Black & Decker Dustbuster Flexi PD1820LF-XE (18V) Questions & Answers

I've had exactly the same problem, several times in fact! I'm on my 3rd unit after 2 replacements from Amazon, but I've owned it over 2 years so they won't replace it anymore. Without being able to clear the filter it effectively becomes useless as it has no suction at all when the filter is full of dust.

However... I've just managed to get mine open. I detached the hose at the end where it attaches to the main unit. There are a couple of tabs that need pushing in to pull the hose out. I completely failed to do this though, so just used a screwdriver to scrape the tabs flat with the rest of the hose tube (easy as it's soft plastic). Once I removed the hose, the filter compartment rotated again and opened easily. I guess something on the hose was sticking inside? Anyway I just cleaned the filter and it works fine again now. The hose comes out fairly easily now having scraped the tabs flat, but it's not falling out while I'm using it. If it becomes a problem in the future I can just tape it back on, so not a biggy and I can remove it easily in the future. I'll hopefully get a few more years out of the dustbuster now.

There is a small catch which locates in the small dents around the circumference of the nozzle. Press the catch to disengage the nozzle and pull it out.