Dustbuster may not work

[phoenixman2014]

How long will it take for my new dustbuster to charge? It does not turn on and when I put it in the charger, it did not turn on while charging. Now I am worried I got scammed. Then again, you guys did warn me that the battery would be old and not working. I got it to pick up the hairs in the restroom. That is the purpose of it. I like vintage vacuums better than modern vacuums.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Usually 16 hours on a new battery. Good luck! You might be able to obtain improved cells for it.

~Ben

 

[svacuums]

My grandpa had an old one when I was a kid and I tried to turn it on when it was on the charger and it never worked again. I'm sure you could take it to a batteries plus or something and they will fix it.

 

[human]

I hate to say 'I told you so', but nickel cadmium (NiCd) batteries just don't last 30 years, even if they've been in storage. I don't think the seller intentionally ripped you off; it's just the nature of the beast. The battery's internal components deteriorate over time. You're going to have to take the unit apart, remove the battery pack and see if you can find a compatible replacement. If possible, get a nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery instead of NiCd. They are overall much superior, hold a better charge and they don't have the 'memory effect' that plagues nickel cadmium batteries.

 

[vacman1961]

You didn't get scammed, you bought a vintage Dust Buster that is battery powered. Rechargeable batteries do not last that long, whether they are used or not the most they will last is 5 years. Do your research, you might be able to buy a new battery pack for it. Good Luck.

 

[phoenixman2014]

Well I charged it for about 3 hours and it works like brand new! It has the new smell to it too when you turn it on. It smells like 1980s days lol. It's so awesome though. I have also been seeing Black and Decker models that look exactly like mine. There is a Brand New Never Opened Dustbuster now on Ebay that is a Black and Decker model. It looks exactly like mine but it has the Black and Decker Label on it. Now I am wondering if Sears just labeled mine but Black and Decker really made it.

I am not sure why brand new never used vintage dustbusters are very common on ebay. I would love to buy a NOS Dirt Devil Model 500 or a 103. Those are rare to find brand new. What is even more rare is a Royal Prince 501 brand new.

 

[human]

Hey, I'm glad--if a little surprised--it's working that well with the old battery. NiCd batteries are bad for developing a 'memory' for the amount of use between charges. Be sure to charge it completely each time and DON'T put it back on the charger until it is COMPLETELY discharged. This will ensure maximum battery life between charges.

 

[human]

Badge Engineering

Oh, about the Sears brand. I'm 99 percent certain it's a re-branded Black & Decker. Sears--and other retailers--do this all the time. I have a Sears LXI TV set that's about 20 years old and still works great. It's a re-branded GE. When I was growing up, we had a TruTone TV from Western Auto that was also a re-branded GE. The Lexmark printer company used to make Dell branded printers. They even used Dell branded ink cartridges. The tops were shaped differently so the Dell and Lexmark branded cartridges weren't physically compatible with each other's printers, even though they came off the same production lines and were otherwise identical. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

human

Edgar,

It is a re-badged Black & Decker Dustbuster in his case. In addition, Sears also marketed the Cordless Vac Plus which was a re-badged Black & Duster model 9333 Dustbuster Plus, which had the same coffee brown color for the main unit and charger base. That one employed a 5-cell (6 volt) battery for longer running time.

~Ben

 

[vintagevaclover]

The Black&Decker DustBuster

I also have a vintage original DustBuster with the box, wall charger, manual & everything. It works like I just bought it. My roommate found it at the thrift shop and thought I might like it. I would try letting it charge overnight and see if that works, if not, you may have gotten scammed. I too love most vintage vacuums, mostly uprights though.