Pros - much longer battery life and slightly more power and airflow than older 18V B&D sweeper (NS118); variable power; cons aren't so bad after a few usesCons - louder, more vibrations, less ergonomic handle and worse on/off switch than older model (18V NS118)Overall, I recommend this sweeper though it could be much better if it simply retained the old design of the 18V NS118 as was done for the trimmer and hedge clippers (see pictures).The main "pro" is the battery life. The battery is outstanding compared to my old 18V B&D trimmer. Instead of needing 3 batteries, sometimes 4, I can easily complete my sweeping job with a battery that has only 1 green LED's worth of charge. I am able to trim my front and back yards (approx 1000 linear feet of trimming) and do the sweeping with only one 40V battery (2 Ah version LBXR2036).The second "pro" is the power selector. At a 4 of 6 setting the sweeper has about the same airflow as the older model though with more high pitched noise and vibrations. On a 6 setting the blower gives slightly more power than the older model but with even more noise and vibrations than the 4 setting. The power selector is useful to do quieter sweeping. At a setting of 1, the blower still works well to do a final cleanup of sporadic grass clippings.The "cons" are mostly due to the new design where the intake is moved from the bottom with a horizontal fan/motor to the side with a vertical fan/motor. The main con is the noise and vibrations. The noise is louder overall with a high-pitched whine compared to the older model which had a deeper and quieter sounding motor and fan.The older model didn't vibrate much at all. The newer model by comparison seems to have an unreasonable amount of vibration felt through the handle as if the vibrations weren't considered much in the design. The noise and vibrations make this sweeper seem cheaply made like B&D was trying to save a few dollars. I would have gladly spent $20 more for a quieter sweeper with less vibrations especially considering I kept my old blower for 8 years (and it still works fine).My other problem is the on/off switch that "sticks" and gets uncomfortable to operate because it is recessed between two sidewalls. After turning off/on the sweeper as I move from one area to the next (about 15 off/on toggles) my thumb gets a bit irritated. Last problem is the handle being straight which lacks the ergonomic bump of the older model. Holding the newer model feels less comfortable than the older model.Overall the cons aren't too bad. If the downsides are improved in the next model I'd give 4 stars.The next model though should take better advantage of the Li ion battery capacity. Right now I don't even need half the battery capacity to do my sweeping job and I have a larger sidewalk frontage and driveway than most suburban homes. This should mean the long battery life can be sacrificed somewhat for more power and airflow which would be helpful to finish the job faster.-- My sweeping job: After mowing I have to remove grass clippings from a 100' sidewalk, 100' of gutter, a 15' walkway to the front door, a small front porch, and a driveway that is 20' X 35'. I usually do one pass on the sidewalk, walkway, driveway and gutter and then do a final quick clean-up pass on the sidewalk. Previously I would use two 18V batteries on the first pass and some of a third 18V battery on the last pass, as compared to 1/3 of one 40V (1.5 Ah) battery now.