Black & Decker Dustbuster Flexi

Initially quite good, but poor battery life, with zero after support from B&D – Initially works quite well, good suction. Unfortunately the battery life keeps fading. Used to be able to replace the battery pack, but no longer. That "sucks". We've also had issues with the switch jamming. If I could replace the battery, I'd give it 4 stars, simply because it really is quite handy all round.

Excellent vacuum with only minor flaws – Have had this unit just on 12 months now. It gets a full charge use 6 out of 7 days per week. A full charge lasts almost exactly 11 minutes. Suction is good and it performs the job required as expected. Downsides are that the on/off switch has started to jam recently. The switch requires correct alignment with a slide inside the casing.… Read more ·  1

Removing and replacing the casing to empty the filter basket can disrupt this alignment enough for the switch to jam.

Having also opened the case to empty the unit 6 out of 7 days for the past year has resulted in the case hinge having broken in the last week. I realise we use the vacuum more than the regular household, so someone else could probably expect this hinge to last longer.

The flip down brush also wore out quite quickly. After only a couple of weeks, the bristles bent over and you have to be careful not to scratch the surface of items when using it (especially plastic). It looks like you can purchase replacements for this part but since our dust bowl door hinge broke, we won't be investigating that further.

Finally, you do have to be careful seating the unit on the charger. If you are sensible and check that it's charging after you put it down, there is no problem but it is also easy to put it on the charger and not have the contacts seated correctly. This was done a couple of times by someone not checking if it was charging after they put it down. Anyone with half a brain shouldn't have a problem.

Having said all that, we will be heading out this week to purchase another one to replace our broken unit. Will probably spend the extra money on the 18v unit and see if get a little more run time out of it.

Beautiful thing. Poor suction – I bought this vacuum from Bunnings after having read good reviews here. The main reason for my purchase is its unique "coiled-up" design and the general appearance which I fancy a lot. But a vacuum is a vacuum and to me, it's considered a failed item if it can't get its fundamental function right. I probably wouldn't have bought it if I were… Read more

given an opportunity to test its suction power prior to purchase. Unfortunately, both Bunnings I visited (South Melbourne and Maribyrnong) had samples sitting on their shelves which were not charged up for testing purposes (now I am beginning to wonder if this is deliberate). I have tested Vax Gator (15.6V and 18V), Electrolux Ergorapido (14.4V) and Black & Decker Pivot (18V), and in my opinion, Black & Decker Dustbuster Flexi (14.4V) has the weakest suction among them all.

Suction issue aside, its lithium battery is quite lasting. I have used it to vacuum the interior of my small car (seats, console, mats and boot) and its power only became weaker towards the end of the cleaning process. It took about 1 hour to recharge to its max thereafter. In my opinion, it is best to empty the vacuum after each usage. It's too early to tell how frequently I have to clean out the filter.

Last but not least... it is very loud.

Best Handheld Vac Ever – I have had plenty of handhelds in the past and one that I was particularly attached to was the Hoover Hotshot. It lasted me four years and was the only hosed model I have owned. In the few years since I have searched for something similar and finally I found a unit that is quite simply the best handheld ever. The suction is incredibly strong,… Read more ·  1

battery life runs at around 25 minutes full usage and the charge is reasonably fast. The small and compact unit sits comfortably in one hand while the other can access hard to reach spots by virtue of the stretchable hose. The on/off button is so well located that you only need to lift one finger from the handle to operate. The capacity of the bin seems to go on forever and the ease of clean is first rate. The rubberised pet hair tool is by far the best hair remover I have ever come across, close to total removal with a couple of swipes. I have to reiterate, the suction on this little beauty is just incredible. Massive suction lasting right through to battery fail. Light, compact and convenient. Excellent pet hair attachment. Long battery life and fast charge time. Dust bin fills with no affect on suction. Slightly noisy. The brush attachment could be sturdier, it swings down from the unit and only brushes in front of the leading edge, very flimsy.

