what is black & decker pad1200 flex auto?
we’ve moved out of the house for this black & Decker Pad1200 Dustbuster Flexi Auto Car Vacuum. Ideal if you can’t connect your car to mains electricity, this compact bagless cleaner is powered from the car’s 12v accessory socket with a handy 5 meter cable.
Tidy on-board cable storage, a flexible hose, and tools specifically designed to get into the nooks and crannies of cars should offer easy cleaning from the footwells to the trunk. The small canister makes this vacuum lightweight and a double-layer filter system, with an innovative rotating drum, keeps dust in the canister and not in the air. With the sun shining, it’s time for some car care.
Reading: Black and decker 12v car vacuum review
black & amp; decker pad1200 flexi car – design and accessories
although we’ve had very clean car interiors since we began testing battery-operated handheld cleaners, black & Decker still suggests there’s a lot of life left in dedicated car vacuums. With tools specifically designed to get into the footwells and down the sides of the seats, and using the car’s 12v accessory socket as a power source, they might be right too. after all, many handheld household cleaners can be a bit difficult to navigate in the tight spaces inside a car, and a vehicle’s 12v battery will offer much more power and cleaning time than a portable vacuum.
Out of its colorful box, the Dustbuster Flexi Auto is indeed compact and lightweight, with its flexible hose and curved handle wrapping around the motor and dustbin for easy storage. these disengage with ease, giving you over 1m of tool reach from the main body, and slightly more with the dual-purpose tool attached. It has a wide nozzle for carpets and a rotating brush for upholstery and plastic surfaces. A good-sized crevice tool is also provided, ideal for those gaps between the seat and door pillars, but there’s no onboard storage for this.
The robust cable is five meters long, allowing it to be easily moved through most cars. This wraps around a neat cable on the side to avoid the usual bird’s nest of cable that would invariably result in storing old style car cleaners. The 12v plug feels pretty solid and is designed with a cord relief collar to protect the rugged cord from being pulled and pulled.
At the center of this dust vacuum is a cyclonic vacuum with a compact container integrated into the center of the machine. this means you will have to unplug and take the entire unit to the bin to empty. We estimate the bin holds less than a pint, so if you’re a car freak, expect to empty the bin mid-clean. the two-part filter in the middle of the bin area is washable and b&d recommends replacing it every 6-9 months, though that will depend on how often you clean your car.
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The main center corrugated filter, ironically similar in shape to aftermarket performance car air filters, can be turned with an external knob. this has the double effect of shaking debris from the filter pleats and exposing a “cleaner” side of the filter to the airflow. This turned out to be well worth playing with while cleaning your car to maintain suction performance. Unloading the bin and removing the filter is not a very clean operation, so expect some dust in the process.
black & amp; decker pad1200 flexi self-cleaning
We skipped our standard carpet and hard floor tests for this dustbreaker and headed straight for the car. Having owned many asthmatic and ineffective car vacuums over the years, you expect this little black & decker were not tall. fifteen minutes and a clean car later, the dustpan had more than proved that car vacuums have moved on.
Before
Plugs securely into any 12v accessory outlet and with the top mounting handle it’s easy to hold while cleaning with your other hand. the cord is long enough to move around in a family car, and the size, shape, and design of the tools clearly show that someone spent some time inside a car while designing them.
The main floor tool fits easily into the footwell and can be worked on area rugs and carpets to remove stubborn dirt. While the vacuum cleaner doesn’t have anything close to the suction power of a cordless Dyson V6 on high power mode, there was enough suction to remove most debris, including small pebbles of gravel that found their way into the unit. plus, the short, curved handle and hose allowed him to reach places he simply couldn’t with the dyson.
After
With the brush turned down, the cleaner happily removed dust from the leather seams on the seats and worked well going over the dash plastics to remove accumulated dust. the crevice tool came in handy under seats, in door pockets, and in cubicle gaps, proving particularly useful for removing small flakes of polo mints from the bottom of drink holders. I still have no idea how they get there, I don’t even like poles!
Before
After
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on carpeted floors, it takes a little effort and a steady hand to help lift some of the debris, but a few passes over difficult areas like dried mud produced some good results.
however, the dustpan had trouble with our neighbor’s car, which has previously been described as a “mobile dumpster” due to a regular load of kids, bikes, and trash for the landfill. a large amount of embedded and larger debris was left behind where a cordless cleaner with a rotating brush tool would have beaten them into submission. And without the suction release slider, stray potato chip packets adhere properly to the nozzle.
For heavily soiled vehicles that are used for lots of kids, dogs, bikes, and family debris, the dustpan doesn’t have the power or tools needed. however, for quick cleanups and keeping your daily driver spotless, it’s a great little tool.
black & amp; decker pad1200 flexi auto – pet hair
pet hairs proved to be something of the canine Achilles heel of the dustpan. the longer collie hairs trapped in the nylon mat proved too much for the dustpan as very few hairs broke free from the nylon pile. Moving the main tool back and forth loosened some of the hairs, but it soon became clear that the rear of the car wasn’t going to be spotless anytime soon without more cleaning power.
so how long can you keep scouring the area to clean up these dogs’ hair? black & amp; Decker does not offer any information on how much power the Dustbuster Flexi Auto consumes and combined with different car battery capacities it is impossible to say how long the Dustbuster will run before you need jumper cables to start the car. we ran it for over a half hour in a new vehicle with a good battery and no problem at all.
should i buy the black & decker pad1200 flex auto?
if you can’t connect your car to the mains, the black & decker dustbuster flexi auto proves that 12v car vacuums have come of age.
While it doesn’t pack the suction punch of a high-spec cordless or mains cleaner, for your daily driver or best Sunday grinder, it’s well-engineered, offering plenty of general cleaning power and a long enough reach to access all areas. . at its very affordable asking price, every car should have one.
verdict
while it fights against stubborn dirt and pet hair, it’s otherwise a well-designed vac with nice accessories to keep your motor looking its best.
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