Black & Decker PSV1800 Review – What We Loved About this Gutsy Little Stick Vacuum
I don’t know about your house, but in my house the floors are always the dirtiest part of the house by far. Even though we take our shoes off at the door every time we go out, the floors are constantly being decorated with bits of food, dust from outside, dog and cat hair as well as bits of cat litter and more unsavory things that need to be cleaned on a daily basis. If you have the same troubles we do, and have small children then getting a small stick vac is probably high on your priority list, we use ours a couple times a day to make sure that little ones do not end eating something they shouldn’t. The Black & Decker PSV1800 was our pick for a vacuum that best stood up to the heavy duty cleaning we needed on a daily basis in our home.
What We Wanted in a Upright cordless stick Vacuum
When we went looking for Stick Vacuum there were 3 main important points that we were looking for in a stick vacuum.
There are plenty of stick vacuums on the market but not too many of them could fulfill all of these important points. Even the Black Decker PSV1800 had its points where it fell a bit short of the mark, but then so did almost every other stick vacuum as well. What finally made our decision for us was to decide which stick vacuum features we just could not live without and which ones were more of an inconvenience than a deal breaker.
Cordless Power Gives the Black and Decker PSV1800 the flexibility You need
With an 18 volt motor this vacuum should never give you any trouble when it comes to picking up messes. We picked up cat litter, dog fur and bits of food with ours and never had a bit of trouble doing so. A word of caution here, because the PSV1800 comes with a 3 stage filter sometimes the dirt can get trapped, this can cause a reduction in suction. In cases such as these you only need to take the filters apart and clean them and clean behind them and your vacuum will again work like it is supposed. Also it is extremely important to ensure that the filters on your vacuum are placed correctly together and everything seals the way it is supposed, many of the complaints about loss of suction with this model have been a result of improper cleaning or assembling the unit incorrectly. The user manual shows the correct way to assemble your filters and dirt container, make sure that you follow them carefully and you should have no troubles.
3 Stage Filters will Keep the pollen and dust IN the vacuum not in the air of your house
Filters are one of the most important parts of any vacuum. Why? Simple because if you do not have a good filter then the dust and pollen sneak back out of the vacuum and end up in the air in your home. Not only does it settle right back into the carpet, but it can be murder for those with allergies. The three stage filter means that very little of the dust ends up back in your home but is trapped by the filters. Now this does mean that you will need to take these filters outside and clean them from time to time but for those with allergies this is a price well worth it.
Cyclonic action has often been described by vacuum manufacturers but rarely does anyone tell you why this is important, cyclonic is just a fancy term to say that the dirt is pulled in a circular motion up the sides of the canister and filters, this motion keeps the filters and passages from getting clogged up as fast, meaning that your suction will stay stronger longer giving you a better clean.
So with the use of 3 stage filters and cyclonic action you will have the best chance of getting a good clean that will stay in the stick vac and not in your home and that is what we all want right?
Do you Love to Crawl around the floor and move Furniture? If so this Vacuum is NOT for you….
Seriously one of the biggest reasons I bought this vacuum is because I needed a way to get under the couch on a daily basis, but I have back problems and moving the couch or getting down on my knees is not an option. I have one of those kids that think that everything that does not go in her mouth goes under the couch and while we work hard to discourage this habit daily cleaning under the furniture is a necessity.
The Black Decker PSV1800 is one of the few vacuums that folds and allows you to reach under furniture without having to bend down too far. It provides a much better clean than a hose with an attachment does and keeps you from having to move furniture daily. I love this feature on my little stick vacuum and best of all I can use it daily so that the area under my furniture does not get a big collection of dust bunnies and other unmentionables deposited by my wonderful children.
One of my Biggest complaints about ANY vacuum ……
Is that it is next to impossible to get around the edges and in corners, in fact I hated having to pull the hose apart on the big vacuum to get these spots and with a stick vacuum you don’t always have that option. Most of them do not have a hose and those that do have no suction to speak of making them useless.
Having said that, this was one of the biggest selling points for me with the Black and Decker PSV1800, because it easily pivots and has pull out edge cleaners getting the edges and corners is EASY, now even when I use the big vacuum many times I will pull out my little stick vacuum and go around the edges, not only does this save me time but it saves me the inevitable back ache that comes from all that bending and straightening up.
The side suction vents pivot so that you can get them were they need to be, I don’t know about you but it is about time somebody made a Vacuum that gets the edges and corners properly!
Make sure you Don’t Scratch your Floor!
One of the biggest problems of using your vacuum on your new floors is that the brush can scratch the surfaces and ruin it. The Black and Decker PSV1800 solves that problem by allowing you to remove the beater bar when cleaning hard floors. This makes this upright cordless stick vacuum perfect for cleaning bare floors without ever worrying about whether they will scratch flooring.
The roller brush is great for getting pet hair out of the carpet, even the toughest vacuums will not suck pet hair up without a brush to pull it out of the carpet.
HINT: A removable beater bar also makes this vacuum MUCH easier to clean. It is inevitable that vacuums will get clogged with debris and that beater bars will get hair and other things caught up in them. What a genius idea to have an easily removable beater bar!! This will make your Vac last longer too!
It just does not get any easier to manage than this little vacuum
Ok you could probably find a lighter stick vacuum but you will have a hard time finding one as light as this one is and still have it work so well. Weighing less than 10 lbs even if you have a back problem like I do you will not have any trouble toting this up and down the stairs or putting it away. I can carry it in one hand with little trouble when it is extended out full length or when it is folded up.
Some people think that the folding and unfolding is a bit awkward, and I suppose they are right, but what I find is that having had other stick vacuums this is the price you pay for having a compact stick vacuum. Once it is folded up it fits into its cradle and will fit in a closet, under a table or just about anywhere else. I take my Black and Decker PSV1800 with me when we go places in the motor home because it is so compact yet works so well.
This is really ideal for really small homes or apartments where this is little storage space and certainly not enough for a full size vacuum.
Who will Get the MOST Benefit from this Stick Vacuum?
- Those with really small homes or little or no storage space
- Those that need a vacuum for their Motor Home
- Moms with kids that needs a fast pick up
- Those with back or other health problems that need something light and extra easy to use
So what is the Battery Life Like?
Ok I know this is a big thing on most peoples list, since I do not use my stick vacuum for super long at any one time I don’t have a problem with Battery life. I have looked around the Internet and found a lot of mixed reviews on battery life; some say it is great others say not. Here is what I found though, battery life on the Black & Decker PSV1800 is highly dependent on whether you are using with the beater bar or without, as well as what you are picking up with it and how hard it is having to work.
In General you can expect
- With the Beater Bar – 15 minutes
- Without the Beater bar – 20 minutes
Again this depends on how you use it, like I said, I use it in my home a lot and have never had a problem with the battery dying so you will just have to try it and see.
What We Loved about the Black and Decker PSV1800
- More power than Most almost as much as corded vac
Good suction - Great on the edges
- Great for getting under furniture
What Some People Did Not like about the Black and Decker PSV1800
- No cup Must fold it up and upend it to empty
- Can Be a little unwieldy to unfold and fold up
Where Can I Find More Information and the Best Price on the Black and Decker PSV1800?
We Like to think that we a pretty savvy shoppers and are constantly on the lookout for the best deals on just about everything for the home. We got our Black and Decker PSV1800 at Amazon since they are generally the cheapest on Stick vacuums. Keep in mind that Amazon Sells out pretty quick on popular items so don’t wait too long before you order.








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