Black and Decker Pivot (PHV1800) Handheld Vacuum: An Excellent Value

I bought both the Black and Decker Pivot and Dyson Root 6 to compare them to each other. See http://monkeeworks.com/goVac1 for photos and more details. See my epinions.com comparison with Dyson Root 6.

Price  List Price: $60 Street Price: $55 (Wal-mart, Fall 2008). Less than half the price of a Dyson Root 6.

Form Factor  Excellent build quality. The Black and Decker Pivot's main nozzle cleverly and neatly folds into the underneath of the main housing like a flip cell phone. The built-in nozzle even has an integrated slide out extension. As a result, it can be stored or transported in a very space-efficient form without the need for detaching and transporting a clumsy nozzle attachment. There are still included separate, individual specialized extensions, i.e., a crevice tool and a brush tool. However, the main built-in nozzle is a good general, all-purpose one to always have with the handheld vac. Includes (1) Non-changeable, permanently-integrated NiCad 18V battery; (2) Brush and Crevice Nozzles; (3) One Permanent Washable Cone Filter and One Disposable Washable Cone Filter

Canister Emptying and Cleaning  The Black & Decker Pivot handheld vacuum has a convenient clear canister to monitor debris collection and an easy-to-open lid for emptying. Unfortunately, the canister does not completely detach for easy washing which makes cleaning the Pivot canister's nooks and crannies a bit hard. The Black and Decker Pivot's filtration relies primarily on a conventional pleated cone filter that gets dirty very fast and needs regular shaking out (especially when vacuuming very small particulate matter like ash from the fireplace). While the B&D Pivot has a horizontal cyclonic chamber, it is compromised by its horizontal orientation and cannot use gravity as efficiently as the Root 6 for particulate filtration. The Pivot also includes a little twist knob that flexes the pleated paper cone filter radially to help keep it clog-free between thorough cleanings.

Electronics Sophistication  The B&D Pivot comes with a plain vanilla two-speed switch and motor. No niceties like a battery status indicator.

Battery  After partial disassembly of the Black & Decker Pivot, I found that it has permanent, spot-welded, old-tech, shorter life-cycles Ni-Cad batteries. The permanent battery installation implies that the vacuum is thrown away when the Ni-Cad batteries are no longer effective. The heaviest component of the vacuum are the Ni-Cad batteries.

Performance  Provides useful, portable suction power for spot cleaning. Has 2 suction levels: low and high. However, on high, Pivot's performance is not as good as the Dyson Root 6. At home, with an engine vacuum gauge, I verified static suction is 1 inch Hg (a measure of vacuum) versus 2 inches Hg of the Dyson Root 6. With a 30 gallon garbage bag and a stopwatch, I also verified that flow rate decreases as canister gets filled, whereas the Dyson Root 6 does not.  See http://monkeeworks.com/goVac1 for details.

Noise  Not excessive. A little louder (2 dB) than the Dyson Root 6. (Visit '4. Conclusion' in http://monkeeworks.com/goVac1 to hear audio.)

Conclusion With excellent, capable suction (though less than the Root 6), very compact flip-nozzle design, and a price less than half the Root 6, the Black and Decker Pivot is an excellent value.

-Clifford Vincent Arrow
http://monkeeworks.com/goVac1