I bought this at the store today and used one of my fully charged 18 Volt Black and Decker batteries I already had. The only reason I didn't give it 1 star is because the battery is swappable with my other 18 Volt Black and Decker units. Unlike the weed-eater and other things, however, this lacks the power you would expect from an 18 volt power supply! I've had cheap crappy uprights with less power that actually had more suction. This manages to get a couple pieces of fluff, and some stray kitty litter, but only after several passes or creating a seal with the floor directly over the particles to be picked up. It'd be about as easy to just bend down and pick the offending particle up. This will be going back at the next opportunity. I expect a heck of a lot more power from a heavy hand-held that costs sixty bucks!