May 102013
Dirt Devil AccuCharge 15.6 Volt Cordless Hand Vac with ENERGY STAR Battery Charger, BD10045RED
- AccuCharge Technology: Longer battery life, charges 2X faster, utilizes 70% less energy
- Powerful 15.6 volts of suction power
- Cordless rechargeable convenience
- ENERGY STAR qualified battery charger
- Quick Flip Crevice tool on board.
Dirt Devil has developed a new line of energy efficient cleaning products with ENERGY STAR qualified battery chargers. The Accucharge System protects batteries from degradation, leading to a longer and more efficient battery life. Now charging twice as quickly– so you won’t have to wait as long between uses. Additionally, special AccuCharge Circuitry constantly monitors the battery until fully charged, and then reduces power to a trickle to complete and maintain the charge. This results in a r
List Price: $ 69.99
Price: $ 34.99
This SUCKER really SUCKS!!! (in the best possible way),
UPDATE – UPDATE – UPDATE: January 31, 2013. I STILL HEARTILY RECOMMEND THIS HAND VAC.
My husband and I are still extremely happy with my purchase of 2 of these Dirt Devil hand vacs. The three years are not yet up on the Warranty, but since we’ve had nothing but flawless service from them, I have no reason to believe they will experience any problems any time soon. With 2 dogs, three cats, and clumbsy ol’ Me, believe me, each of these are used at least once every single day!
When I first wrote my review I had some information in it about filters (which I later edited out). The model was so new then that getting extra filters was difficult, and involved getting a base and the “bags” separately. I removed that section from my review when there was no longer a problem in getting extra filters. I suggest getting one or two extra filters. Although the manufacturer says they are not washable, they are (as were the Dust Buster’s unwashable filters). First, almost inevitably some time you will accidentally vacuum up something moist or wet. This can really clog the filter. Or it may become “loaded” from wallboard “dust”, etc. Washing the filters is easy. I use the sprayer on my sink’s faucet. I spray from both sides until water is going through the filter freely. I then shake it vigorously and hang it to dry. If you shake it vigorously enough it should not drip. Allow it to dry 2 days to be sure any moisture in the area where the filter parts are glued together has had ample time to dry completely. If you only have one filter, and it is clogged, it will necessitate cleaning up whatever in a different way. If you clog a filter you can make a immediate change out and worry about the clogged filter after you have finished the cleanup task that clogged it in the first place.
NOTE: I do not know if any “running changes” have been made to this model, although conidering the cost of retooling, I doubt it. But it is possible, so perhaps the three things I don’t like (or was slow adapting to) have been changed.
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I apologize for the length of this “review”. In the process of deciding which model of hand vac to buy, I ran into a number of confusing issues.
First, before this purchase (of 2 hand vacs), I have never bought any hand held vac that was NOT a Black & Decker DUST BUSTER. I suppose that is because they were the first to have a cordless/rechargeable hand vac, and inertia took over when it came time for me to replace them. By the time the thrill of having that first rechargeable hand held vac wore off, there were other companies making hand held vacs, but I stuck with B&D’s DB’s. I cussed them out over various things – mostly they just weren’t very good. There were few choices of model; the accessories from one generation didn’t fit the next generation even when the next generation came on the market with no accessories (dust brush, crevice tools, etc.). This was one of the few times in my life I put up with any serious product dissatisfaction. Shortly after I purchased my last 2 B&D DB’s (I always have 2 because of the layout of our house), I decided that I had no idea what brand of hand vac I would purchase next, but it would NOT be a Dust Buster from B&D.
Because of living in a remote area I shop at AMAZON often (because of free shipping and regularly LOW prices too), and because I try to boycott WalMart (the only “discount” retailer I am within 40 miles of). When I started to compare various hand vacs I complained to my husband how confusing all the choices were and he tossed me the most recent issue of Consumer Reports Magazine that rated Vacs. Often CR samples too few choices to end up with my ultimate choice, but I can track the quality reports based on manufacturer, and it looked as though Dirt Devil deserved a long, hard look.
While researching and comparing models and features I learned that DD manufactures some models under their own name but then limits the distribution of those models to certain retailers. They also manufacture models under some large retailer’s names. I hope this information can save you some time if you also research acquisitions carefully (as I do). This Amazon marketed model is shown (by searching for the model number) at Dirt Devil’s website. There is another one shown there that is otherwise identical (BD10040) except its snout is clear, not red. Neither of them can be ordered from Dirt Devil. At first I suspected that they were discontinued models, and since the MSRP was a little different I was also confused as to whether they were exactly the same. After some absolutely defiant stubbornness by me (with the 4th or 5th “overseas” representative) I spoke to, one finally explained the different models to me. This one is available through Amazon (cheapest) and Target only, and the other one is available through…
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|Pleasently surprised!,
After researching multiple hand vacs, I finally got sick of reading about them and just picked this one because it was red. I absolutely love it! For how small and compact it is, it sure does SUCK! In a good way… I can pick up nuts about 1/4-20 in size if not maybe bigger. Haven’t ran it long enough to kill the battery but I had it running non stop for 30min. No complaints other than I didn’t order it sooner.
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|Works very well but does *not* feel secure on the wall mount,
This is a very nice little vacuum. I keep it in my garage, near the entrance from the kitchen, and use it for small jobs like cleaning the kids’ crumbs off the car seats and floors, sucking up bugs and spiderwebs from the garage wall, cleaning food crumbs from crevices in the kitchen, and removing dust and crumbs from my computer keyboards and monitors. It has a small retractable brush that is very useful for car cleaning, and a plastic nozzle that can flip forwards to extend the reach, which is good for cleaning things high up and sucking up bugs.
Apparently this device has a smart charger which does not simply keep the battery at full charge all the time but optimizes the recharging to extend the battery life. I have certainly not noticed any deterioration in the battery in the several months I have owned this vacuum.
Opening the device to empty out the dirt is easy. Most of the dirt just drops out into the garbage. I like to use my central vac nozzle to thoroughly clean out the remaining dust and dirt particles from the inside of the vacuum and the filter. This process keeps the filter nice and clean and I have never needed to replace it.
So this is a good product and certainly had the potential for earning 5 stars. Unfortunately, I am not happy with the wall mount system. The mount itself is fine and stays securely on the wall with the supplied screws, but the vacuum just does not feel secure on the mount. There is no satisfying “click” to tell you that it has been replaced properly on the wall mount after use; it is really just friction that holds it, which I am not comfortable with for a fairly heavy device. A few times I have thought that I replaced the vacuum correctly but then it has started to slide off and I have needed to push it back further so that it stays in place. It has never actually ended up falling to the floor but I don’t like having to be so careful. This is a somewhat surprising design flaw in an otherwise very good product.
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