Customer Reviews
Works for me 
2008-04-05
I purchased one of these back in 2002. It lasted six years so I have no complaints. It still works but the motor is getting really noisy. I was glad to see B&D still made it because I could use the bag and accessories I have with the new unit. Even though change over is really easy I use the old one to blow and the new one to vacuum.
It Won't Last!! 
2008-04-03
I read through a significant number of the reviews for this product before I purchased it, yet, despite the comments that told of motor burn-outs and short-lived impellers, I decided to go ahead and give it a chance. Unfortunately, my experience was nearly the same: after a few days totaling approximately 10 hours of use, my BV2500 went dead. It was still within warranty, however, and the clerk at the local Black & Decker service center simply handed me a replacement unit. No questions asked. Yet, this still does not solve the initial problem: the motor burned up within 10 hours of use. I am worried that the replacement will burn out just the same, and I will be back to square one next fall.
Short summary of abilities: Excellent as a leaf vac, especially when combined with the leaf collection system. Terrible as a blower. Do your best to removes sticks from your leaf pile and the impeller will last. A more detailed summary follows below.
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I was very impressed with the vacuum function. I have a lot of trees in my yard and the piles of leaves become mountainous. For the 10 hours that this unit was functioning (not consecutively), I found this unit indispensable in it's abilities to reduce leaf volumes to 1/3 of what they would have been. Additionally, I purchased the optional leaf collection system, which deposits the mulched leaves into a trash can. With the leaf collection system in place, the BV2500 can make quick work of large piles of leaves, making the process tens times more effective. If one was to purchase the BV2500, I would highly recommend spending the extra money on the leaf collection system.
I was not impressed with the blower function of the BV2500; I found it to be extremely lacking. I own a much smaller, older electric blower that does twice the job that the BV2500 does when used as a blower. If you need a blower, do not count on the BV2500 to suit your needs.
I would recommend following the instruction manual. The clerk at the local Black & Decker service center told me that it is imperative that the proper gauge of extension cord be used in order to extend motor life. The instruction manual tells you the American Wire Gauge required for various distances.
In regards to the previous reviews discussing the short-lived impellers: they ARE plastic, yet in my experience, they will last for quite some time if you simply sort out the sticks in your leaf piles. My impeller showed some very minor wear, but not enough to warrant replacement by any means. In fact, judging by the amount of leaves (and small twigs) that my BV2500 sucked up in it's 10 hour life-span, the impeller would have gone through several fall season's worth of leaves before in need of replacement. Case in point: I had an older unit (it was a B&D BV-500) which also had a plastic impeller. It lasted for years.
Don't Buy This. Poor, poor design 
2008-04-02
I had a BV1500 for over 5 years that finally quit on me. I bought the high rated Toro model and it has its problems especially if you are a short man 5'4" or a female of the same height. I fixed the Toro problem by cutting off 4" from the vacuum shute. It's now comfortable to hold. Since two of us bag leaves we have two vac/blowers. We have a large watergarden and it's a big job to vac leaves that get into the rocks and crevaces. I purchased the new design BV2500 and had a chance to try it out today. Why, why would any designer place the vac bag in front and between your legs ? It's the most awkward design I have ever seen. B&D had a good design in their BV1500 model where they had a tube coming off the side and the bag was kept out of your way. It's worthless as a vacuum but as a blower it might be ok. I haven't tried that yet. I end up crawling up and down my watergarden. I need something that's easy to manuver. If I was standing in one spot and had a lot of leaves to vac I still wouldn't use the BV2500. As the bag fills up it's right between your legs. For this design to work I would lay the unit on the ground and feed the leaves into it by hand.
Easy to use...until it starts smoking 2008-04-01
I got this blower last week and, the first time out vacuuming, the engine began to smoke before shutting down completely after less than five minutes of use.
I'm returning this one to Amazon immediately and crossing my fingers that the replacement will be less explosive.
Easy to use & plenty of power 2008-03-25
Putting this together was a breeze - both the vacuum or the blower and it's very simple to switch between the two. It's not nearly as noisy as I expected. I don't have a huge yard, so I didn't need mega power, but this more than gets the job done. The vacuum has plenty of suction power (even with a pile of wet leaves left over from the fall).
Burned up in my hands after 3 uses. 2008-06-12
Well, I thought I received a good deal. But on my third use it literally burned up as I was useing it. Im bummed.
Heaver and very loud 
2008-06-03
Very powerful easy to change from vac to blower But its very loud and it heaver then most.
b&d leaf/vac 2008-05-19
The Black and Decker Model BV2500 Leaf/Vacuum was purchased to replace a similar B & D product which was accumulating a fair amount of wear. The old model had much to recommend it such as excellent performance and easily obtainable and easily replaceable brushes. B & D apparently changed motor suppliers several years ago; the motor of the new model is not as easily serviced. Nevertheless, the performance of the new model compares favorably with the old. Unfortunately, it suffered from excessive brush arcing. The tool was taken to the local authorized B & D service center, where the offending motor was replaced. The brush arcing is now at a more acceptable level, and the work was completely covered by the warranty.
Great blower/vac/mulcher 2008-04-27
This blower/vac/mulcher does the job for picking up pine needles, leaves, and all debris even off of small rocks. Great work!!
Very satisfied 
2008-04-25
This is the third one of these Black and Decker blower vacs I have owned. I had one stolen so now I have one for my front and back yards. I have to say that I am very pleased with this product. It is amazing to me how many different types of things it will vacuum up in the yard. I wish that the bag had a bit more capacity, but then the bag can get heavy if it was too much larger. It has always worked well and the mulching of the yard waste is great for composting or if you have to throw the waste away. For the price it is a great bargain.
