BLACK+DECKER Pivot Vac 18V Cordless Pivoting Hand Vac, PHV1810

I have to admit, I very apprehensive to buy this little hand vacuum, but I am so glad I did. The reason I was apprehensive is because I have never seen a cordless anything that worked as well or had as much power as a corded product. This vacuum has exceeded my expectations. It's sucking power is awesome. Don't get me wrong, it's not like a kirby vacuum or anything, but for a cordless handheld vac, the sucking power is phenomena, yet it's still light enough. I have a slipped disc in my neck, so it's very difficult to vacuum our stairs with the upright, but this vacuum is light enough for me to use with no problems. It holds it's charge well too. It came charged a little bit, about enough for me to vacuum my staircase, then it died. The first time I charged it, I only charged it for about 5 hours. It worked for a little while after that, but it really needs to be charged for at least 24 hours before first time use. Once it's been fully charged, it will last a few days at least, with occasional use. If you use it more than average, then it will probably only last for one day before needing to be charged again.This vacuum is super easy to empty out - simply push a little lock and hold the whole thing over a garbage and empty. As for the filter, I haven't needed a new one yet. That is super easy to clean too. There is a little gray button on the nose (sucking part). Just push that in and twist the filter part to release. I then shake it off in the garbage and use my regular vacuum attachment to vacuum the dust off of the filter. I haven't needed to wash it off yet, but I know al I'll need to do is run it through some clean water. I've seen other posts where people have had theirs for years and have never needed a new filter.All in all, this vacuum works amazingly well. The only thing I think could be done to make it better is maybe to have an attachment to get into corners. But if you're the kind of person who keeps your house pretty clean, even though it doesn't reach directly into the corners, the suction power is enough to pull the dirt and hair from the corner anyway.PS, I use this for everything. I use it to go around the perimeters of each room. I use it for my car. I use it for the ashes next to my fireplace. I use it for pet hair. If my table is filled with crumbs, i even use it on my table. Wonderful item. A must have for anyone who loves finding products that will make your life easier! My second favorite thing is my Bissell Steam mop. That's a must have too!

We first ordered this item about 6 years ago. It gave good service till the battery went bad. I thought first it was the charger which failed to work. We ordered a new charger only to find that the battery would just no longer hold a charge. Being a retired electrician I opted to replace the battery until I found out a replacement cost about half the cost of a totally new unit. So this year (2015) we bought a new unit. Immediately discovered that it does not hold a charge long enough to run at speed beyond 2 minutes of intermittent use, i.e., not running the entire time of use in individual cleanup tasks. This is something the old unit, when it was fresh, would do. Then the charger unit would shut down before vac was completely charged. I would go in to use the vac only to find the charger had shut down (The blue charging indicator off) and the unit had low power because of an incomplete charge.I opted to go online to the B&D website to obtain a new charger. When I entered the number associated with the charging unit(ETPCA-P181021U3) their site stated they had no such number in their parts inventory! I then entered the vacs model number, PHV1810, and it came back with a different charger number, the one for the original vac. The ratings on the old vac were 23v 85 ma. The newer PHV 1810 specifically stated to only replace charger with a unit that developed 24v @ 210ma. Knowing a little about electricity, I know the reason why you can't use A higher amperage charging unit for a designated battery as you can damage the battery and overheat it and it could explode. I attempted, just for the sake of it to connect the old charger to the newer unit to know avail. It won't charge it up.Am update on this original post. I have changed our rating to 4 stars now. B&D have sent us a new unit free of charge. We greatly appreciate this offer.Yet another update 10/4/016.This replacement unit by B&D has indeed gone the way of the first 2. Unit will not hold a charge. When plugged in the charging light will go on. But if left for several hours, like overnight it seems to actually drain the battery down and unit only runs for about 10 to 15 seconds. Enough is enough. B&D has changed something in it's design of this unit, an probably is the battery supplier. A cheaper alternative I have to assume. The first unit lasted over 4 years before it wouldn't hold a charge. All of you who gave this unit 4 or 5 stars, wait a year or less before you make any decision. We gotten our last hand vac from B&D. Their more expensive but Dyson is our next buy. They no longer make most replacement parts for this unit including the battery. Unless you have $45 to throw away, don't go near this unit.