Black & Decker FHV1200 Flex Vac Cordless Ultra-Compact

I thought maybe potential purchasers would like to know that the FHV1200 Flex Vac runs for a little over seven minutes continuously before the motor starts to slow down and lose power. (Never run a NiCd powered product completely dead, some of the battery cells will “reverse” and be permanently damaged.) The time to fully recharge after running the vac this long is about 20 hours (figure a full day to keep it simple). The charger is a small wall adapter type.

I think the power is very good for a rechargeable vacuum (a little more than your average “dustbuster”). As an example, it will easily suck up cat litter, small pebbles, and potting soil, but will have trouble sucking up a glass marbles or pennies.

I don’t think mine is too loud. It has that high speed “whine” sound combined with the sound of rushing air, but the combination is somewhat muffled. It definitely doesn’t sound weak. It almost sounds like a corded vac.

The FHV1200 smaller than you might expect, and the build quality is very good. I’m not normally fond of Black and Decker, but I like this little machine. …and the blue LED charge light is cool!

Minus one star because it takes a looooong time to recharge…

I don’t often return to review purchases, but I did want to for this, because I did so much research myself.

I think this model is exceptional for the class of vacuums that it represents.

Recently our household has migrated from a traditional push-vacuum to the combination of a Roomba and a handheld for corner dust bunnies and misc. accumulations. It’s a great evolution, my wife and I agree and the good old cannister vac that used to rule the roost is now, itself, collecting dust in the closet.

The point here is that the Roomba created a new need for us; a need for a capable, powerful “touch-up vacuum,” and I think the Flex has got the position covered.

People complain about the short battery life, and it’s a legitimate complaint — but realize that using this thing for much beyond “touch-ups” is like using a weed trimmer to mow your entire yard — it’s missing the point. So, yeah, I wish the battery life was longer, but it’s really not a problem, especially if you learn to switch the flex off as you roam from spot to spot. (see extended comment about this at the end of my review)

The suction power is excellent, the noise level is fine (it is, after all, a vacuum — so no it’s not silent). The dirt trap is a tad bit wonky, but I can live with it. (We have a lot of pet hair and it tends to get balled up in the dirt container, needing to be pulled out in a massive clump with two finders)

Where the Flex really wins is with its wrap-around, uncoiling hose, a feature that I didn’t see on any of the competition. This feature RULES THE DAY, making the Flex basically a powerful miniature version of a full-size vacuum. And I tend to use it this very way — with the motor/base in one hand and the hose/attachment head in the other hand, reaching here and there, up and down, for rogue dust bunnies. Add to that the collection of attachments, and it’s the current winner that I know of.

One thing (besides battery life) that I’d like to see changed: Dyson is marketing a competing product –the DC16 — that has a power “trigger” instead of a switch. That concept, I think, is KEY to understanding this new class of product. A power “trigger” would help conserve that precious battery life and that would be nice. (overall, though, I decided the Flex beat the Dyson hands-down, and I still hold that opinion, largely because of the rationale of the hose, [and a longer battery life, apparently])

In short, what some might call a portable or hand-held vacuum, I would call a “miniature vacuum.” And that is exactly what I was looking for.

UPDATE 10/26/2010: I wanted to add a quick note that I am becoming somewhat increasingly anxious over the seemingly shorter-and-shorter battery life of the unit. Is it just me? I may do a test where I just turn it on and let it run down. I love everything else about the vac, but one needs to be judicious and mindful of the short battery life. The biggest downside seems to be the long recharge time. Basically overnight. I wish they would at least offer some sort of battery-replacement program. So far, I’ve found none.