Black & Decker Dustbuster Flexi PD1820L

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.

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

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

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.

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.