A few weeks ago, the folks at Black & Decker invited me to join their New Product Team. They offered to send me over their new FLEX vacuum to try - and with an almost-crawling 8 month old in the house, how could I say no?

 showing you how compact it is:

The attachments can sit in the base. I thought this was handy because you could bring the attachments with you, which makes it easy to switch and vacuum carpets or couches or corners or whatever you need to. The parts are there when you need them and they don't get lost. I also like parts that are detachable and not built-in. I have a Dirt Devil Vibe hand vacuum with a slide-out brush tool and I find it doesn't lock properly and always gets in the way and clogged up with debris.

Surprisingly, the FLEX weighs much lighter than my other hand vac. I thought because of the more powerful suction and the bigger size of it that it would be heavier but its not. The long flexible hose is a great feature. It makes it really easy to get into corners and under couches! I did have a small issue the first time I used the vacuum though... I charged it the recommended 21 hours and then tried to use it to vacuum the stairs - but the charge wore out about 2/3 down the flight of stairs. So I recharged it again for a few more hours and that seemed improve the charge time. (Note: I checked the instructions and it said you may have to charge/discharge up to 5x to get optimum charge time).

I did a little cleanup with the FLEX. It picked up some dirt under the sofa. It scooped up some crumbs under the sofa cushions. It sucked up the leaves that had blown in under the radiator in our front entry. It even picked up some tree needles and the tiny little glitter bits that had fallen off some of our Christmas ornaments (and we all know what a pain that is to clean up!).

Overall I found the FLEX easier to use, more powerful, and quicker than my Vibe hand vac. I wish I hadn't bought my Vibe hand vac just two months ago, because this FLEX does the same job but better. The FLEX is great to have when you don't want to haul out your full size vacuum, or for a quick cleanup. If you'd like a FLEX of your own, you can buy it online here. AND Black & Decker will give my readers a free Power Brush Attachment ( >great for carpeted stairs or small mess on rugs or carpets) >and free Power Scrubber with your purchase - just enter code at checkout. Happy vacuuming.

UPDATE: A kind reader informed that unfortunately the online purchase option is only available to U.S. residents. So sorry about that! I'll be in contact with Black & Decker and find out where you can buy the FLEX in Canada.