Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/812577
TosaythatIhavehad a love-hate relationship with handheld vacuums over the years would be to put it mildly. I love the idea of a handheld cordless vac- uum that is charged up and always ready to go. I hate when the thing runs for only a few minutes before it needs to be recharged. I'm sure it's been 30 years or more since we got our first handheld vac. It would hold a charge for maybe two minutes, which is barely long enough to do anything. And the thing failed altogether after just a few years, refusing to hold any charge at all. Since then, we've had no fewer than five other handhelds and had to put up with a lack of suction, short run times between charges, difficulty emp- tying and cleaning, and them failing altogether af- ter only a few years. I'm pretty sure I've owned ev- ery brand of handheld vac- uum out there, including a pricey Dyson that was nothing to write home about. Its maximum run time of about 6 minutes was marginally acceptable, and the thing lasted fewer than five years. Can't anyone make a de- cent cordless handheld vacuum cleaner that is convenient to use, holds a charge well, runs for at least 10 minutes before needing to be recharged, picks up all kinds of stuff, lasts for more than a cou- ple of years and does not cost a fortune? I've come to the conclusion that the answer is no. That's be- cause our expectations are too high. Anything cord- less is not going to operate the same as a corded appli- ance. That means we have to rely on batteries, which fail over time. But here's the good news! Batteries have im- proved greatly over the years, which means cord- less handheld vacuums have improved, too. The latest BLACK+DECKER CHV1410L 16V Cordless Lithium Hand Vac, though not perfect, comes pretty darn close. Powered by a high-efficiency 16-volt lith- ium battery, it has a stated run time of 10 minutes, al- though I've had it operate continuously for up to 15 minutes. And it has excel- lent suction. I don't have pets, but others who do re- port that it picks up loose hair on hard surfaces very well. This hand vac has a beautiful design, works like a champ, and is easy to hold and operate. It's al- ways ready to go. It just plain works. I have never had a hand vac as reliable and easy to use. It has a large bagless dirt bowl that is easy to re- move and empty. And the vacuum, along with the fil- ters, is completely wash- able. The powerful bat- tery holds a charge for up to 18 months when off the charger (according to the manufacturer). It also does not have a memory effect and is warrantied for two years. That means I can keep it fully charged at all times, take it with me in the car, or even leave in an- other part of the house and it will not lose its charge. I love that this vac has an on/off switch, not a trig- ger or button to hold down continuously for it to run. Little things like that just warm my heart. There is one thing I would change, which I consider a slight design flaw: the charger base. It must sit on a flat surface, and the vac stands on top of it. The charging unit is not designed to be at- tached to the wall, which I would prefer. However, given how well this vac- uum operates and all of its positive features, I find this to be minor and easily tol- erated. I love this cord- less handheld vacuum more than I've loved any other hand vac. I give it many stars — far more than the traditional five. At about $50 on Ama- zon with Prime shipping, the BLACK + DECKER CHV1410L 16V Cordless Lithium Hand Vac (not to be confused with its cousin that has a NiCad battery) gets my designation of the best inexpensive option. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Bestinexpensive cordless handheld vacuum cleaner Welcome spring with a visit to Lassen Volcanic Na- tional Park or any other na- tional park during National Park Week, April 15-23. "Spring skiing and snow- shoeing at Lassen Volcanic National Park are wonder- ful ways to get outdoors and enjoythebeautifulsnowcov- eredmountainswhilehaving lots of fun," said acting Su- perintendent Martha Cru- sius. There will be free en- trance to all national parks during the weekends of Na- tional Park Week. Lassen is one of the 118 National Park Service sites that normally chargeentrancefeesandwill offerfree admission on April 22 and 23. There are free or reduced rate annual passes available for active duty military fam- ilies, fourth grade students, senior citizens, volunteers and people with permanent disabilities. The spring season is the time that park road crews start the annual job of plow- ing the 30 miles of high- way through the park in or- der to open for the summer season. They began on April 10 at the north side of the park and clear to the Dev- astated Area, then moved to the Southwest Entrance to work on the deep snowpack that has accumulated in the higher elevations. Lassen Volcanic National Parkhasmoresnowthiswin- tercomparedtothepastsev- eral winters. April of 1983 was the deepest recorded snow depth for Lassen and measured 331 inches. The April snow survey at the Lake Helen location mea- sured 243.5 inches, which is currently the deepest snow- pack in California. "All that snow means that some of the park's hiking trailswillremainsnowywell into the summer months," said Crusius. High elevation trails such as Lassen Peak, KingsCreekFallsandBump- ass Hell will most likely hold quite a bit of snow until July. Parkroadscouldhavelate openings. On average, the Lassen National Park High- wayopensinmid-June.Since 1980,thelatestopeningofthe highway through the park was on July 12, 1995. That year, the April snow survey measured 287 inches. Much depends on how many more storms will drop significant amounts of snow in April and May. Highway opening progress updates and hiking trail conditions are listed on the park website's current conditions page. All visitors should be pre- pared for a range of weather conditions — check the most recent weather forecast, dressinlayersandcarryfood and water. Stow a shovel, ex- tra blankets and tire chains in your vehicle in case unex- pected winter road condi- tions delay your travel. The Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center is open 9 a.m. to5p.m.Wednesdaythrough Sunday. For more informa- tion,visitwww.nps.gov/lavo, call the park at 595-4480 or write to lavo_information@ nps.gov. LASSEN VOLCANIC Park highlights National Park Week and road opening begins The California Depart- ment of Transportation District 2 will be participat- ing in Litter Pick Up Day, a statewide effort to raise awareness against littering. Litter Pick up Day will take place across Califor- nia on Thursday. At 9 a.m., a group from District 2 Spe- cial Crews will be in and around South Main Street in Red Bluff, cleaning trash and other litter, as well as Continental Street and State Route 44 in Redding. Littering, or the inap- propriate disposal of waste products, is an ongoing problem affecting the State Highway System. It can in- crease the risk of fire, cause personal injury to Caltrans employees and pollute Cali- fornia's waterways. "In 2016, it took 18,900 extra-large, orange bags for litter disposal, and the state spent $40,000 in disposal operations," said C.J Dempsey, Special Crews acting superinten- dent for District 2. "Very often, the public doesn't see all this garbage be- cause we are proud of our district and keep the roads clean at all times." The most common litter- ing incidents in District 2 in 2016 were trash along In- terstate 5; empty beer cans, and water or juice bottles on State Routes; bagged and piled-up garbage left around large truck areas; old mattresses and other pieces of furniture along secluded routes and trash accumulated from encamp- ments under and around bridges. If the public is interested in helping with the litter problem in District 2, they can help by participating in the Caltrans Adopt-A-High- way Program http://adopt- a-highway.dot.ca.gov/. For more information on this and other Caltrans programs, call 225-3426 or visit http://www.dot. ca.gov/d2/. CALTRANS Employees to pick up litter Thursday Mary Hunt CONTRIBUTED Plowing a road in deep snow along a steep cliff on the way to emerald lake. 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