****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
**Update - Beware of the reviews. This seller sends a card that states they will give you a free gift if you provide a review for them. Of course, I did and I gave an honest review. This device is 4 stars tops. When I sent my request for my "free gift" ($20 Amazon GC), I received an email that asked me why I did not give it 5 stars. I explained that 5 stars to me means it exceeds all expectations and is perfect. I am not someone who gives 5 star reviews to every product as that degrades the meaning of 5 stars which means perfect. I received another email where they asked nicely again about the 5 stars but really were looking for me to change my review to 5 stars which I refused. Of course, I never got my gift card and when I followed up, I got ignored. Moral of the story - the reviews are inflated. This product does not deserve the 5 stars noted. Majority of the buyers were basically bribed to give 5 stars. Check all the reviews and see the number of 5 stars. I should deduct 1/2 star for this shady practice but I will leave it. The card did not specify you must give 5 stars to get a gift but that is the reality. The seller is bribing people with gifts for 5 stars. I will update my review as I continue to use this device. If it fails or if the seller refuses to change the battery which they claim they will, I will certainly lower the stars. This vacuum is 4 stars at the very best. Don't believe the 76% 5 star reviews!**After researching for a replacement of my Black & Decker Dustbuster (which finally died after maybe 7 years), I found this handheld vac. I looked at the reviews, of course but also checked fakespot to ensure reviews are legit. In any case, I bought this. I knew it was not a common name brand but some type of Chinese brand. However the reviews convinced me to buy this.First, this is about the same length as my old Dustbuster but is more narrow. It looks modern and has a nice looking design. Second, I like the built-in light but the switch is in a bad spot as I have turned on the light multiple times by accident. Third, it comes with 4 attachments. They are a little difficult to pull out once you attach them. Hopefully, it becomes less difficult as it is broken in. I used this to clean my car. The suction power was good but not great. However if you use the crevice tool attachment, then the suction is great. I like the extension hose which allows me to get in tight areas. Didn't have that with my old Dustbuster. Fourth, I like the stainless steel filter but I am not sure if it really makes a difference. I never replaced the cloth filter that came with my Dustbuster. I have not used this to suck any liquids so no comment on that. I do not intend to use this for liquids. Cleaning the vac is easy but just need to make sure you twist the part that holds the filter. Also make sure to align the part as it only goes in one way.So far, so good. I just wish the suction was stronger but it is better with the crevice tool. My only concern is the battery. The manual states that the battery should last 1 year. How is that possible? My Dustbuster lasted maybe 5 years before the battery started giving problems. And I still had an additional 2 years of usuage after that. The good thing is that the company states that they will replace the battery so we will see how that will work and if they actually will.I give this 4 stars for now and will probably updates especially on the battery.I purchased a Black and Decker "Pivot Pilot" 18 volt 'dust buster' about a year ago. It's performance was not acceptable. It perform fine on a full charge but would slow down after less than 3 minutes and consequently, would loose most of it's suction. It weighed about 40 pounds. OK, I exaggerate. It is very heavy but I liked how it worked otherwise. Except it worked well for very few minutes. Did I mention it weighed a ton? After reading review after review, I decided to purchase this VacLife. Upon receiving it and assembling it, I thought I had made a big mistake. It's light as the proverbial feather. The suction is phenomenal. It works great and I cleaned my entire car interior with no loss of suction. I actually bought a second one and sent it to my daughter. She didn't even open it. They already had one and even though I raved about my VacLife, they were sensible and asked me to exchange it for the "Moana." DVD for my only grandchild. I did not argue. Amazon makes returns effortless. Almost. Did I say it's light? Speaking of light, the guyorgirl that designed the placement of the light did not think it thru. It shines just above the blob of cat hair I'm going for. To compound that mistake, they put the very sensitive light switch right where my thumb sits during use. Inevitably, i turn on the light and don't realize I have. Oops, I've highlighted, pun intended, the serious light flaw. The light is a dim blue instead of a 'white' light and the On/Off switch is locate conveniently on top, exactly where your thumb will slide to, during active use. You don't realize you've accidentally turned on the switch because the dim light shines just above the piece of dirt you've drug in from outside because it's designed to light a large area but the edge of the light shines about 4 inches above the piece of lint you are attempting to suck up. you have to tip the unit down to illuminate the pizza crumbs you are trying to pick up but then the nose of the VacLife is touching a clean part of the rug. You readjust your aim but that puts the offending stuffed pizza crust (the one stuffed into the carpet) in the dark again and you miss it! It's a never ending cycle. It took me 3 minutes trying to stab the crumbs. Again, I exaggerate. Having said that, I still love my VacLife. It sucks. Hard. And it will suck for a long time! So I'm keeping it; in the belief that VacLife reads 'reviews and if a light is shined on a light flaw, they will take it to heart. I'm such an optimist. So beware of this not fateful flaw. I seldom clean in the dark so it is not a major issue. So far, when I am done and go to put it away, I realize the light is on and because it is so conveniently located, I turn it off. Excessive light use does not seem to harm batteyr life. Possibly because it's not a big drain on said battery. If you need an intense light during daylight or bulblight, this is not the dustbuster for you. Otherwise, this is a great machine and the attachments are all useful and necessary. What more could you want out of attachments? Another thing, emptying is not as simple as taking off the clear plastic 'bag" and dumping the dirt. You have to first extract the filter. I thought this was weird and not "handy" but soon realized this was cleaner and made the machine more efficient and it's not that difficult. If it's going to pick up liquid, which it does efficiently, the design of emptying it is necessary. I give this a strong 4our stars. If the light were improved, I'd give it a strong 5ive stars!Holds charge for a long time. Good suction power. Will buy again when I need a new one.I used this product for almost a year but it stopped recharging and I basically gave up on it. One day I was going through my records and noticed the warranty was still in effect so I emailed customer service and sent them a video of it not working. Got a new one within a week and it works great. I really respect a company that stands behind its product like this - great little vacuum by some awesome people