This unit is still going strong in April 2019.

August 2021. Unfortunately this unit was dropped and the casing cracked to the point where the battery must be loose. It will charge however it is 'hit and miss' whether it works. 8 years is pretty good and it's time for a new B&D.

An Excellent Product – This portable hand held 18V vacuum cleaner is very good product. One charge will last 15 minutes. The suction is quite strong and will pick up most rubbish it also has a clip down brush on the nozzle. I used this mainly in tight areas and for the car so I don't have to drag out the big cleaner. being cordless and compact means you can use it just about anywhere. A highly recommended product.

Great unit – Love the longer hose. Powerful and works great. Would suggest getting this one over the 14 volt model. Good suction, last a reasonable time, does all of the jobs I want it to. Easy to empty and useful tools and holder. Got mine from Harvey Norman as they hold the more powerful model.  Show details

Underpowered piece of overrated junk – After seeing a glowing review of this on a sponsored advertisement on news.com, I felt compelled to come and tell you all the truth. I too was fooled by all the positive reviews on this - clearly others have far lower standards than I do for vacuum cleaners. I originally purchased this as a quick vacuum for my car and owned this for 2 yrs, using… Read more

it just a handful of times. It is incredibly underpowered and has absolutely no suction, with a very short battery life. One of the attachments used to mark my carpet and upholstry with scratches that could not be removed.

Do yourself a favour and get a Dyson. I got the V15 Detect and it absolutely leaves junk like this for dead. I know they're costly but honestly you get what you pay for. I ended up giving mine away for free that's how useless it was.

not worth the money spent – Bought a cordless vacuum Black and Decker cordless Vaccuum Cleaner PD 1820L-XE on 27/09/2016 from JB HI FI. The switch presented problems within the 2 year warranty period. Replaced by JB Hi Fi. Unfortunately the same problem with the replacement .The switch keeps jamming and difficult to put it off once on.Sometime works and other time does not operate.

Poor reliability – I was very happy with the performance of this product while it worked; it provided good suction and enough cleaning time to vacuum my narrowboat in one session. However! After about 18 months the power cord to the charger base unit snapped at the point where it enters the plug. The wire is so thin and weak it looks as if it's been designed… Read more

deliberately to break quickly. It is impossible to repair the wire as the plug is a sealed unit. When I rang the parts company recommended by Currys, they quoted me £51.99 plus delivery for a new base charger! Daylight robbery and one can't help wondering if money is being generated from built-in obsolescence!

Disappointed. Expensive. Had two, both failed after short lives – Had two of these. Very satisfied at first, good suction, easy to clean filter, did a great job on small areas of dust on rugs, timber floors, window ledges etc. First one: switch broke within a year. Replacement had less suction now battery is almost dead, after just 1.5 years.  Show details

Hose is too narrow and blocks easily – Since posting previously, I discovered the cause of the poor suction. The flexible suction tubing is quite narrow. It is easy for dust/lint balls to form and occlude it over time (unlike other larger vacuum tubing). If they form in the middle (which is what happened to me) it is not possible to see it due to the conduit being opaque. To overcome… Read more

this, it is necessary to shove something along it to dislodge anything which might have formed if suction drops and you have done the usual other maintenance of cleaning the filter etc. Of course, B & D could just choose to make the tubing transparent to enable easy detection and timely cleaning - a pretty obvious design feature which is missing really. I therefore have upped my rating slightly.

