Need it, love it, use it daily!
Written: Jan 29 '07 (Updated Jan 29 '07)
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Pros: Lightweight, easy to use, easy to clean, hook included, attractive, wet/dry, No replacement bags!
Cons: Must mount to stud; blowback exhaust can be counterproductive with poor planning.
The Bottom Line: You'll be glad you trusted this friend to help out around the house. He's a cheap date! Just don't give him too much to drink.
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| lisandrea's Full Review: Black & Decker CHV7250 Bagless Handheld Vacuum |
Here I am, again, epining on vaccs! Now, why would I need a handheld, when I am so passionately in love with my Miele)? Because it isn't always necessary to pull out the big guns to do a fly swatter's job, you know what I mean?
I have two children under the age of four, who are always home with me. We are very busy in the kitchen with art/craft & baking/cooking projects that make for a quickly untidy vinyl floor. Daily. Personally, I do not enjoy the cleaning up parts of life, so I always go for a quick & easy solution (like the Swiffer Wet Jet). This small engine is superior to the green monster I panned a couple of years ago in its practicality, ease of use & especially ease of cleaning!
I had been pleading...no, *begging* my husband for a handheld vacc for...well, about 12 years. He never understood the need, when we have the big old expensive Miele hanging around (that is darn-near perfect!)--but finally I convinced him that I WOULD prefer a handheld vacc as a practical gift to diamonds or roses for our anniversary (ha!), and so...he researched & came home with the Black & Decker CHV7250 Bagless Handheld Vacc.
Oh, it was smooth to the touch! It was light, and ergonomically kind to lug around from room to room for the quick pick-up. It was even pretty, with its light blue & white color scheme. Then he mounted the hook on the wall, low & near a recharging plug in the kitchen for easy access. Not even obtrusive standing out there next to the pantry. This is good. Yes.
Using the CHV7250 (feels like I'm saying R2D2 or C3-PO here!) is a breeze. And it's a fairly good suction of a breeze, in fact (7.2 volts of energy). It thinks nothing of inhaling half a box of Cheerios that have been dumped on the floor by a curious toddler (Lord knows how she got those in her hands...but I digress), or, say, a few dozen raisins. The capacity is deceptively large--not just for a few stray dust bunnies (although it'll get those with ease). I like that the canister is clear, so you can easily tell when it needs to be dumped.
Here's the brilliance: it is wet/dry! So, when Cheerios might fall to the floor a second time, only this time with a milky bowl along for the ride, clean up is a cinch. Slurp! The CHV laughs in the face of milk.
Unless, of course, you don't clean that milk out immediately!
Yes, it is critical that you maintain this device well--do NOT leave wet items within for even an hour--liquids are nasty in an enclosed space. But, not to worry, if you, perhaps, have to run to put out a fire (of sorts) in the other room where screams of frustration rise to the ceiling from your children, and you happen to FORGET about the liquids in your CHV, the canister is dishwasher safe, so you can handwash or dishwash out the muck & mire.
Nice touch.
However, I do NOT recommend using this vacc to suck up a home haircut. Little hairs in the sponge filter of the CHV are like fiberglass insulation. I have yet to figure out how to extract that mistake...In fact, cleaning up very lightweight items that are scattered in a less than neat pile can prove frustrating when the exhaust air counteracts your cleaning efforts. It blows back at you, so you must pay attention to the direction in which you use this tool, starting at the BACK of your mess & working your way up, so you don't just end up blowing the dirt around even more. This took a little practice.
And, it isn't meant to swallow up an entire goblet of red wine--bigger spills call for sponges, rags & paper towel blotting first. But we have used it on carpets with a chemical cleaner and on vinyl/Pergo flooring. I have been pleased.
It's certainly cheaper than a dozen roses (or diamonds, for goodness sakes), so don't expect a 5-star rating, here, but this is an inexpensive little friend that is handy to have around--especially in the kitchen.
Criticisms tend to fall on the black sponge filter. It is not easily cleaned out (like of the hairs I mentioned), although it can be washed under running water, wrung out & dried on a rack. It is a critical element of the vacc, and not necessarily as efficient at keeping the muck from the fan as it could be. It is replaceable, however (which I will have to do, since the hair-infested one is a dud).
ALSO, two attachments come with the vacc. I have not found these all too effective--a crevice tool & a upholstery brush. They do not fit obviously into one another in the back--they're awkwardly fit, but do stay put if you give them a good enough pinch in place. I use them rarely, since I tend to use the Miele for upholstery jobs, anyway.
Since my parents had the older (way older) model where the handheld feature clicks into a large recharging base, I was surprised to find that this one only has a small power cord & jack in the mountable base. Finding the right place to wall mount it may be an issue for some, but the hook it comes with is secure--I'm not worried about it shattering or ripping off the wall with a good toddler tug.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 20
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Epinions.com ID:
lisandrea
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Location: Virginia
Reviews written: 45
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
AP, NFP, WAHM/SAHM but NO SPAM (thank you, Ma'am)! :O)
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