros:

Good suction
Very nice overall design. Ergonomic.

Cons:

High pitched whine is offensive
Expensive

Good suction - some usability design flaws
Fab suction, but Black and Decker must not have done any customer testing on the usability:

The GOOD: super suction; nice easy way to dump the dirt; solid feel, and the plastics and construction seems much sturdier than Black & Decker DustBuster line.

The BAD:
--------
1. Wall mount - good and bad:
a) nice that they have a mount with a base (so in case a door slams, the thing won't be shaken off its mount - DustBuster vacs by the same maker have this problem).
b) Not nice is that the maker poorly designed the base so that you're restricted where you can mount it (see their photo - kind or hard to explain). How dopey that they didn't design the base so the vac unit will fit in without a left or right orientation - you should be able to mount the vac straignt in, but you must put handle to the right (and in my little laundry room, that means no where near the back wall).

2. The multi-position/pivoting nozzle/nose is a cool idea, but the maker doesn't mention that you have to operate a flimsy plastic button to allow the nozzle to open & pivot, which may include every time you use it, since it stores best with nozzle in the closed (but unusable) position. You could always store it in its charging station with the nozzle upright/flipped out, but then you're limited to where you store the thing, since the extended nozzle doubles its length.

3. Clear plastic dirt cover: I think it's kind of neat that you can see all that dirt swirling around after you've vac'ed it up, but when it's sitting in its charging mount, my wife remarked "ooh, that's filthy!". The maker should have used a more opaque/smoked plastic - so you could see that you might need to empty the thing, but isn't so...filth-showing.

4. Other: high-pitched whine, a little on the heavy side.

Overall, a good little vac. I did a lot of research before buying this, thanks to C MacPhail and Consumer Reports.