Ok for the price – Bought this from myer store on ebay on spacial. It has a decent battery life for about 15min continues run. The suction is also Ok for cleaning the floor just in case there is a small mess. The flexible tube should be always removed from its place while using otherwise the strong wind from its fan will push the rubish away from the unit. It is also a bit noisy. Otherwise as I said it is Ok for a short run.  Show details

Does the work! – Bought it for our bus. It's really handy with its flexibilty, can easily clean under seats/bed. It is quite loud, but that's not a problem for us. Super easy to empty and keep the DustBuster clean. Only I wish it could charge up faster and that the battery would last longer. But other than that, it's an awesome littler helper, specially if you are living in a bus/caravan etc.  Show details

Fantastic Portable vacuum! – Very happy with this nifty little vacuum. It cleans wuickly and efficiently and the battery hold enough charge for a quick vacuum of our small house. It is little fairly quiet and easy to handle. I wouldn't rely on it for a deep pile rug, but for a quick vacuum around carpeted and tiled areas it is great.  Show details

Vacuum cleaner without vacuum – Bought this about 18 months ago. Suction has been fading progressively despite cleaning, emptying etc to the point now where it doesn't even pick up lint. It still makes a loud noise and battery is fully charged. Purchased it from Bunnings but of course the receipt has been misplaced so they don't want to know me. I don't recommend this vacuum… Read more

cleaner unless you want to replace it within 12 months. Judging by some of the reviews, I am not alone. Clearly this has a design flaw and should have been recalled.

Does not work well at all – I looked at a lot of reviews and did my research on dustbuster type vacuums before purchasing this one. I really wanted it to be good and usually rate Black and Decker products. It has a Li-on battery and 18V should be able to do the job. I've had it for a while now and rarely use it as it has almost zero suction. It won't even pull up basic dirt.… Read more

I spilt 100s and 1000s the other day and it couldn't even suck them up. Filters have been cleaned and changed, but it hasn't helped. Unfortunately, I've probably waited too long to organise a replacement.

Very good, but has just developed a fault – I've been surprisingly happy with this device. I use it mostly on wooden floors. My mum bought one for herself after trying mine, and she uses it a lot to clean her car. It sucks fairly well and the floor-extension works remarkably well for what it is, even though the suction from that head feels pretty weak. All of these devices are fairly… Read more

noisy, but this one is tolerable (better than a Dyson and a simpler Dustbuster I've tried). The flexible hose is very useful. It's a pity the bristles on the main head become so misshapen so quickly.

After 20mths of ownership, the device has stopped charging (there's a fault in the baseplate), so I'm going to have to take it for repair under warranty. Frustrating.

i love my dustbuster – what a performance and thank you product reviews for helping me find this excellent portable vacuum cleaner! it is so light weight, powerful and easy to clean! fantastic that it has a flexible hose, not available in other brands which makes all the difference in getting to hard to reach areas. great for the car too!  Show details

Brilliant small vac – This is brilliant for those little bits that drop to the floor in the kitchen. It is brilliant for the car too as it is small and the flexi hose gets into all the difficult areas of the car. The B & D Dustbuster Flexi is one of the best bits of kit we have at the moment.  Show details

Perfect for travelling – Purchased this for our camper as we have limited space. I think the suction is great for our camper, lightweight and easy to use. I haven't had any problems with the door opening. If anything, I have found that it does take a long time to fully recharge but don't see this as a problem as I just leave plugged in overnight.  Show details

Dust bowl door release design poor – Excellent performance and easy to use however the dust bowl door opens way too easily resulting in spillage and mess. This detracts from an otherwise good product, powerful and efficient. Very disappointed that even the slightest touch or knock opens the flap. Having paid close to $150. had expected better.  Show details

Good performance – This dustbuster has really good suction and is really easy to empty, which can be frustrating on cheaper products. Battery life is fine for me, and the charging base is compact. The unit is attractive and the indicator lights are very visible. I find the ergonomics of the device a little poor. Needing to 'un-pivot' the suction head on every… Read more

use can be a little annoying, the unit is quite unbalanced in the hand - most of the device weight is in front of the handle causing it to tip forward when used.

Overall happy with this product and it's much better than cheaper dustbusters I've had in the past.

