Black+Decker Furbuster AdvanceClean+ Review

Maintenance is important with handhelds since their compact design can easily collect dust that clings to the filter, which can eventually affect performance if it gets blocked. The Furbuster's easily accessible filter and prefilter make it simple to keep up with this and maintain smooth performance.

Cleaning Performance

The Furbuster thrives when it comes to removing dirt that's been sitting too long in your couch or at the bottom of your car. The motorized action loosens debris that settles deep, and it's so effective that we often clear messes in a single pass. We even found ourselves reaching for this vacuum to pick up debris that other models left behind, making it a reliable go-to in testing. The PowerBoost option is also handy for problem areas, and when you switch it on, you can immediately feel the suction ramp up and make a difference.

The rotating brush has a mix of bristles, including stiff plastic prongs that can crush cereal as you pull it back. This may require another pass to fully pick up larger crumbs that get broken down, making it slightly less efficient, but the final cleaning result is similar.

The Furbuster comes with an integrated crevice tool, which is convenient because you don't have to search for an attachment when you need it. At 9 inches long, it offers good reach. However, its design is a bit unusual compared with typical crevice tools. It is wide but thin from top to bottom, whereas most crevice tools are narrow and tall. Because of this, you often need to sweep it side to side or turn the vacuum ninety degrees to pull it toward you. Even at its thinnest point, it still isn't narrow enough to fit into very tight spaces, like the gap between a car console and seats.

Ease of Use

The Furbuster weighs 3.3 pounds, so it's on the heavier side, but we didn't notice any real fatigue in our wrists or forearms while using it. The only exception is if you're doing a lot of vacuuming overhead, where the weight can start to show. Part of that heft comes from its powerful motor and the large 0.7-liter dust bin, which can hold a good amount of debris. The bin has a button release that is supposed to make emptying hands-free, but in our experience, hair and fur often got stuck around the filter, so we usually had to reach in and pull it out.

One of its strengths is its battery life. In testing, it ran for almost thirty minutes, which we really appreciated when doing deep cleans on dog beds or after a particularly long road trip with the kids. The three-level battery light makes it easy to see when the vacuum is running low and how the recharge is progressing. Because of the larger battery, it takes 4-5 hours to fully charge. Running the vacuum consistently on high will reduce battery life, but even at this level, we found it still lasted over fifteen minutes.

The Furbuster is bulkier across the entire body, not just at the base, which can limit maneuverability. Its boxy design means that while the crevice tool can fit into a thin sliver, you might not even be able to get the vacuum body close enough, making some presumably small spaces harder to reach. On the plus side, it stands upright on its base for easy storage, and you can leave all the attachments connected, so you don't have to worry about losing anything.

In general, Black+Decker vacuums are louder than other manufacturers, and this vacuum is no exception. It did, however, hover around 70.5 dB on low and 73 on high, which isn't terrible and is better than several other options.

Pet Hair

This is where the Furbuster really shines. No matter the surface, the motorized head goes to work. The stiff bristles act like little hands, gripping each strand of fur as you pass over it.

Most areas are handled in a single pass, even spots with a lot of fur. In the most challenging areas, it may take a few extra passes, but it still works far faster than other handhelds.

In the car, we were able to go from the top of the back seat down to the floor mats. The rough mats that love to cling to fur were easily cleaned with just a few passes. The nozzle is wide enough to make quick work of these areas, yet small enough for detail work in tighter spots like under the seats and along the edges of the floor.

Should You Buy the Black+Decker Furbuster?

If pet fur is your main concern, the Furbuster is the top handheld vacuum to go for. Its long battery life and durable design make it a reliable choice for bigger messes. This vacuum is better suited for larger areas rather than very tight spaces because of its bulkier body and wider crevice tool.

What Other Handheld Vacuums Should You Consider?