I've had one of these in the past and unfortunately its battery died along the way. BUT I loved it so much I got another one! It sucks up all the stray cat litter and it's light and easy enough to grab off the charger for everyday use. The pet hair tool included cleans the cat tree LIKE NEW. -from a long haired cat ownerThe vacuum itself is nice enough, but the included batteries cannot be (easily) replaced, and they seem prone to dying quickly. If you buy this vacuum, don't expect it to last more than 2 years.EDIT: B&D was willing to replace the vacuum under warranty without any fuss, so updating this to 4 stars -- glad to see they stand by their warranty process.I like everything about this little vacuum. No cord. No fuss. Powerful works in car and in house. I had the grandfather of this little vacuum and it is still going. I bought another one for my mom in law. She likes it too. Good solid product. Not a toy. Good battery life. Would make a good quality gift to anyone. If you get it it will be you best spot clean up vacuum.Is aazingy light and easy to use. Lots of power.This vacuum was great when it worked! I really liked it as it did exactly what I needed. It had sufficient suction and a decent battery life for the car and small jobs around the house. I'd give it 5 stars but for a faulty On/Off switch. It's been 2 years since I bought the vacuum and the On/Off switch problem only got worse until it no longer worked. I don't remember when the problem began, but it wasn't very long after the purchase... probably between 2-6 months.When the problem began, the vacuum wouldn't always start on the 1st try after pushing in the On/Off button. I would need to push it out (Off) and push it back in (On) again and repeat this until it turned on. Early on, I only had to repeat this once or twice but as time went by, it worsened and worsened until today when no amount of pushing in and out of the On/Off button will get it to start. This had nothing to do with the battery, which always had plenty of power when I could get it to work.May 28,2018 EDIT:Revised: 1 Star to 5 Stars...(Note: I have never used the floor head, so if this is your primary intended use with this vacuum, please read other reviews. I use this vacuum for the car and other surfaces that my my floor vacuum doesn't get to.) Also, I was originally tempted to give 3 or 4 stars for having to deal with this problem for a couple years, being without a working vacuum for several months after it completely died and having had purchased an expensive replacement. And while this IS ultimately B+D's fault, it was likely due to someone on the assembly line being distracted and not pushing the battery connectors together with enough pressure, so I'm giving B+D a one-time pass on this issue.Short explanation for 1 to 5 star revision: The problem was due to an easily fixable loose battery/vacuum connectors (poor electrical connection) and NOT A MALFUNCTIONING ON/OFF SWITCH, as I originally thought.Longer explanation AND HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM if this happens to you: (B+D reached out to me in the comments, which was very nice of them.) Hoping B+D would request I send the vacuum in for a repair, I shot off an email and started cleaning the interior/exterior dust off the vacuum (in preparation for shipping... so they wouldn't have to deal with my dust) when I noticed a small opening in the battery cover (top side) with a small grey plastic insert. Thinking this may have something to do with starting the vacuum (IT DIDN'T!), I pressed it several times while pushing the on/off switch several times and the vacuum started 1 time for a brief fraction of a second. Turns out the grey insert had nothing to do with it (it's a latch to hold the battery in place), but this led me to believe the problem may be inside the battery area. I removed the two Philips-head screws holding the battery area to the vacuum. While gently separating the battery section from the vacuum, the wire connector to the battery separated from the vacuum connector WITHOUT ANY EFFORT. The two connectors were loosely held together... THERE WAS NO SOLID CONNECTION BETWEEN THE BATTERY AND THE VACUUM. I reinserted the the battery connector into the vacuum connector pushing hard enough to assure it was pushed in all the way and turned on the vacuum and now it now works!!pros: extra long hose, cordless conveniencecons: weak suction, very small vacuum head, floor extension utterly useless, not compatible with "universal" attachments, filter gets very dirty very quickly, dismantling to empty and clean could be easier, charge doesn't last longneeded a new hand vac because my ancient but powerful corded dirt devil lacked a hose or any means to connect attachments and i wanted to clean my dryer vent. didn't need the floor head but at the time of purchase it was actually cheaper to buy with than without. also bought the recommended "frequently bought together" attachment kit because i knew i would need something small for the vent.after charging, i first tested the vac on a small entry mat. the vacuum head is so small it would have taken half an hour to finish the 2' x 3' mat. suction was surprisingly weak, even repeating strokes over the same strip of carpet again and again wasn't very effective, though using the brush was perhaps a slight improvement because at least it kind of loosens the dirt you're trying to suck up. also tried to suck up some crumbs on a couch throw, same problem. narrow head + weak suction = ineffective and makes the job take too long. next tried the floor head on a whim. it weakened the suction to the point that it was undetectable. i tried using it to suck up a couple of pieces of litter on hardwood as well as on the entry mat, it was as if the vac wasn't even on, it sucked up absolutely nothing through the floor head. even though i anticipated the floor head being weak, the utter lack of functionality was still rather shocking.next