Good Vacuum but – ..they don't sell the filter anywhere. Not a single place. So you have to call and buy it directly from black and decker. I just got off the phone with them (1800 654 155) and they quoted roughly $28 including shipping then reduced the price by $10 when I complained. I still didn't buy it in the end - im gonna throw it the dirty one in the dish washer and see what happens.  Show details

Favourite appliance! – I bought this dustbuster to replace my old-school dustbuster. I love using the nozzle to get into difficult places (including the bench top) and it makes vacuuming the car and cleaning up after my 3 year old very easy. In my opinion, the suction is very good, even on carpet. I think the reviews depend to some extent on expectations. I might have… Read more ·  1

been starting with low expectations, just wanting something better than the last dustbuster! This definitely fits the bill, and I've had no issues with it.

Disappointing waste of money – Pathetic performance for the price. Bought only to clean debris from window & door tracks. Barely picks up anything & the crevice nozzle is too big for the tracks although it seems quite narrow. So so so disappointed at the cost for a machine that's going to sit in the cupboard collecting dust instead of sucking it up like it should!

One of my favourite appliances – Excellent suction and wonderful for quick cleans of wood floors in the kitchen/dining room, especially after breakfast. All those crumbs! Compact, fast charging and long handle floor attachment is great. You MUST clean the filters regularly for best results but this is a favourite in my house. I have a second one, different model, in the laundry and would not be without it.  Show reply

Super handy ! – Bought late last year. Very happy with purchase. Suction is quite strong - far superior to any of the cheaper hand held vacuum cleaners which never lived up to my expectations. Easy to use, light, ergonomically comfortable and looks nice. I use it to vacuum along the skirting boards, windowsills, on my carpeted stairs, the car, small messes… Read more ·  2

anywhere. It is not too noisy but sounds and is powerful. Easy to empty and put back together. It stores easily on a small shelf. Battery charger turns off when battery full - less fear of overheating. The charge seems to last a long time, although I tend to recharge straight after using it for longer times e.g. after doing the stairs. Best thing I bought in ages.

Mixed Bag Result – I've had it for about a year now and this is the summary: Positives: strong suction for its size though can't be compared with my Wherteim corded one, very compact and the flexible hose is great. Fairly easy to disassemble and clean. Negatives: extremely noisy, luckily I usually only spent around 5 minutes each time otherwise I don't think… Read more

it's good for my ears. Hairs could get tangled in the motor. I learnt it the hard way after it suddenly started making loud thud noise every few seconds (as if something was stuck). Then a little bit of burning smell came out, which made me freaked out. I disassembled the compartments and found a string of hair in the motor. After removing, it works great again for a while and it started happening again last week. Looks like a flawed design.

Better than my Dyson stick – I bought this for a second property - we have a Dyson stick too. The Dyson is very good, but the Flex is better. Both have good suction, but I think the 18v of the Flex gives it an edge. The Flex has much better balance, both with the floor attachment and purely hand held. The Dyson is awkward to hold, particularly with the long stick attachment.… Read more

We use the Flex most of the time - our big Nilfisk only comes out for a really thorough clean every two or three weeks. The Flex design is very clever, with the detachable hose making it extremely useful for awkward cleaning jobs such as high windows or cleaning a car. The Dyson is quite overpriced in Australia - but I'm happy to pay that premium if it works better... but now I would choose the Flex even if the two were the same price. Construction quality looks to be pretty much equal too, so I am very satisfied with the Flex.

Got the Flexi this time – Mum borrowed the first one I bought and keeps forgetting to return it, so I think I won't ever be getting that back. This time it's the PD1820LF-XE: 2 for the price of one small Dyson. Great for getting into tight spots in the car, around the sides of the seats and the centre console and over head jobs around the house but not as good as the… Read more

previous one for whizzing over the carpet and large areas. Still the same good sucking power and powerful battery but watch how you put it back in the charging cradle, as it doesn't settle down on the charging contacts as well as the other model because the plastic key adjacent the contacts are not very tall. I leave the flexi hose off to the side while charging - works every time now.