-----------------------------------------Background--------------------------
We have a long history of Dustbuster usage in our family. When my wife and I got married, we requested, and got, a 7.2 volt unit, and we just LOVED that thing. It had a built-in Hepa dust & allergen filter, and brush and crevice tool attachments. Using it to clean the cars out, they would end up looking as clean as if we'd paid $1.00 at the hand car wash. It still works, almost 6 years later, but the charge doesn't last as long. We also have 2 newer 4.8 volt units, but they pale in comparison to the original. Enter: the 9.6 volt contender.
----------------------------------------------Overview-----------------------
The unit is a stylish 2-tone white/smoked-gray, looking just a little extraordinary from the top--but it looks like a spaceship on its underside! Its high-tech dustbusting hardware is visible through the transparent cover, and the meaty exhaust vents have their own filter, in a hinged, opening port (can you say "Battlestar Galactica?"). It is 15 1/2 inches long, and has a wide, clear mouth that is more attractive than the usual, plain-white ones. It has on-board storage of crevice and upholstery tools, as well, and it has a "quick-slide" wall-mountable charging system, that's more compact than the usual mount, and is easier to dismount, one-handed.
At a shipping weight of 4 pounds, it is noticeably heavier than the others. However, this thing SUCKS--WAY out of proportion to its increased weight!!! It is very well-built, and has a "cyclonic" action that keeps the filter clean longer, enabling you to use the unit for a longer stretch, without having to stop and empty the cup. And although it doesn't purport to have a "HEPA" filter, it does have a 3-stage filtration system, and a 1-step cup emptying procedure--and this appears to have the same function (if not better-functioning, to boot!). It also has a full, 2-year warranty. All other Dustbusters I've owned have only had a 1-year warranty.
--------------------------------------------------In Use---------------------
The unit is a joy to use. Mine is sturdily mounted on the wall, via 2 screws, and is always fully-charged and ready to go. The charge lasts about 35-40 minutes, with more-or-less constant use, and the power smoothly levels off, remaining useful almost to the end (I've never reached the absolute end). A small red LED light at the rear of the unit indicates when it's being charged.
One finger is all that's needed to push the release button forward, and the front end will swivel off. The dust cup can be rotated off, if desired, for the occasional complete cleaning, and the actual dust filter can also be removed, tapped on the inside of a trash can, and even brushed, if necessary. You won't find yourself doing these actions very often, though, because this baby efficiently continues to suck dirt like there's "no tommorrow," as they say. And, of course, you can empty the dirt from the main compartment, which has a one-way valve, of sorts, which cleverly prevents the dirt from falling out when you point the unit toward the floor--an issue that seemed to plague all previous Dustbusters. The one issue is, however, that you may need to ensure that the other side of the dust compartment is snapped on securely, as all that hardware is just a bit of a tight fit. This is a very minor point, though. Lastly, the power button can be left in the "on" position without needing to be held down by a finger.
--------------------------------------------Summary----------------------
It is a bit louder than the preceding models, but that is to be expected with a more powerful, durable unit, with a longer-lasting charge. And according to my wife (the "resident expert"), this works better than our upright--a (corded) 12 Amp Eureka Maxima "Wide-Track," with a HEPA filter, and it keeps our cars "dustless." In short, this is the BEST Dustbuster I've ever owned. And it's hard to go wrong, with its 2-year warranty.
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UPDATE!!!
Recently, a heavy crystal object fell off of our TV, and struck the (open) glass door of our entertainment center in what must have been "the bullseye," because what happened next completely shocked my toddler and I. We heard an oddly-pleasing shattering sound-kind of like crystal rain-and then saw the door, literally in hundreds, if not at least 1000 pieces, in shards, all over the floor. Right away, I'd shielded my toddler's eyes, and moved her to another location, while mulling over how I was to pick up this absolute mess..! I got a large metal bowl and a piece of cardboard, filling it up once, and dumping it in a plastic bag--but it was obvious that that was a useless endeavor, and many, many tiny pieces remained embedded in the carpet. So I went and grabbed the Dustbuster, and proceeded to pick up all the pieces (without any attachments, even). Surprisingly, this worked better than I could've possibly predicted. For, over the course of about 30 minutes, the trusty Dustbuster picked up even the tiniest perceptible fragments, to the extent that we were all able to safely walk over the affected area. It's been over a week, and I did find 2-3 extremely tiny shards, which posed ZERO threat, and I remain completely SHOCKED that the Dustbuster had performed as admirably as it had! The strange thing is, the pieces of glass were still shattering, over an hour later, so it must've been one heck of a crystal lattice-atomic bond-shattering collision!!! In any event, the Dustbuster had DEFINITELY earned its keep (and we gained a story for the ages)!
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