tried to clean the dryer vent since that was the original reason for purchasing. existing crevice tool was too big, and the universal attachments don't actually fit (could maybe be taped into place, but i didn't want to mess with that). contacted b+d, they don't make any other attachments for this model, so if you want more than what comes with it, you're out of luck.so at this point i was going to return the vac because it didn't seem like it would be useful around the house in any capacity, but ended up reconsidering because i figured i could still use it in the car. also found that it was actually good to reach dust near the ceiling thanks to the extra long hose.experimented with emptying the canister though it didn't have much in it, had a harder time figuring out how to dismantle and get the filter out (the instructional images are not clear) and then couldn't believe how dirty the filter was despite only having used the vac for the equivalent of one charge and not actually sucked up much of anything. like, filthy. apparently the filter is going to need to be washed every couple of uses, not terribly convenient.i have since bought a new corded dirt devil that has a small hose (which made me appreciate the flex vac's extra long hose that much more, plus the flex vac feels much lighter) and is compatible with universal attachments. of course the dirt devil made quick work of the entry mat and it's great being able to attach whatever i want (including the flex vac brush head) to the hose and have that corded power and strong suction behind it. but it is heavier and clunkier and the hose is short, so i guess now i have a two-hand-vac household -- the flex vac for the car and very high and/or very small household jobs (dust, cobwebs, perhaps a couple of crumbs here and there if the surface area is small) and the dirt devil for everything else.the flex vac would be a winner if it had better suction (for general use as well as to make the floor head actually work) and more attachment options (e.g., wider brush head, compatibility with universal attachments). i definitely wonder if i'm making a mistake by choosing to keep it for such limited uses, but there's a lack of cordless options that also have a hose, so i guess i'll give it a shot and hopefully won't regret it.This little vac has great suction. We had one without the wand extension, but got this one with the extension for my daughter going to college. It is perfect.Pros:Liked the suction power, accessories and the modes which could be used both as canister style or handheld. The silicone head was really useful to clean fabric surface like couch and bed. The skinny one for all the small corners, gaps, top of baseboard, etc.Cons:Cleaning was not the easiest. I always washed the dust bin and filter after almost each use. Cleaning hair at the bottom of the floor head around the rollers was pretty difficult, and I remember spending hours trying to remove it at the very first time. I figured later the rollers could be removed with the use of a hook and pick driver. I wish this was described in the maintenance manual or something.I really loved this vacuum but the battery all of sudden died on me (of course, right after the manufacturer's warranty expires). Now with the full charge, it doesn't even last a minute. We actually had purchased 3 year warranty (Smart Guard) but instead of changing the battery or replacement of the product, they refunded us the cost of the vacuum. The process was extremely long and difficult with a bunch of follow up phone calls and emails. At the end of the day, we basically rented this vacuum for a year and a few months for the cost of warranty.Lithium batteries are the only way to go! Haven't had a single issue with this vacuum. Only complaint is cleaning filters is messy/dusty like all handheld vacs. I use a air compressor to blow clean filters and haven't needed to replace it yet. I'm going to buy another one soon for the garage.Yes, I recommend this B&D vac.I've owned several handheld vacuums with Nicad batteries which only last 6-12 months at best. And then when Nicad battery dies, batteries are almost the price of replacing whole machine.When I first bought this vacuum, I thought it was fantastic. Battery life was great, suction was strong, filter was easy to clean and replace. However, about a year and 10 months into owning this, its battery life dropped dramatically. The vacuum started only working for around one minute before it would turn itself off. I could turn it back on and it would run for another 30 seconds at a time, seemingly at full power, but then die again. I'd repeat this for as long as it took to clean a room.Now, just over two years after buying it, it only lasts about 20 seconds on initial use, and if I switch it back on after it turns itself off, the suction is noticeably weaker. I looked it up and apparently the battery cannot be replaced, so the vacuum is now junk.I suggest buying a corded vacuum right off the bat so you don't waste $160+ on something that'll only last you a couple of years.Edit : After a year, the nozzle arm is falling apart. Really cheap construction, find another brand.It's works well and is a lot smaller than it looks in the pictures. I really wish it was water based though (there is a nasty filter). The charge is decent, but I'd like it doubled. It has a plastic clip for the attachments, which is the fail mechanism. I'm guessing that'll break in a year or 2 max. Overall happy, but I expected a more rugged product from black & decker.I've had this just over a month. Works well on the stairs, around baseboards, I even did the ceiling fans. I am totally happy with that. Tried to do the car today....horrible. I do have a German shepherd but it hardly picked up anything.The big round attachment worked best but is only good for larger areas. It didn't get much at all from the crevices even with that tool. updating....it's still working great for around the house.