Black & Decker CHV1400 Bagless Handheld Cyclonic Vacuum

Pros: Powerful, 2 speeds, much improved filter system
Cons: May be a little heavy for some

Background Several weeks ago we began a total makeover of our pathetically cluttered garage. And, since we were going to start with fresh paint all around, everything on the walls had to be removed. Carefully unscrewing the mounting plate of ...

Pros: Powerful little motor really cleans up - fast and easy!
Cons: Might be a little heavy for some people.

Since the little t urbo vac I bought (at Sears) failed me so miserably, I just bought a new Black and Decker Dust Buster Cyclonic Power Vac. Doesn't that name sound powerful? I guess it's supposed to remind you ...

Pros: Powerful & effective as well as handsome
Cons: Little bit heavy; tiny bit noisy

Some of you may have read my review of my Kenmore Progressive 29713 that I wrote back in November of 2000. Well, I still have that vacuum and am very pleased with it. However, as the proud owner of 2 rescue dogs, and 3 rescue kitties with fur up the ...

Pros: This vacuum really sucks and picks up debris!
Cons: Retailer does not carry the filters.

In a manly man’s garage you will find a wet and dry vacuum as well as a portable vacuum to clean his prized possession, his car or truck! In my garage, the Dust Buster commands a nice little area all to itself next to my cordless power drills. It has its ...

Pros: cordless, good suction
Cons: bulky, on/off hard to use

I like to keep a tidy house as much as possible. Just keeping the little bits of food, paper, dirt, etc picked up is a chore. With three people and two dogs in the house it is impossible. I got tired of lugging the 30 foot hose around. I have a ...

Pros: Sucks big time. Easy to use.
Cons: Goes maybe 15 minutes on a charge. Slightly awkward form factor.

I agree with other reviews I've read that this model doesn't hold a charge as long as it should. But since I only use it for small jobs, that's not really a problem. If I'm going to clean for twenty minutes I'll just go get my 115v canister vacuum. I ...

Pros: Easy to use. Great suction. Long battery life between charges.
Cons: Setting it back in cradle can be tricky. Battery life after a few years.

I waited to write this review due to wanting to give my Dust Buster 14.4v vacuum a good test time. I've been wanting a hand held vacuum to help pick up those little spills by my 4 yr and 2 yr old kids. They always seem to provide a good test for any ...

Pros: Suction, 2 speeds, see-through cannister, brush/crevice attachments on unit itself, ease of use.
Cons: Somewhat bulky and heavy, but this is a great product!

No unit we've used in the past has had the suction power of the CHV1400. Attachments right on the vacuum itself provide easy access for those hard-to-reach areas. Great versatility and cleaning action.

The unit is heavier/bulkier than we're used to, but it is well worth the superior suction power. Weight/bulkiness could become an issue for extensive projects, but in that case I'd opt to use my full-size vacuum anyway.

Works best on flat, smooth surfaces such as floors and counters. It's not as effective on deep, thick-pile carpet or more textured the fabric, but it certainly does a decent job, particularly when using the brush attachment. Regardless, for the typical clean-up jobs that call for a handheld unit, overall I find this unit to be superb.

Crevice tool great for edges and small areas, and the brush attachment definitely makes cleaning carpet easier.

This unit has two speeds, which is a great feature. The see-through cannister allows people to see how much dirt/debris has accumulated and know when it's time to empty it.

Pros: Powerful, long lasting charge. Easy to clean out.
Cons: A bit heavy and it would be handy if it were shorter.

Handy, powerful, convenient and is working fine. I tried a few others before purchasing this one and I'm pleased that I purchased it since it handles all of my needs and is fairly attractive.

Cleaning debris out of the unit is fairly simple and the fact that it has two settings powerful and more powerful might be useful to some.

Being able to see the debris is satisfying because you know you are getting the job done.

Pros: I feel it has good suction, easy to empty.
Cons: A little bigger than what I was used to but not a problem.

I was also surprised at the not so positive responses. Maybe it's just because of the type of use. I use it a lot in the kitchen, dogs bringing in debris from outside, cat hair, litter. Had a small glass hurricane candle holder with gravel inside fall and break on the carpet and this handled it great. Got everything. Put my older one to shame.
update 9/4/08-over 3 years and still going. Battery has diminished in power but still gets the job done. Battery costs more than vacuum. Would still buy the vacuum and the price is still good.

Pros: Works well for the first year. Looks nice. Ergonomic. Can't say anything else nice.
Cons: Battery life is WEAK after a year, tough to replace, expensive to replace.

Own it for a year and realize that it doesn't suck for more than a few minutes on a full charge. Very disappointing. Replacing the battery is difficult and expensive- easier and almost as cheap to just buy a new one. A DIFFERENT BRAND.
Also- the charger base is flimsy and it is not easily put on and off of the charger base.

Pros: Works well (sucks a lot :-) Accessories stored on unit itself.
Cons: A bit heavy; wall mount a bit awkward.

Great little unit. 2 yr warranty; strong motor; sucks gravel, sand, and other debris tracked in from inside kids' shoes...

The crevice and dusting accessories are stored on the unit handle, making it self contained.

There are three filters (all washable), which keeps the dust from being reblown around. There's a filter cleaning wheel for when you're too lazy to rinse out the middle filter.

The one way suction flap is angled, so that when you turn the vac off, sand/dirt doesn't just fall back out the nozzle.

I really like the translucent nozzle, so you can see how much dirt you've accumulated (I know you're supposed to empty them every time you use them, but who does?)

The only criticisms are: (1) The unit is somewhat heavy; (2) the wall mount is awkward to put the unit into.

It's a very good value overall
($39.99 at amazon.com, free shipping).

Pros: Very good suction for a hand-held.
Cons: Durability. Two years of light use and it's dead.

Bought it a few years ago, and use it once a week. At first, I loved it. Then the battery became very weak and only held a charge for a couple of minutes, literally. Then today, after using it clean my car, which it did pretty well, I drained the almost-empty battery to "cycle" it. Now it will not re-charge at all. The red light on the charger does not light up. I do not know if it is the battery or the charger (I checked the wall outlet, it works.) My intuition is that the product is designed to self-destruct after a couple of years, forcing consumers to buy a new one. That really REALLY irritates me, and I will look for a brand that lasts like it should.