I was doing my regular weekly house cleaning and noticed that the bathroom vent had a lot of dust bunnies in it.
I picked up my vacuum cleaner, tried to find an outlet but couldn’t. So I had to look for an extension cord.
Then it shocked me, a cordless vacuum cleaner like this hub would have been a good tool in this case.
With a cordless vacuum cleaner like the Black and Decker Pivot, you can eliminate the extra step of finding an outlet.
The broom has a foldable nozzle and brush attachment that removes dust easily.
The PHV1810 is one of the most portable 18V devices available today. If you buy this on Amazon, it will cost about $55. Other vacuum cleaners with the same battery size and power can cost more.
It is called a pivot pivot because the head can be folded thus reducing storage space by half.
Wire Cutter calls this the best handheld device in their 2012 review, ahead of the Dyson DC44, DC35, Hoover Presto, and the Dirt Devil Gator series.
This cordless has a 35W antenna which is higher than the Dyson V6 in normal mode.
Table of Contents
Black and Decker features
- It is powered by an 18-volt nickel-cadmium battery
- Equipped with a retractable slit and brush tool
- Run time 17 minutes
- foldable nozzle
- washable filter
- cyclonic filtration
- transparent dirt bowl
- LED battery indicator
Positives
- strong suction
- Great for spot cleaning
- The transparent dirt cup lets you know when to empty
- Affordable under $50
- Decent running time of 17 minutes
- easy to empty
- Proper size dirt container
Negatives
- No pet tool to remove pet hair on upholstery
- Long charging time
- The battery is not removable
- Aloud
What to expect from a Black & Decker Pivot Vac?
Note that due to the short opening of its head, it will not be able to pick up anything larger than the grain and it does not contain any pet tool, so this is limited to spot-cleaning tasks of spilled debris, being able to effectively remove pet hair on upholstery or carpet compared to Vacuum with a brush roll or pet hair attachment.
Attachments and accessories
Both elbows are integrated within the tool to even slit and brush.
Shipping time
If you are using this for the first time, charge the unit for at least 24 hours. Black and Decker do not specify charging times, their manual states that you need to “plug the device into the charger whenever the power is low”.
Filter cleaning
There are two options for cleaning the filter, the quick cleaning and the universal method.
You’ll use Quick Clean when the dirt cup is full and you need to empty it.
This involves pushing the quick release latch that opens the container door, emptying the collected debris and closing the door afterwards.
The comprehensive method will include washing the filters. Rotate the nozzle forward and press the release latch on the right side of the nozzle.
While holding the release latch, slowly pull out the dust container, this will expose the filters.
Pull out the pre-filter using the pull handle on its end.
Filters are washable but must be replaced every 6 to 9 months.
Battery life
Wire Cutter reports 17 minute runtime. However, consumer reviews were mixed with some reports of only 2 minutes, but most were generally satisfied with an uptime of around 10 to 15 minutes.
Guarantee
The Pivot comes with a 2-year warranty on the entire unit.
Executing floor cleaning
The wide spout allows you to cover more area in each pass, but since it doesn’t have a long handle, it’s best used as a spot cleaner on floors.
It has strong suction so it eats up small debris like cereal, breadcrumbs, dog/cat poop, etc.
It is equipped with a crevice and brush cleaner, so this would be great for cleaning dust from countertops, windows or vents.
If you want to see proof that this broom sucks (in a good way, of course), watch this video I dug into the archives and compare it to a Dyson and Shark cordless in powdered detergent and wet liter…
While the shark faltered, Pivot and Dyson did well in this torture test. The Black and Decker Pivot even beat the Dyson in the pet litter test because it had a wider cleaning path.
Carpet cleaning
It does not come with a motorized brush attachment, so you are limited to cleaning loose debris on the carpet.
If it is embedded deep between the strands, you will need something with a brush roll for this.
You can also use this inside your car as it has a crevice and brush cleaner that will pick up dust and dirt from floors and air vents…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIEfwz32xIA
Pet hair removal
Even without the pet hair attachment, the Pivot still scores highly in Consumer Reports tests on pet hair.
But don’t expect to run out too much if you’re cleaning upholstery because a roll of brush or a dedicated pet hair remover is a must.
Pet hair removal won’t be much of a problem on bare floors and non-upholstered surfaces.
Watch it in action
Detailed review of the Vacuum Wizard…
Black + Decker Promotional Video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ea4ZC8kXnQ
Demo from QVC…
product specification
| attachments | Drag the slit tool and the brush tool |
| battery | 18 volts nickel-cadmium |
| Charger | delivery in |
| Shipping time | 24 hours (tentative) |
| Battery life | 17 minutes |
| net weight (with battery) | 3.9 pounds |
| Purchase Weight | 4.6 pounds |
| total length | 16.0 inches |
| battery indicator | yes |
| filter type | washable |
| dust capacity | 16.09 oz |
| Energy | 35 watt air |
| Voltage | 110 volts |
| Made in | China |
| Guarantee | Two years |
Customer Reviews
It has nearly a thousand reviews on Amazon, and consumers generally liked the suction power, saying it was great for quick pickups and had a pretty decent runtime, 10-15 minutes on average.
Some would go so far as to say that this is the best portable unit they have used.
A number of them loved it so much that they bought it as gifts for their friends and relatives. It was easy to unload the dirt because all you had to do was press the release nozzle and the door opened.
However, there were complaints about the collapsible nozzle design, several people complained that collected dirt tended to fall out of the nozzle when folded out, and an alternative solution to this suggested emptying it after each use.
Reviews from other sites
wire cutter
The editors call this the best handheld vacuum, and they voted this above the versatile but expensive Dyson DC44 because it was $300 cheaper and had more suction power than a regular DC44 setup.
black and double decker
It only rated it 3 out of 5 stars. Consumers generally liked the power, collapsible nozzle, and portability, but complained about the short runtime and long charging times.
Where can I buy this?
You can buy this lightweight portable device from Amazon for less than $55 and it will be eligible for free two-day shipping if you join Prime.
Extended warranties are also available for up to 3 years if you want that extra peace of mind.
If you don’t mind spending a little more, you can opt for the Pivot BDH2000PL which costs only a few bucks. It has a Li-Ion battery which solves most of the issues this version has.
Conclusion
This product is great for spot cleaning tasks that require something nimble and lightweight. You can use this to clean air vents, keyboards, sofas, etc. and don’t let the small size fool you as this packs a punch.
It’s more powerful than the Dyson V7 Trigger (in normal mode) and is a few hundred dollars more expensive.
But of course don’t expect Dyson-level build quality and power.
The foldable spout allows for the required storage space to be cut in half.
This is great for in-car use because it’s compact, and the foldable nozzle allows you to reach more areas.
The biggest downside will be the battery. It has a Ni-Cad battery that will be prone to fading as early as 5-6 minutes into the cycle. If that’s a concern, go with a newer Pivot that has a NiCad battery. It will be a little more expensive but it will last longer.
The nozzle design has a design flaw according to some reviews. Dirt tends to fall out of the dirt cup if you don’t empty it.
So it will be better to empty it after each use.
This would be a great budget alternative to the newer and more expensive $100++ mobile devices.
It’s a big bang for your buck because it has good power, a good sized earthy cut and about 10-17 minutes running time. It’s a little on the heavy side because of the NiCad battery.